The influence of task constraints on attecker trajectories during 1v1 sub-phases in soccer pratice

Abstract

The task constraints are prevalent elements used by coaches to train their players in sports training (Araújo, 2006; Newel, 1986). The scope of this study focuses on the analysis of spatial occupation of the attacking player in the practice space, when subjected to certain instructional constraints, on 1v1 soccer sub-phase. This study analyzed 11 soccer players (17.91 ± 1.04 years old) with 8.60 ± 1.52 years of practice. The heat maps presented differences on the occupied field surface in the various practice conditions. The analysis of variance of the duration of the offensive attempt also presented statistical differences within the various practice conditions (F(2, 327) = 30.776; p = .01). Results suggest that in risk situations the attacker tends to promote the space-time symmetry. On the other hand, when the instruction to keep the ball was given, unlike the risk constraint, there was a lateralization of the action, increasing the variability and dispersion of the attacker’s trajectories. This study demonstrated the relevance of manipulating instructional constraints.