Identification and Comparative Analysis of Essential Performance Indicators in Two Levels of Soccer Expertise

This study aims to identify the essential performance indicators in two level of soccer expertise. A total of 84 elite’s soccer players and 100 novice players from eight soccer academies in Malaysia were enrolled and subjected to standard anthropometric, fitness, skills related performance testing and responded to the questionnaire in mastery and performance. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to determine the most indispensable variables pertinent to the requirement of the game in relation to the level of expertise of the players. The initial PCA shows seven components out of 26 as the most significant for both elite and novice soccer players with a considerable eigenvalue > 1. Moreover, the PCA after varimax rotation highlighted seven principles components (PCs) for elite and novice players respectively. Each of the seven components contained varifactors (VF) selected based on their higher factor loading and that distinguish the players on their expertise. The first PCs for elite’s players revealed strong loading from sit and reach (0.780), vertical jump (0.635), VO 2max (0.637) and age (0.752). The second PCs revealed weight (0.639), biceps (0.859), triceps (0.769), subscapular (0.847), suprailiac (0.886) and middle upper arm circumference (0.776). The third PCs revealed 505 agility (0.618), 5m speed (0.712), 10m speed (0.858) and 20m speed (0.929). The forth PCs revealed task (-0.675) and short pass (0.789) and the last PCs revealed sit up (-0.702). For novice’s players, the first PCs revealed vertical jump (0.624), weight (0.861), height (0.856), sitting height (0.632), middle upper arm circumference (0.673), calf circumference (0.790) and maturity (0.651). The second PCs revealed biceps (0.832), triceps (0.899), subscapular (0.816) and suprailiac (0.869). The third PCs revealed 5m speed (-0.847), 10m speed (-0.877), 20m speed (-0.785) and VO 2max (0.658). The forth PCs revealed task (0.694) and ego (0.747) and the last PCs revealed short pass (0.766).

[1]  Mohd Talib Latif,et al.  Spatial Assessment of Air Quality Patterns in Malaysia Using Multivariate Analysis , 2012 .

[2]  Gijs Debuyck,et al.  Generic anthropometric and performance characteristics among elite adolescent boys in nine different sports , 2014, European journal of sport science.

[3]  Martin Ingvar,et al.  Executive Functions Predict the Success of Top-Soccer Players , 2012, PloS one.

[4]  I. W. Budiastra,et al.  Determination of Catechin Content in Gambir Powder from Dried Gambir Leaves Quickly using FT NIR PLS Model , 2014 .

[5]  Norlaila Azura Kosni,et al.  Role of Psychological Factors on the Performance of Elite Soccer Players , 2016 .

[6]  A. Claessens.  Talent detection and talent development: kinanthropometric issues , 1999 .

[7]  THE RELATIVE AGE EFFECTS IN YOUNG SOCCER PLAYERS AND IT RELATIONS WITH THE COMPETITIVE LEVEL, SPECIFIC POSITION, MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND TECHNICAL SKILLS , 2016 .

[8]  H. Kaiser.  The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis , 1958 .

[9]  John Cotton.  Introduction to factor analysis: What it is and how to do it Quantitative applications in the social sciences, No 13. , 1979 .

[10]  The Psychological Profile of Youth Male Soccer Players in Different Playing Positions , 2015 .

[11]  M Svensson,et al.  Testing soccer players , 2005, Journal of sports sciences.

[12]  Thomas Dos’Santos,et al.  Assessing Muscle-Strength Asymmetry via a Unilateral-Stance Isometric Midthigh Pull. , 2017, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[13]  Andy P. Field,et al.  Discovering Statistics Using SPSS for Windows: Advanced Techniques for Beginners , 2000 .

[14]  T I A Sørensen,et al.  Leg length, sitting height and postmenopausal breast cancer risk , 2012, British Journal of Cancer.

[15]  A. Tyka,et al.  PHYSICAL ENDURANCE, SOMATIC INDICES AND SWIMMING TECHNIQUE PARAMETERS AS DETERMINANTS OF FRONT CRAWL SWIMMING SPEED AT SHORT DISTANCES IN YOUNG SWIMMERS , 2009 .

[16]  C. Castagna,et al.  Physiology of Soccer , 2005, Sports medicine.

