Visual occlusion effects on youth football players’ performance during small-sided games

Santos, Sara; Gonçalves, Bruno; Coutinho, Diogo; Boas, Gabriel Vilas; Sampaio, Jaime

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0268715

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…From the results obtained, it can be confirmed that football performance depends largely on the visual perceptual system that provides information for perception and action (Vaeyens et al, 2007). Furthermore, this study provided key information regarding how the players adjust their behaviour as a result of temporary occlusion (Santos et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Does training with visual occlusion improve technical skills in Under-14 football players?

D’Elia¹,

D’Isanto²,

Altavilla³

et al. 2023

Acta Gymnica

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Background: Visual occlusion reduces players' field of vision and directly affects their physical, technical and positional performance. Therefore, it is important to understand how visual perception is affected, and whether training with visual occlusion leads to an improvement in performance. Objective: This study aimed to examine whether training with visual occlusion could improve technical skills in young football players. Methods: Thirty male Under-14 amateur football players were randomly assigned to a visual occlusion group (OCC; n = 15) and a control group (CON; n = 15). In addition to the conventional training program, the OCC performed visual occlusion training sessions using spatial occlusion goggles that removed the sight of the participants' limbs and lower body. The CON performed only the conventional training program. The study consisted of a pre-test, two months of training intervention and a post-test. Contextualised technical skills were tested using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test. Results: Both OCC (p = .21) and CON (p = .43) did not change Trial performance. However, the OCC experienced small-to-moderate improvements in Penalty time (p = .002; d = 0.51, 95% CI [0.10, 0.70]) and Global performance (p = .005, d = 0.44, 95% CI [0.05, 0.66]). The CON did not show changes in Penalty time (p = .61) and Global performance (p = .89) variables. A significant moment × group interaction was found in Penalty time (p = .016, η p 2 = .19, 95% CI [.03, .48]) and Global performance (p = .011, η p 2 = .21, 95% CI [.01, .45]). Conclusions: The OCC has shown a significant reduction in the amount of time required to complete the trial and the Penalty time. These results suggest that incorporating visual occlusion as a paradigm into a training program for football players may positively impact their technical skills.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Does training with visual occlusion improve technical skills in Under-14 football players?

D’Elia¹,

D’Isanto²,

Altavilla³

et al. 2023

Acta Gymnica

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“…Small-sided games (SSG) were conducted on fields of different dimensions following the design outlined by Santos et al (2022). The study employed a specialized training format called Gk+4vs4+Gk Small-Sided Game (SSG) to investigate the effects of different experimental scenarios on player performance.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of visual occlusion during small-sided games on youth football players

Esposito

2024

J. Hum. Sport Exerc.

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This study aimed to investigate the effects of playing with visual occlusion (OCC) during small-sided games (SSG) performed under different pitch sizes on youth players' physical and technical performance. The purpose was to understand how visual occlusion may influence players' behaviour and performance in game-based scenarios. Thirty youth football players from a U14 football academy participated in the study. The design involved a repeated-measures approach, with players exposed to different experimental conditions: normal situation (NOR) without OCC; OCC with an eye patch on the dominant foot's corresponding eye. The SSGs were performed on both small and large pitch sizes. Time-motion variables were computed using positional data, and technical analysis was based on video footage. A repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to identify differences in the considered variables between the conditions. Although no significant effects were found in technical performance between NOR and OCC conditions, suggesting adaptability to OCC constraints, some trends were observed. Increasing pitch size in the NOR scenario led to higher physical demands and more touches with the dominant foot, while smaller pitches led to an increase in the number of passes. Larger pitches with OCC increased physical demands. Players tended to use their non-dominant foot more in smaller pitches with OCC. Furthermore, OCC in larger pitches significantly reduced the game pace, movements, and dribbling frequency, allowing more time for decision-making based on environmental information. Playing with visual occlusion may impact players' behaviour and performance, leading to adjustments in the use of dominant and non-dominant feet.

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Effects of training repetition on young footballers’ tactical and physical performances: free and conditioned large-sided games

Gonzalez-Artetxe,

Folgado,

Los Arcos

2024

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P:

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This study evaluated the consequences of repeating the same large-sided games, playing free or conditioned, during several training sessions on young footballers’ tactical and conditional performances and their variabilities. Thirty-two U14 and U16 developmental male footballers participated in the study. Both teams, divided into two balanced groups (free play and conditioned), faced each other during three eight-a-side games (seven vs seven, plus goalkeepers) during three training sessions. The free-play groups played as they pleased, while the conditioned groups played the games conditioned by tactical instructions. Tactical performance was assessed by central tendency and normalized approximate entropy measures of the distance of each player to the team centroid (m) and the distance of each player to their mean position (m), while the conditional performance was assessed by total distance (m) and walking, jogging, running, and sprinting distances traveled (m), and number of accelerations and decelerations performed. Whereas players’ average tactical and conditional responses scarcely varied between sessions, inter- and intra-player variabilities were always considerable (coefficient of variation >10%) regardless of the task conditions and the age group. In addition, all footballers’ conditional variability was substantially higher at faster speeds (jogging, running, and sprinting distances) than at slower ones (total distance and walking distance traveled), and for accelerations and decelerations performed. Implementing large-sided games with or without tactical instructions may be an appropriate training strategy to ensure stable and constant average responses for the team. Nevertheless, academy football coaches should bear in mind and manage the variability between and within players.

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Visual occlusion effects on youth football players’ performance during small-sided games

Cited by 4 publications

References 38 publications

Does training with visual occlusion improve technical skills in Under-14 football players?

Does training with visual occlusion improve technical skills in Under-14 football players?

The impact of visual occlusion during small-sided games on youth football players

Effects of training repetition on young footballers’ tactical and physical performances: free and conditioned large-sided games

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