چکیده:
Purpose: Expertise in sport relies on interactions between individual, task and environment constraints. Individual performer constraints include mental and physical characteristics. The present study aimed to measure the functional capacities and mental skills in adolescent, elite (N=26) and sub-elite (N=35) soccer players to determine the important factors in the talent selection process.Material and Methods: Participants were classified in four groups according to their age: U16, U15, U14and U13. The OMSAT-3 was used to evaluate the mental skills. Furthermore, functional capacities were measured using four tests including aerobic resistance (shuttle run), explosive power (vertical jump), running speed (running with the ball) and strength (shooting).Results: The results of the present study showed a significant difference between elite and sub-elite soccerplayers in three functional and seven mental characteristics. There were significant differences between elite and sub-elite soccer players regarding functional capacities between U15 and U16 players. Also, mental skills differentiated between elite and sub-elite players in U13, U14 and U16 age groups.Discussion and Conclusion: It seems that soccer players lacking functional capacities and mental skills may not continue the participation and/or may not be selected for higher level participations. These results suggest that performance and psychometric characteristics of young soccer players differ at different ages. According to the results it seems that mental skill measurements at ages under 13 and 14 can help the selection process, but functional capacities should be emphasized at U15 and U16 age groups.
خلاصه ماشینی:
"The present study aimed to measure the functional capacities and mental skills in adolescent, elite (N=26) and sub-elite (N=35) soccer players to determine the important factors in the talent selection process.
Key words: Soccer, Elite and sub-elite players, Talent, Functional capacities, Mental skills Introduction Expertise in sport is only reached when the athletes gain and maintain readiness to compete, both mentally and functionally.
Therefore, the present study assessed the mental skills and functional characteristics of young elite and sub-elite players aged between 12 to 16 years, to identify talented soccer players.
Based on table 4, there were significant differences in functional capacities between players in U15 and U16 groups and mental skills differentiated between elite and sub-elite players in U13, U14 and U16 age groups.
Discussion and Conclusion The main purpose of this study was to find important functional and mental measures that differentiate young elite and sub-elite soccer players.
, (2007) in their study on the relationship between multidimensional factors and performance level, found that psychological characteristics have high differentiating power betweenelite and sub-elite players, which is consistent with the results of the present study.
Moreover, Geczi (2009) studied the application of psychometric and motor tests in talent identification and showed that focusing skill is a highly effective factor in selection of young players, which is in line with our results.
From the results of the present studyit appeared that, there should be less emphasis on functional capacities and more stress on the mental skill measurements in talent identification process of players under the ages of 13 and 14."