title: Analysis of balance, rapidity, force and reaction times of soccer players at different levels of competition.
abstract: In the present study we analyzed 12 physical parameters, namely force, static and dynamic balance (both quantified by means of 4 parameters each), rapidity, visual reaction times and acoustic reaction times, over 185 subjects. 170 of them played soccer in teams enrolled in all the ten different Italian soccer leagues. Results show that 6 parameters (out of the 12 analyzed) permit to identify and discriminate top-level players, among those showing the same training frequency. The other parameters are strictly related to training frequency or do not discriminate among players or control subjects (non-athletes), such as visual and acoustic reaction times. Principal component analysis permits to identify 4 clusters of subjects with similar performances, thus representing a useful instrument to characterize the overall ability of players in terms of athletic characteristics, on the basis of their location on the principal component parameters plane.
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera (Pisa), Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricotti
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rigosa
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niosi
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menciassi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001307:Auditory Perception; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011930:Reaction Time; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult