A recent set of studies has investigated the selective effects of particular physical activities that require full-body rotations, such as gymnastics and wrestling (Moreau, Clerc, Mansy-Dannay, & Guerrien, 2012; Steggemann, Engbert, & Weigelt, 2011), and demonstrated that practicing these activities imparts a clear advantage in in-plane body rotation performance. Other athletes, such as handbal...

The fundamental tactical principles of the game of soccer represent a set of action rules that guide behaviours related to the management of game space. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of fundamental offensive and defensive tactical principles among youth soccer players from 12 to 17 years old. The sample consisted of 3689 tactical actions performed by 48 soccer players in ...

Despite significant progress in the development of virtual soccer games, the affective behavior of virtual soccer players, both in software and hardware applications, is still limited. To improve this situation, this paper presents a generic model for decision making of virtual agents in relation to emotions and trust. The model takes the BDI framework as point of departure, and extends this wi...

Background: The ability to maintain body position in space is called postural control. Muscular fatigue created after doing voluntary repeated contractions impairs postural control. Thus, the present study was conducted to compare the effects of fatigue of the lumbar extensor muscles and duration of these effects on postural sway between soccer player and non-athlete participants.  &nbs...

BACKGROUND The injury rate in soccer is high, and effective injury prevention methods are needed. PURPOSE To test the effect of a video-based awareness program on the incidence of acute injuries in soccer. STUDY DESIGN Randomized control trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS Participants were elite male soccer players from the top 2 divisions in Iceland. Fifteen of 20 teams completed the s...

Plyometric training (PT) is a widely used method to improve muscles' ability to generate explosive power. Plyometric may improved skill performance of soccer players; however it is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PT on skill performance in soccer players. Twenty soccer players participated in this study as the subject. The subjects were randomly assigned to PT ...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the prevalence of knee and/or ankle osteoarthritis in former elite soccer player. DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS Medline, Embase and SPORTDiscus (2000 to January 2012) were used. To be included, studies were required to be a primary study, written in English, Dutch, French or German, former elite soccer players had to be the study population, and presenting knee...

This study investigated bilateral and unilateral asymmetries of strength and flexibility in male young professional soccer players. Thirty-six soccer players (age: 18.9 ± 1.4 years) participated in this study. A Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometer was used to assess the hamstring and quadriceps strength at selected speeds of 60°/s, 180°/s and 300°/s. Hip joint flexibility was measured using a goniome...

Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide. Despite its global acclaim, scientific studies of soccer have tended to focus on tactics and techniques, thereby neglecting the physical and physiological profile of the players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine physical and anthropometric characteristics of male South African university soccer players. Twenty-seven male soccer play...

Plyometric training (PT) enhances soccer performance, particularly vertical jump. However, the effectiveness of PT depends on various factors. A systematic search of the research literature was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying the effects of PT on countermovement jump (CMJ) height in soccer players. Ten studies were obtained through manual and electronic journal search...