The set of test tasks assessing special physical fitness of 17-year-old soccer players

Abstract

Background: The objective of the research was to work out the set of test tasks assessing special physical fitness of 17-year-old soccer players. Material/Methods: At first, on the basis of the analysis of the said issue in literature and the authors’ own coaching experience, 13 test tasks were selected. Next, reliability and accuracy of the chosen test tasks were examined on the group of 16 athletes from the Centre of Sports training for youth in Gdansk. The reliability was assessed by the test-re-test method and the accuracy according to a criterion of internal accuracy tests. Except for one task, all efficiency tests met scientific requirements for motor tests. Finally, with the use of statistical analysis (linear regression equation, Hellwig’s algorithm of the optimal choice of explaining variables), four tests implementing most information for the assessment of game-play were chosen. Results: A four-task set of tests assessing selected components of physical fitness reflected 86.7% of the game-play of young competitors. Conclusions: Results of special physical fitness tests should be treated as important information about young athletes’ special physical efficiency, closely interdependent with the effectiveness of their activity in a classified game-play, but only when the tests themselves have previously been scientifically proved.

Is the Field Test of FUT-SAT a Better Experimental Design to Identify the Specific Characteristics of Tactical Performance according to Youth Male Soccer Players' Positional Roles?

“…According to the design of SSGs, it is possible for players to adjust their behaviour and improve their performance in a context that presents similarities with the match play, such as high variability and random practice ( Williams and Hodges, 2005 ). Thus, SSGs are an important training method that allows the development of technical, tactical, physical, and psychological skills with the purpose to enable players to play efficiently and effectively in the match play regardless of their age or category ( Aguiar et al, 2012 ; Sarmento et al, 2018 ; Szwarc et al, 2015 ). In this way, assessment of soccer players in SSGs is necessary to understand the specificity of each design, being a useful tool to improve the training sessions ( Serra-Olivares et al, 2016 ).…”