title: Measuring soccer technique with easy-to-administer field tasks in female soccer players from four different competitive levels.
abstract: Soccer is a multidimensional sport that requires skills in many different domains. Reports from competitions at the highest levels around the world suggest that a particularly decisive performance factor is a team's technical execution. Testing of technical skills in soccer has been infrequent compared with testing of physiological variables, and there has been a lack of consensus as to which tasks should be included in test batteries. In this study, the validity of four field tasks (heading, long pass, juggling, and hit-the-post) was examined by testing 108 female soccer players from four different competitive levels, representing a hierarchy of skill levels. Correlation analysis indicated that the tasks' results appeared statistically unrelated (Spearman's ρ ≤ .36). Statistical comparisons across competitive levels showed that task performance was closely correlated with players' competition level, with regression analysis indicating that 92% of the variance in mean rankings across tasks could be explained by competitive level. As the easily administered and low-cost tasks identified differences in technical skills across competitive levels, such tasks appear valid for inclusion in tests of technical skills.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Education and Social Work, Sør-Trøndelag University College, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Arve Vorland
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Håvard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lorås
authors.forename: Ole Petter
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Norvang
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Asplund
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D012916:Soccer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult