Assessment of ice hockey performance in real-game conditions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to adapt a performance measurement tool, the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP), to ice hockey during match-play. In addition to the six categories included in the original observational procedure, the ice hockey TSAP contained four new categories. Twelve Pee-Wee ice hockey matches were video-recorded during a regional championship tournament. The game play of 103 of the 11- to 12-year-old players was then analysed on video by three trained observers, based on all 10 ice hockey TSAP categories. The observational data were thereafter used to compute, for each player, a “volume of play per minute” and an efficiency index. Finally, volume of play per minute and the efficiency index were combined to obtain a composite score, the TSAP performance score. Additional measurements for each player were playing time during the observed matches, coaches’ assessments (dominant, good, less decisive), and player tournament statistics (number of points, based on assists and goals). The mean TSAP performance score was substantially higher for players rated by their coaches as dominant and for players who accumulated more than one tournament point, findings that provide evidence of the validity of the TSAP measure. In inter-observer reliability analyses of TSAP observational data provided by the trained observersfrom video recordings, the level of agreement between each pair of observers was 80–82%. Reliability correlations over a series of three matches (r=0.26, 0.59, and 0.16 respectively) showed that the TSAP performance score was relatively unstable. Ice hockey coaches may use this adapted Team Sport Assessment Procedure to better understand the offensive implication of each player in a given match, since the 10 observational variables provide more extensive information on performance than traditional statistical measures. Due to low performance stability of the TSAP performance score, coaches ought to use the observational assessment data for the formative rather than the summative assessment of their players unless they cumulate information over a series of several matches. Formative assessment can be conducted either during training camps or even during the regular season.     

How players exploit variability and regularity of game actions in female volleyball teams

Variability analysis has been used to understand how competitive constraints shape different behaviours in team sports. In this study, we analysed and compared variability of tactical performance indices in players within complex I at two different competitive levels in volleyball. We also examined whether variability was influenced by set type and period. Eight matches from the 2012 Olympics competition and from the Portuguese national league in the 2014–2015 season were analysed (1496 rallies). Variability of setting conditions, attack zone, attack tempo and block opposition was assessed using Shannon entropy measures. Magnitude-based inferences were used to analyse the practical significance of compared values of selected variables. Results showed differences between elite and national teams for all variables, which were co-adapted to the competitive constraints of set type and set periods. Elite teams exploited system stability in setting conditions and block opposition, but greater unpredictability in zone and tempo of attack. These findings suggest that uncertainty in attacking actions was a key factor that could only be achieved with greater performance stability in other game actions. Data suggested how coaches could help setters develop the capacity to play at faster tempos, diversifying attack zones, especially at critical moments in competition.     

Coaching performance and leadership behaviours in team sports

The aim of this study was to investigate coaching performance in team sports taking leadership behaviours into focus. To do so, coaching performance was put in a literature-based frame and analysed with reference to a task structure based on the idea of hierarchical planning. The focus of the paper is on a mixed methods multi-strand study using qualitative as well as quantitative threads to develop and verify a set of coaching strategies focussing on teambuilding and team leadership. Qualitative analyses showed that coaches do have a clear understanding of forming and leading a team, which could be shown by a specific set of strategies being used by high performance coaches from different team sports (basketball, football, handball, and volleyball). These strategies could be confirmed in a sequential quantitative study analysing coaches’ and players’ attitudes towards the previously analysed schemes. The results of this study are discussed in terms of methodical and practical implications.     

Coaches’ perceptions of decision making in rugby union

ABSTRACT

Background: In team games situations, the ability to make fast and accurate decisions is crucial to performance. As such, effective decision making, characterised by the consistent and efficient ability to choose the right course of action at the right moment, is a key component of match performance in team sports such as rugby union. Previous research has identified pedagogical approaches to enhance decision making. However, there is dearth in research to investigate how coaches evaluate tactical decision making and subsequently develop context specific ‘on’ and ‘off-field’ coaching practices to improve it. Further, the value coaches place on decision making is under explored.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore coaches’ perceptions of decision making in rugby union. The specific objectives to meet this aim were to: (i) Explore coaches’ perceptions of the value and importance of decision making in rugby union; (ii) Identify coaches’ opinions of the key decision making moments in games and how to evaluate them; and (iii) Investigate coaches’ on and off field methods for improving players’ tactical and strategic decision making.

Participants: Purposive sampling was used to select five male coaches, whose ages ranged from 25 to 41 years, from a regional rugby union club in Wales to participate in the study. Coaching experience ranged from two years to 16 years.

Methods: The interpretative paradigm was used within the study with data collected through semi-structured interviews with academy rugby union coaches. This type of interview gathered rich, detailed and complex accounts of coaches’ opinions of players’ in-game decision making in rugby union in order to inform practice and theory. Inductive and deductive qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data.