[17]  D. J. Adams,et al.  A Comparison of Physical and Technical Match Performance of a Team Competing in the English Championship League and Then the English Premier League following Promotion , 2015 .

[18]  M. Shahril,et al.  Compliance to dietary counselling in controlling blood lipid and its barriers among dyslipidemic individuals , 2016 .

[19]  D. A. Sholl,et al.  Growth at Adolescence , 1962 .

[20]  M. Ahmed.  Assessment of Goal Orientation among Adolescent Athletes with Regard to Their Participation in Recreation and Leisure Activities : A Factor Analysis Approach , 2014 .

[21]  P Haugen,et al.  The application of principal component analysis to quantify technique in sports , 2014, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[22]  J. Hoffman.  Norms for Fitness, Performance, and Health , 2006 .

[23]  SOMATOTYPE OF YOUNG TAEKWONDO COMPETITORS , 2013 .

[24]  Diana Adler,et al.  Using Multivariate Statistics , 2016 .

[25]  Mark Russell,et al.  Anthropometric and performance characteristics of young male soccer players competing in the UK , 2011 .

[26]  L. Léger,et al.  Validity of the 20 m shuttle run test with 1 min stages to predict VO2max in adults. , 1989, Canadian journal of sport sciences = Journal canadien des sciences du sport.

[27]  Shinichi Demura,et al.  Relationships between Sit-Ups and Abdominal Flexion Strength Tests and the Thickness of Each Abdominal Muscle , 2013 .

[28]  Mantu Saha,et al.  Physical and Physiological Comparison Between Indian Female College Basketball Players and Sedentary Students , 2016 .

[29]  Kao-Hung Lin,et al.  Application of factor analysis in the assessment of groundwater quality in a blackfoot disease area in Taiwan. , 2003, The Science of the total environment.

[30]  Daniel Mayorga-Vega,et al.  Criterion-Related Validity of Sit-and-Reach Tests for Estimating Hamstring and Lumbar Extensibility: a Meta-Analysis. , 2014, Journal of sports science & medicine.

[31]  Jae-On Kim,et al.  Introduction to Factor Analysis: What It Is and How To Do It , 1978 .

[32]  D. Meyer,et al.  Increase in injury risk with low body mass and aerobic-running fitness in elite Australian football. , 2015, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[33]  Alan Nevill,et al.  The changing shape of “successful” professional footballers , 2009, Journal of sports sciences.

[34]  I. Stanimirova,et al.  Environmetric modeling and interpretation of river water monitoring data , 2002, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[35]  M. Bartlett.  TESTS OF SIGNIFICANCE IN FACTOR ANALYSIS , 1950 .

[36]  Azman Azid,et al.  Spatial and temporal air quality pattern recognition using environmetric techniques: a case study in Malaysia. , 2013, Environmental science. Processes & impacts.

[37]  U. Hartmann,et al.  Women's football: Player characteristics and demands of the game , 2014 .

[38]  Hafizan Juahir,et al.  Intelligent Prediction of Soccer Technical Skill on Youth Soccer Player’s Relative Performance Using Multivariate Analysis and Artificial Neural Network Techniques , 2016 .

[39]  M. K. Yusoff,et al.  Spatial water quality assessment of Langat River Basin (Malaysia) using environmetric techniques , 2011, Environmental monitoring and assessment.

[40]  Renato Rodano,et al.  Application of functional principal component analysis in race walking: An emerging methodology , 2009, Sports biomechanics.

[41]  Thomas Reilly,et al.  Handbook of Soccer Match Analysis: A Systematic Approach to Improving Performance , 2006 .

[42]  A. Junge,et al.  Assessment and Evaluation of Football Performance , 2000, The American journal of sports medicine.

[43]  A. Elliot,et al.  Extending the 3 × 2 achievement goal model to the sport domain: The 3 × 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire for Sport , 2015 .

[44]  Rafael E. Bahamonde,et al.  Power Output Estimate in University Athletes , 1996 .

[45]  Thomas R. Baechle,et al.  Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning , 2008 .

[46]  Joan L. Duda,et al.  Relationship between Task and Ego Orientation and the Perceived Purpose of Sport among High School Athletes , 1989 .