Author(s): GIANNAKI, C., KOUDELLIS, M., TSOULOUPAS, C., APHAMIS, G., CHRISTOU, M., BOGDANIS, G., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA, Country: CYPRUS, Abstract-ID: 573

INTRODUCTION:
Soccer is a sport with various demands, including good levels of physical fitness, technical and tactical qualities, while the psychological demands are also high (1,2). In recent years, the development of match analysis systems has allowed the examination of factors associated with game performance, including tactical parameters (3). The current study aimed to examine the associations between physical fitness, psychological parameters, and game performance in young soccer players.
METHODS:
Two-hundred forty-three young male soccer players (aged 16-17 years) participated in this study. A number of physical fitness parameters were assessed, including cardiorespiratory fitness, countermovement jumping (CMJ) ability, sprinting, and change of direction (COD). Body fat was estimated using skinfolds measurement. Psychological characteristics were evaluated using the Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire, Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI-28) and the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS). Technical and tactical data were recorded and assessed during a competitive soccer match using a multicamera, semiautomatic optical tracking system. The InStat index was considered an index of game performance. A multivariate linear regression model was used to evaluate the predictors of game performance.
RESULTS:
Game performance was associated with coping with the adversity and coachability subscales of ACSI-28, tension-anxiety, anger-hostility and fatigue-inertia sub-scales of POMS. Of the physical fitness parameters examined, only COD and CMJ with free arms were associated with game performance, while a tendency toward significance was found regarding cardiorespiratory fitness.
CONCLUSION:
Both physical and psychological parameters are essential predictors of game performance. Both specific physical fitness and psychological parameters in youth soccer players should receive special attention as this appears to affect game performance.

REFERENCES
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2. Bangsbo J, Mohr M, Krustrup P. J Sports Sci , 2006. 24 (7):665-674
3. Sarmento, H., et al. J Sports Sci, 2014. 32(20): p. 1831-1843.