Findings: All five coaches agreed that decision making was a crucial part of the modern game of rugby union. There was some disagreement between them about the players’ autonomy to make their own decisions on the pitch and a general lack of clarity between ‘game plan’, ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ amongst the coaches. All the coaches agreed that the process of evaluation of players’ decision making should involve a joint discussion with the players. They also agreed that developing decision making was one of the hardest things to coach. Finally, they used a variety of ‘on’ and ‘off-field’ coaching methods to achieve this including video analysis, questioning and the use of games based scenarios.

Conclusion: This study acquired the coaches’ voice on players’ decision making in rugby union by exploring its perceived importance to them and how they evaluated and attempted to improve it. A clear attempt was made among the coaches to develop a ‘non-judgemental’ atmosphere in the evaluation and improvement of players’ decision making. Future research should consider the use of explicitation interviewing, where the interviewer (coach) aims to get the player into a state of evocation, to relive the key decision making moments in an attempt to improve it.     

四川省体育后备人才实行“体教结合”培养模式的研究

本研究通过文献查找、阅读,找到目前国内外体育后备人才培养模式优势,了解近2年四川省体育后备人才培养模式,通过对四川省多个地市州业余体校的教练、队员进行问卷调查和对四川省个别项目的专业队教练队员进行问卷调查,分析影响我省竞技体育后备人才培养因素,并借鉴世界体育强国的一些培养模式,结合我国国情,探索出四川体育后备人才＂体教结合＂培养模式新思路,对新时期我省竞技体育后备人才培养模式改革提出探索性见解。     

An analysis of practice activities and instructional behaviours used by youth soccer coaches during practice: Exploring the link between science and application

Abstract

We examined the practice activities and instructional behaviours employed by 25 youth soccer coaches during 70 different practice sessions. We evaluated the extent to which these activities and behaviours differ from those shown in contemporary research to best facilitate skill acquisition. Nine coaches worked with the under-9 years age group and eight coaches each with the under-13 and under-16 years age groups; nine of those coaches were employed at the elite level, nine at the sub-elite level, and seven at the non-elite level. Coaches had players spend more time in activities that were deemed less relevant to soccer match performance, termed “training form” (e.g. physical training, technique and skills practices), than activities deemed more relevant, termed “playing form” (e.g. small-sided/conditioned games and phase of play activities). Coaches provided high levels of instruction, feedback, and management, irrespective of the activity in which players engaged. Few differences in practice activities and instructional behaviours were reported across skill and age groups, implying the absence of any notable age- or skill-related progression. Findings are discussed with reference to recent research in the areas of skill acquisition, motor learning, and expert performance.     

Helping coaches apply the principles of representative learning design: validation of a tennis specific practice assessment tool

Representative Learning Design (RLD) is a framework for assessing the degree to which experimental or practice tasks simulate key aspects of specific performance environments (i.e. competition). The key premise being that when practice replicates the performance environment, skills are more likely to transfer. In applied situations, however, there is currently no simple or quick method for coaches to assess the key concepts of RLD (e.g. during on-court tasks). The aim of this study was to develop a tool for coaches to efficiently assess practice task design in tennis. A consensus-based tool was developed using a 4-round Delphi process with 10 academic and 13 tennis-coaching experts. Expert consensus was reached for the inclusion of seven items, each consisting of two sub-questions related to (i) the task goal and (ii) the relevance of the task to competition performance. The Representative Practice Assessment Tool (RPAT) is proposed for use in assessing and enhancing practice task designs in tennis to increase the functional coupling between information and movement, and to maximise the potential for skill transfer to competition contexts.     

“Yes,we can!”: Perceptions of collective efficacy sources in volleyball

Abstract

Collective efficacy can be defined as a group's shared confidence that they will successfully achieve their goal. We examined which behaviours and events are perceived as sources of collective efficacy beliefs in a volleyball context. In Study 1, volleyball coaches from the highest volleyball leagues (n = 33) in Belgium indicated the most important sources of collective efficacy. This list was then adapted based on the literature and on feedback given by an expert focus group, resulting in a 40-item questionnaire. In Study 2, coaches and players from all levels of volleyball in Belgium (n = 2365) rated each of these sources on their predictive value for collective efficacy. A principal component analysis revealed that the 40 sources could be divided into eight internally consistent factors. Positive supportive communication (e.g. enthusiasm after making a point) was identified as the factor most predictive for positive collective efficacy beliefs. The factor referring to the negative emotional reactions of players (e.g. discouraging body language) was the most predictive for negative collective efficacy beliefs. These findings offer a starting point for the design of continuous measurements of collective efficacy through observation.     

