Assessing the decision-making ability of youth soccer players during various offensive video-based situations

Introduction and Aims: An integral aspect of soccer performance is a player’s ability to make decisions (i.e. perceive environmental cues, interpret relevant information and select an appropriate response action). However, this is not commonly assessed in talent identification. The aim of the current study is to quantify the decision-making ability of youth soccer players using a practical assessment tool. Methods: Youth soccer players (U-14: n = 57; U-19: n = 32) involved in a talent development program undertook a decision-making task on a customized iOS application developed using C# programming language in Xcode (7.1, Apple Inc., California, USA). The task contained videos from simulated training drills, ranging from: (1) 2 vs. 1, (2) 3 vs.1, (3) 3 vs. 2, (4) 4 vs. 3 and (5) 5 vs. 3. Videos were viewed from an offensive perspective, with the key player identified in yellow. Videos were occluded at the critical decision moment, with response time (RT; msec) and accuracy (RA, %) recorded. Results: MANOVA revealed a significant multivariate age group effect (between subject) on decision-making ability (F = 7.52, P = 0.01, ES = 0.15). Age group influenced RT (F = 5.23, P = 0.03, ES = 0.57) and RA (F = 10.68, P < 0.01, ES = 0.11), with U-19 players outperforming U-14 players. A significant multivariate effect was observed for situation (within subject) on decision-making ability (F = 97.99, P < 0.01, ES = 0.91). Strong univariate effects of situation were evident on RT (F = 67.55, P < 0.01, ES = 0.44) and RA (F = 122.58, P < 0.01, ES = 0.59). RT gradually increased with the addition of extra players, except between situation ‘4’ and ‘5’. RA was significantly lower in situation ‘4’ compared to all others. Conclusion: Overall, players’ decision-making ability appears to improve with age. When the complexity (i.e. the inclusion of additional players or a reduction in the attacker/defender ratio) of a situation increases, RT appears to increase and RA decreases.