Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning

Abstract   The present study investigated the prediction of the effect and contribution of developmental and skills factors related to talent identification before football education on 10-12-year-old adolescents’ skill performance after 8 educational sessions. The statistical population inclued all certified football schools in Isfshan city and finally 16 schools cooperated with the researcher. The sample included 171 male adolescents (mean±SD: age 11.01±0.79 year, height 141±7.8 cm, weight 34.03 ±7.5 kg) and 4 subjects were selected from each age group of each football school by simple random sampling method. The participants' skill performance including running with the ball, turning with the ball, dribbling and speed of running were assessed by football talent identification tests derived from the Football Association of England before and after 8 sessions of football education. Reliability of these tests were 90% and their validity was 85%. Descriptive statistics and multivariate stepwise regression analysis were used in this study. Data analysis revealed 4 models to predict adolescents’ skill performance after 8 sessions of football education according to the pretests. Finally, the perfect model predicted 59.4% of variability of the critria.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate impulsiveness features of soccer players in different positions according to the mastery orientation approach. For this purpose, 40 soccer players in Iran first division league with mean age of 28.65±3.9 years in different positions participated in this study. To measure impulsiveness features, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were used. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated that goalkeepers and defenders achieved higher scores in cognitive and motor variables of impulsiveness factors and in misdiagnosis of continuous performance test items than the middle players and offenders (F_(9,82)=3.126, P=0.001, Wilks Lambda 0.228, partial η²=0.389). Based on these results, it can be stated that impulsiveness is one of the main explanatory factors of players' tendency towards different soccer positions along with other relevant variables.  

Abstract Talent identification is a process through which those with the highest chance to succeed in the future will be determined. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the application of a multivariate approach in talent identification of adolescent soccer players. The research population consisted of all soccer players in Tehran province aged between 12 and 16 years old. A battery of tests was applied to measure the psychological, technical, physiological and anthropometric factors in adolescent soccer players in two levels of elite (N=26) and sub-elite (N=35). Participants were divided into four age groups: U16, U15, U14, and U13. The OMSAT – 3 was used to evaluate the mental skills. Furthermore, technical skills were measured by six soccer skills tests of Football Association of England. Physiological measurements consisted of vertical jump, sit up, 10m sprint, 40m sprint and 280m shuttle run. Anthropometric characteristics were height, weight, body mass index, length of lower and upper leg, skin folds in four regions and body fat percentage. Statistical method to analyze the findings was MANOVA. The results showed that among four groups of factors, the physiological measures were statistically more capable of distinguishing the levels. The results of the present study showed a significant difference between elite and sub-elite soccer players in physiological, technical and psychological characteristics, but there was no significant difference in anthropometric attributes. There was a significant difference between elite and sub-elite soccer players in sit up, shuttle run, 10m sprint, 40m sprint, running with ball, turning, speed, dribbling, shooting, goal setting, relaxation, coping with stress, activation, focus, refocus and competition plan (P<0.05). These findings demonstrated that there is more need to emphasize the importance of mental skills in talent identification models. In conclusion, a multivariate approach with regard to the age differences can successfully discriminate elite players from their sub-elite counterparts in adolescence period. It can be suggested that in talent identification process in ages under 13 and 14, physiological measurements are less used and technical characteristics are more emphasized.

Abstract The aim of this research was to investigate the situation of talent identification process and to collect Karate related indexes in Iran. For this purpose, 63 karate subjects, male (N=31) and female (N=32), participated and filled in 3 special questionnaires to identify present and optimal situation of talent identification and most important aspects of biometric, motor capabilities, psychological capacity and skill indexes. The data were analyzed by Pearson coefficient correlation (P?0.05). The results showed that although the reaction time of hand and foot, flexibility, coordination, hand and foot length, agility and sergeant jump were the most important anthropometrical factors related to successful performance, but the reaction time of hand and foot, flexibility and coordination were significant predicators of discriminating athletes. In motor capabilities, the endurance of cardiovascular system played the main role and was an important predictor. In psychological capacity, two factors of concentration and self-confidence had a critical role and only concentration was a significant predictor. The results of this study showed no pattern for talent identification in Iran from coaches and athletes’ viewpoints.