Are declines in physical performance associated with a reduction in skill-related performance during professional soccer match-play?

The aim of this study was to determine whether declines in physical performance in a professional soccer team during match-play were associated with reductions in skill-related performance. Computerized tracking of performance in midfield players (n = 11) showed that total distance and distance covered in high-speed running (>14.4 km · h?1) were greater in the first versus second half of games (both P < 0.001) and in the first versus the final 15 min of play (P < 0.05). Analysis of high-speed running across 5-min periods showed that more distance was covered in the first versus the final game period, and in the peak period of activity compared with the following period and game mean for other periods (all P < 0.05). Analysis of skill-related measures revealed no significant decline between halves, across 15-min intervals or in the 5-min period following that of peak high-speed activity compared with the game mean for other 5-min periods. In contrast, frequencies of passing, ball possessions, and duels were greater in the first 5-min than in the final 5-min period (P < 0.05). Neither physical nor skill-related performance was affected across three consecutive games within a period of ≤7 days. The results suggest that the players were generally able to maintain skill-related performance throughout games and when competing in successive matches within a short time.     

Regimes of risk: the need for a pedagogy for peer groups

Peer groups matter more than we think. In this paper we assert that peer group commitments and affiliations are often the primary social reference in determining the way young people think about and practice risk. It is, we argue, inappropriate to impose adult constructions of risk‐taking and anti‐social behaviour when trying to assert influence over the decisions and practices young people make in the context of their peers. Prominent in our discussion is a concern that mainstream educational theory and practice focuses disproportionately on the individual and their capacity to make rational and independent choices. We believe that within this individualizing framework, teachers have only a very limited capacity to influence the practices and decisions young people make in the presence of their peers, their friends. To ground this discussion we juxtapose the actions and interactions of two young male peer groups, to highlight their respective constructions of group identity.