Football,sport and the development of young people’s life skills

The development of life skills has been associated with participation in sport, football and other physical activities. A factor in enabling this ambition to be realized is the actions and behaviours of sports coaches. Drawing on the concept of positive youth development through sport, the first part of this paper considers the types of environments coaches need to create in order for players to develop life skills. The second part of this paper discusses formal coach education and its role in developing coaches’ knowledge of life skills development. The third and final section of this paper offers an alternative explanation of how people’s exposure to certain social contexts results in the development of life skills. A review of literature in these areas reveals that the role sport and football has played in players’ development of life skills is unclear and in need of future research attention.     

"Yes, we can!": Perceptions of collective efficacy sources in volleyball

Collective efficacy can be defined as a group's shared confidence that they will successfully achieve their goal. We examined which behaviours and events are perceived as sources of collective efficacy beliefs in a volleyball context. In study 1, volleyball coaches from the highest volleyball leagues (n = 33) in Belgium indicated the most important sources of collective efficacy. This list was then adapted based on the literature and on feedback given by an expert focus group, resulting in a 40-item questionnaire. In Study 2, coaches and players from all levels of volleyball in Belgium (n = 2365) rated each of these sources on their predictive value for collective efficacy. A principal component analysis revealed that the 40 sources could be divided into eight internally consistent factors. Positive supportive communication (e.g., enthusiasm after making a point) was identified as the factor most predictive for positive collective efficacy beliefs. The factor referring to the negative emotional reactions of players (e.g., discouraging body language) was the most predictive for negative collective efficacy beliefs. These findings offer a starting point for the design of continuous measurements of collective efficacy through observation.     

The Development and Validation of a Racquetball Skills Test Battery for Young Adult Beginners

This study was designed to develop a racquetball skills test battery for young adult beginners. Based on a review of literature and the content validity phase, 5 racquetball skills components with 8 test items were formulated: service placement (left and right), power drive (forehand and backhand), power shot placement (forehand and backhand), ceiling shot, and wall rally. Participants (N = 131) were 87 male and 44 female college students who were provided two 90-min sessions of practice and preparation 1 week before the testing. The test was conducted on 2 official size racquetball courts. Each test item had 20 trials (3 trials for wall rally), and each was administered twice within 1 week. A single round-robin tournament was conducted for male and female participants, respectively. Participants were simultaneously evaluated on their overall skill levels by a trained evaluator using a subjective 5-point rating scale. Data on subjective rating and tournament standing were used as criterion variables for examining the test validity. Intercorrelations revealed that all test items had validity coefficients equal to or greater than .50, except for 2 items, service placement to the left and the right, which were dropped from further analysis. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the remaining 6 skills test items were predictive of the 2 criterion variables, with the multiple correlations equal to .67 and .68 for males and .61 and .75 for females. Using factorial repeated measures analysis of variance, generalizability reliability was computed. The G coefficients for the items ranged from .61 to .84. The D studies revealed that testing over a minimum of 2 days would be the best test protocol for most racquetball skills test items. To achieve sufficient reliability (i.e., G coefficient >>.70), the minimum number of trials administered each day was suggested for each item.     

Match activity and physiological load during a clay-court tennis tournament in elite female players

The aim of this study was to determine the match activity and physiological demands of women's tennis during a 3-day clay-court tennis tournament. The activity profile of eight players was determined by filming each competitive match with video cameras. Metabolic-perceptual measurements--blood samples and individual ratings of perceived exertion (RPE)--were taken while the players were sitting during permitted changeover breaks in play. The activity profile of the players was as follows: strokes per rally, 2.5 +/- 1.6; rally duration, 7.2 +/- 5.2 s; rest time between rallies, 15.5 +/- 7.3 s; effective playing time, 21.6 +/- 6.1%; work-to-rest ratio, 1:2.1. Blood lactate concentration [2.2 +/- 0.9 mmol x l(-1) (n = 50) vs. 2.2 +/- 0.7 mmol x l(-1) (n = 48)] and RPE values [12.2 +/- 2.4 (n = 57) vs. 12 +/- 2.3 (n = 57)] were not significantly different (P = 0.65-0.78) between service and return games. The results highlight the importance of taking these factors (i.e. activity patterns and physiological profile) into account when planning training strategies for competitive females players. As such, tennis training regimes should be adapted to the specific demands imposed by match-play in female players on a clay-court surface.     

