ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP21
INTRODUCTION: Athletes who can perceive situations more quickly and execute movements more rapidly have a significant advantage in team sports. In particular, decision making and perceptual abilities are frequently identified as crucial factors that differentiate between different levels of playing ability. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown [1]. This study aims to investigate the role of cognitive and physiological factors in response time tasks using general stimuli and their influence on expertise differences in female team sport athletes. METHODS: A total of n = 23 high-level (2nd-4th league, age: 23.80 ± 2.95 years) and n = 22 low-level (7th league, age: 28.80 ± 7.60 years) female team handball athletes performed an Eriksen-Flanker-Task and four measurements on the SpeedCourt (a sensor-based system for assessing speed and reactive performance). Jump height, five-second tapping, and response times under both simple and complex conditions were assessed. Reaction and movement time were measured following a sport-specific response. Simple mean comparisons and correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between dependent variables. The influence of test complexity and performance level was analyzed using a repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (rmMANOVA). RESULTS: Reaction and movement time in the response time tasks increased significantly with increasing test complexity (p < 0.001). Only movement time distinguished between high- and low-level team handball players, with high-level players demonstrating significantly shorter movement times (MDiff = -0.037 s, 95%-CI [-0.001 s, -0.072 s], p < 0.05). Faster movement times were significantly correlated with jump height (moderate, r = -0.48, r2 = 0.24, p < 0.01). Other cognitive-psychological factors, such as performance on the Eriksen-Flanker-Task, showed no significant group differences or a correlation with reaction time in the complex response time task (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, physiological factors, as indicated by movement time, contribute to differentiating female team sport athletes in response time tasks using general stimuli. These findings reflect sport-specific requirements for optimizing response time tasks and highlight implications for improving reactive agility. Future studies should incorporate sport-specific stimuli to systematically analyze the impact of anticipation and visual search behavior on movement times and expertise differences, which could provide valuable insights for training interventions in team sports. 1. Paul DJ, Gabbett TJ, Nassis GP. Agility in Team Sports: Testing, Training and Factors Affecting Performance. Sports Med, 2016. 46(3): 421-442.
Read CV Deborah SeippECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP21
INTRODUCTION: Football is a highly dynamic sport that requires players to rapidly process visual stimuli, make decisions, and execute motor actions under pressure. Sport Vision Training (SVT) has been proposed as a method to enhance visuomotor skills, yet its application in football remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week, field-based SVT protocol on Visuo-Motor Reaction Time (VMRT) and oculomotricity in young football players. METHODS: Thirty- five male players (aged 11–12 years) were recruited for the study. Baseline orthoptic evaluation ensured normal visual function before intervention. VMRT was measured using BlazePod devices across upper- and lower-limb tasks, while oculomotricity was evaluated using the Northeastern State University College of Optometry (NSUCO) test. Participant competed an 8-week SVT intervention, consisting of twice-weekly 20-minute training sessions integrated into football practice. Exercises focused on peripheral vision, saccadic movements and visual-motor reaction drills. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and cumulative link models (CLMMs) were used for statistical analysis, with p-values adjusted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Post-intervention analysis revealed significant improvements in VMRT for upper-limb tasks, with reductions in reaction times for right hand (β = -0.15; p < 0.001), left hand (β = -0.14; p < 0.001), and both hands (β = -0.11; p < 0.001). However, no significant improvements were detected in lower-limb reaction time (p > 0.05). The NSUCO test showed significant improvements in saccadic movement precision (β = 2.11; p = 0.02) and reduced head/body movement during saccadic tasks (β = 0.11; p < 0.001), but no notable changes in pursuit movement precision (β = -0.62; p = 0.37). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that field-based SVT can effectively enhance upper-limb visuomotor reaction time and saccadic eye movement precision, supporting the integration of SVT in football training. However, its impact on lower-limb reaction time remains inconclusive, suggesting that additional training or a longer intervention period may be necessary to enhance reaction times in the lower extremities. Further investigation is needed. The study highlights the potential of integrating cost-effective SVT programs into football teams training routines, allowing coaches to systematically enhance athletes’ visual-motor processing without disrupting standard practice sessions. Future research should explore longer intervention periods and assess the transferability of SVT improvements to match performance. And assess long-term retention of visual-motor adaptations. Appelbaum, L.G.; Erickson, G. Sports Vision Training: A Review of the State-of-the-Art in Digital Training Techniques. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 2018, 11, 160–189, doi:10.1080/1750984X.2016.1266376.
Read CV Valentina ZerbiniECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP21
INTRODUCTION: Innovative soccer-specific training tools, such as SoccerBot360 (SB360), offer multidimensional perceptual-cognitive training (PCT) using soccer-specific motor tasks with 360-degree stimuli. These technologies can overcome the limitations of conventional PCT tools that often isolate perceptual-cognitive skills from physical activity, such as virtual reality systems [1]. However, evidence on the effectiveness of SB360 and other PCT using these technologies is still limited, particularly among skilled populations. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of a 6-week SB360 PCT intervention on perceptual-cognitive-motor task performance in skilled youth soccer players. METHODS: Thirty-one male youth soccer players from a Category One English Premier League Youth Academy (age = 13.7 ± 0.9 years) participated in a longitudinal crossover design. They were divided into two groups: one group completed a 6-week block of SB360 PCT (15-mins/week) followed by another 6-week control block where they continued their regular soccer training, whereas the sequence was reversed for the other group. Following familiarisation, intervention effects were assessed before, between, and after each training/control block using standardised SB360 motor tasks designed to test choice response time, cognitive flexibility, anticipation, and inhibition. Linear mixed models were employed for analysis of test response accuracy (RA) and response time (RT), reporting r-squared values as an effect size measure. Significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: RT in all four tasks was significantly faster at the 6-week mid-point and the end of the 12-week study compared to baseline. However, there were no between-group differences in RT at any test, including at the 6-week mid-point, where the intervention group was hypothesised to show faster RT than the control group. RA in the anticipation task was significantly greater at the end of the 12-week study compared to baseline. RA did not significantly differ across tests for the other three tasks, and again, there were no between-group differences in RA across all tasks. Effect size analysis indicated that individual differences accounted for the largest proportion of variance (0.54-0.80) when compared to time and group factors (0.00-0.10). Additionally, six of nine testing variables showed significant improvements (P < 0.05) between familiarisation and first cognitive test. CONCLUSION: Individual variation between players had a stronger effect on SB360 testing performance than the intervention. Therefore, we recommend a longer duration and increased frequency of SB360 training, as well as tailoring task difficulty and specificity to individual needs, so as to minimise individual variation and maximise training effects. Future study should also incorporate a familiarisation test to minimise misinterpretation of cognitive intervention results. 1. Beavan, A. (2019). Extraordinary tools require extraordinary evidence. Science and Medicine in Football, 3(4), 263-264.
Read CV Woohyuk ChangECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP21