Skillful and strategic navigation in soccer – a motor-cognitive dual-task approach for the evaluation of a dribbling task under different cognitive load conditions

Abstract

Soccer is a competitive sport that relies on distinct motor skills and cognitive processes. However, cognitive aspects are often overlooked, with a focus mainly on motor skills. Limited research has explored screening tests within motor-cognitive navigation dual-task (DT) paradigms. This study aims to validate a sensitive approach for assessing soccer-specific dribbling by evaluating the Trail-Dribbling Test (TDT) as a method to differentiate high-performance (HP) from low-performance (LP) players. Two hundred and seventy-five participants (41 females) aged between 12 and 34 completed the Trail-Making Test (TMT), the Trail-Walking Test (TWT), and the soccer-specific TDT under three levels of cognitive load. Results indicated shorter TDT durations for HP compared to LP players, with increased cognitive load accentuating differences (TDT-M: p = 0.044, d = 0.260; TDT-A: p < 0.001, d = 0.449; TDT-B: p < 0.001, d = 0.653). The TDT effectively discriminated between HP and LP players in the 14–15 (AUC = 0.712–0.820) and 16–17 age groups (AUC = 0.634–0.839). In conclusion, the ecologically valid TDT demonstrates the potential for quantifying soccer-specific dribbling, offering insights into motor and cognitive aspects of dribbling performance, especially among soccer players aged 14–17.