新规则对我国跆拳道运动员技术运用的影响研究

文章运用文献资料法、问卷调查法、数理统计法等研究方法,通过对跆拳道新旧规则的对比分析,从跆拳道新规则中的得分分值变化着手,根据比赛的技术统计分析竞赛规则的变化对运动员在比赛中的技术运用产生的影响,以期为跆拳道教练员提供技术训练理论依据,使运动员在今后的比赛中取得好的成绩。     

Basketball coaches’ experience in working with multicultural teams: Central and Northern European perspectives

This study seeks to address a gap in research regarding the perspectives of coaches working within European teams comprising both domestic and immigrated players. In order to explore coaches’ experience in working with multicultural teams, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six head coaches of professional basketball teams in Central and Northern Europe (two in Czech Republic, two in Germany, two in Latvia) and analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. The study focused primarily on communication and interaction between immigrated players and coaches, and on strategies used by coaches to overcome problems arising within multicultural teams. The findings identified three main themes: differences in values between foreign and domestic players/coaches; the formation of ethnic subgroups in teams; and race as a potentially problematic factor in coach–athlete relationships. The implications of this study include noting the importance of educational programs for coaches focused on raising cultural awareness, and recognising the need for further studies in this relatively under-researched area.     

Activity profiles of the Australian female netball team players during international competition: Implications for training practice

Abstract

In elite sport, to remain competitive at the international level, it is critical to understand the game demands on players to ensure sport specific training programmes are designed for optimal athlete preparation and conditioning. In netball, recent research examining the activity patterns of players at the elite level is lacking, with only one study undertaken on this level of competition in the past 30 years. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide coaches with up to date knowledge of player activity patterns as a basis for the design of optimal sport specific training programmes. The Australian female netball team were analysed using video footage of three international test matches. Player activity was categorised into five movement and eight game-based activities; and further classified as work or rest. Results suggest that differences in the current game exist when compared to the previous analysis. Positional differences were also found with regard to player activity confirming the need for an individualised component of training based on player position.     

Performance,motivation, and enjoyment in young female basketball players: An interdisciplinary approach

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the variation in accumulated basketball training experience, body size, functional performance, deliberate practice motivation, achievement and competitiveness motivation and sources of enjoyment among young female basketball players, partitioning the potential variation by individuals´ biological characteristics (menarche status) and contextual characteristics (competitive age group and competitive level). We considered 114 adolescent female basketball players aged 14.3 (1.8) years. We used multilevel regression and poststratification estimations. The adolescent female basketball players selected for state-level had more accumulated experience, were taller and with better functional performance. Conditional on the data, youth female coaches tend to value (probably overvalue) size and function when selecting/promoting players, even at early age groups, likely contributing to an overrepresentation of early maturing girls in at early age groups. Players from club- and state-level were similarly highly motivated for deliberate practice and to achievement. Only for competitiveness, state-level players had higher values than club level players. The sources of enjoyment were influenced by context (competitive levels) for self-referenced competencies and others-referenced competencies. Structured programs of training and competition in youth female basketball provide a nurturing environment for the development of players´ engagement and commitment to training and excellence attainment.     

Evidencing the impact of coaches’ learning: Changes in coaching knowledge and practice over time

ABSTRACT

It is clear that sport coaches learn from multiple interconnected learning experiences, yet there is limited direct evidence to elucidate what is learned and how these combined experiences shape coaches’ knowledge and day-to-day practice. This research aimed to investigate the impact of the learning of two groups of English youth soccer coaches over a period of a year and a half. Using the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS) and associated video-stimulated recall interviews, changes in the practice behaviours and knowledge use of coaches completing a formal coach education course, and equivalent coaches not undertaking formal education, were compared. Data indicated that the learning period had a different effect on coaches taking part in formal coach education versus those not in education. Changes in the use of knowledge about individual players and tactics were reflected in increased behaviours directed towards individuals, and an altered proportion of technical to tactically related questioning, linked to coaches’ participation in education. Overall, more change was evident in coaching knowledge than in practice behaviours, suggesting an absence of deep learning that bridged the knowledge-practice gap.     

“三大球”项目教练员服务型领导行为的结构及测量

研究目的构建我国“三大球”项目运动队教练员服务型领导行为的结构,并对测量量表的信效度进行检验,形成我国教练员服务型领导行为的测量工具。研究样本以WCBA球队、大学高水平足球队和排球队、进入全国分赛区的CUBA联赛、CUBS联赛球队的运动员与教练员为样本来源。研究方法访谈调查法、量表法。数据主要通过探索性因子分析、验证性性因子分析、Cronbach系数等统计方法进行处理。研究结果教练员服务型领导行为量表包括愿景、服务、授权3个维度共计12个条目,总体量表的Cronbachα系数为0.867。量表的信效度符合心理测量学的要求,可作为我国“三大球”项目运动队教练员服务型领导行为测量的有效可靠工具。