Comparison of IQ, EI, Sports Performance, and Psychological Characteristics of Young Male Soccer Players in Different Playing Positions

Abstract

Background. Soccer is a popular sport with a large number of players all over the world. Besides, it has considerable economic and social effects. Thus, it is necessary to find out the factors which influence soccer players' performance. Objectives. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether there is a significant correlation between intellectual intelligence (I.Q) (Raven's progressive matrices) and emotional intelligence (EI) (Bar-On emotional intelligence scale) with the performance (Charbonneau sports performance questionnaire), and assess the psychological characteristics of young male soccer players in different playing positions and the descriptive method with a correlation technique was used. Methods. Pearson correlation coefficient was used for questions analysis and One-way ANOVA was used for testing the hypothesizes. 120 young Iranian male soccer players aged 17-19 from different soccer schools participated in the study. The players were divided into four playing positions: forwards, midfielders, defenders, and goalkeepers. Results. The obtained data revealed a positive linear correlation between soccer players' IQ, EQ, and sports performance. Also, significant differences were observed between BarOn subscale scores of the players in different playing positions. Conclusion. The obtained outcomes reinforce the hypothesis that positional differences in terms of psychological characteristics exist. In addition, it might be concluded that young soccer players might be differentiated by their psychological skills and their playing positions.

Does Physical Fitness Correlate with IQ? A Study among Football Student Athletes

“…The results of this study also support previous research stating that the Intelligence Quotients (IQ) level affects the skills possessed by football athletes (Nakisa and Rahbardar, 2021). The results of another study show that there is a significant relationship between IQ and handball playing skills (Shalar et al, 2020).…”

“…IQ is an essential element that often defines success in sports that require accurate and fast thinking, such as football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, etc. (Nakisa and Rahbardar, 2021). Latifah et al (2017) explain that the intelligence (IQ) level in sports is crucial for sports performance and achievements.…”

“…The results of other studies regarding the importance of IQ in football games state that there is a positive correlation between IQ and EQ and football player performance (Nakisa and Rahbardar, 2021). The results of previous studies conclude that Intelligence Quotients (IQ) is one of the critical factors in supporting the football athlete's performance during training and matches.…”

Differences in Psychological Variables and the Performance of Female Futsal Players according to Playing Position, Match Result and Menstruation

“…In addition, it should be noted that the performance in offensive tasks and the psychopsychological state of futsal players are conditioned by the technical-tactical aspects of the sport, such as the playing position or the outcome of the match [13][14][15][16][17]. In this regard, the tasks performed by the pivots, wings or closers during the games are very different [13].…”

“…In this regard, the tasks performed by the pivots, wings or closers during the games are very different [13]. This gives rise to different profiles, among which stand out the higher motivation, activation, confidence or problem-solving of the pivots with respect to the rest of their teammates [16,17], as well as the increased use of sprinting, jogging and shots on goal [14], allowing them to collaborate in most of the team's goals [15] and be especially relevant to the final result. In addition, these differences in performance according to playing position are more noticeable when the match result is adverse since there are a high number of counterattacks in which the pivots, as the reference player in the attack, participate to a greater extent in the defensive-offensive transitions [18].…”