About
59
Publications
91,313
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
2,313
Citations
Introduction
Additional affiliations
September 2007 - present
Publications
Publications (59)
The transition of elite youth footballers through academy systems towards the first team is highly complex, competitive, and often unsuccessful. A myriad of factors including technical competence, physical prowess, and the development environment combine to determine youth player progression. Current research has focused on broad investigations of...
Background/aim: In football matches, attacking, defending and transition phases alternate constantly due to repeatedly switching of ball possession between opposing teams. Team’s specific objectives within each phase lead to different strategies and, resultingly, team tactical performance varies across offensive and defensive phases (1). Transition...
Football, unlike some other team sports, includes limited game interruptions for coaches to easily communicate with players and affect their performance. However, a reduced number of studies have explored how coaches attempt to influence players during half-time. This study examined football coaches’ behaviours during half-time and their perception...
Background
Researchers in the field of sport pedagogy have highlighted questioning as a behaviour that facilitates athletes’ high-order thinking and problem-solving. However, previous studies have suggested that coaches ask a reduced number of questions during training that are typically convergent and lead players to predetermined responses. Forma...
1 development program stimulating changes in coaches' knowledge and 2 understanding 3 Abstract 4 The literature regarding formal coach education and development highlights issues of 5 transference of usable knowledge to the real-world context. This study sought to engage 6 coaches from a Spanish football academy in a longitudinal work-based coach 7...
Considering the perceived benefit of early recruitment and the time and resources spent developing youth players, individuals released from talent development programmes are often re-recruited by rival academies. However, due to the contractual nature of many talent development programmes, limited empirical data exists on players deselected from (o...
Significant structural, developmental, and financial constraints exist in Scottish soccer that may predicate a different approach to talent identification and development. To our knowledge, no published reports exist evaluating the prevalence of the relative age effect (RAE) in Scottish soccer players. Consequently, the aim of this study was to inv...
It is approximately 35 years since the publication of the first relative age effect paper in sport and despite the volume of empirical studies, book chapters, conference presentations, and column inches dedicated to this topic we appear to be no further on in eliminating or attenuating this discriminatory practice. This commentary argues that the o...
Despite the growing qualitative research examining the complexities underlying the delivery of video-feedback, no study has yet explored coaches’ actual behaviours within this environment. Thus, this study aimed to explore junior coaches´ behaviours and their underlying rationales during team-based video-feedback. Twenty-two in-season sessions deli...
Using a two-study approach, the main purpose of this case study was to explore the use of a verbal reporting methodology to better understand the thought processes of soccer talent scouts during an in-situ talent identification environment. Study 1 developed a standardized coding-scheme to examine verbal cognitions during a single soccer game. Stud...
Introduction Ice hockey is a sport that requires repeated, high-intensity bouts of skating, interspersed with on-ice gliding and rest between shifts, leading to high rotations between players (i.e., every 40 seconds in average) (1). Although heart rate (HR) has been used to assess the fitness demands of such an intermittent activity (2), in the pre...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of styles of play in soccer and the influence of contextual variables (i.e. match status, venue and quality of opposition). Team possessions (n = 68,766) from the 380 matches of the 2015–2016 English Premier League season were collected for this study. The Possession Effectiveness Index, based...
Purpose:
The powerful activity profile of elite soccer match play has not been documented appropriately to inform specific maximal power assessment and development criteria. The aims of the current study were to develop a reliable soccer-specific powerful action (SSPA) notational analysis coding system that could be used to compare frequency and d...
Skilled anticipation is underpinned by the use of kinematic and contextual information. However, few researchers have examined what happens when contextual information suggests an outcome that is different from the event that follows. We aimed to bridge this gap by manipulating the relationship between contextual information and final ball location...
Purpose: To construct a valid and reliable methodology for the development of position-specific predictors deemed appropriate for talent identification purposes within elite youth soccer in England.
Method: N = 10 panel experts participated in a three-step modified e-Delphi poll to generate consensus on a series of generic youth player attributes....
Skilled anticipation is underpinned by the use of kinematic and contextual
information. However, few researchers have examined what happens when
contextual information suggests an outcome that is different from the event
that occurs. We predicted that when contextual information is congruent
with the eventual outcome then anticipation would be faci...
When performing actions under severe time pressure, the ability to
accurately anticipate is vital to performance. Skilled anticipation is underpinned
by the use of both kinematic cues and contextual information.
However, there have been few published reports examining how, and
when, these two sources interact during anticipation. In this study, 18...
The inside game constitutes an essential aspect of modern basketball, particularly in the National Basketball Association (NBA), in where the best players of the world compete. The purpose of this study was to identify players' dynamics that increase game performance when using inside pass in the NBA, considering game contextual effects. The sample...
Objectives: When performing actions under severe time pressure, the ability to anticipate is vital to performance. Skilled anticipation is underpinned by the use of both kinematic cues and contextual information, yet there have been few published reports examining how, and when, these two sources interact during anticipation.
Design: This study em...
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of match status, venue, and quality of opposition on the styles of play in soccer. Data were collected from 380 games of the English Premier League from the 2015–2016 season. Linear mixed models were applied to evaluate the influence of these contextual variables on membership scores for Direc...
Background
Evolving patterns of match analysis research need to be systematically reviewed regularly since this area of work is burgeoning rapidly and studies can offer new insights to performance analysts if theoretically and coherently organized. Objective
The purpose of this paper was to conduct a systematic review of published articles on match...
When performing under severe time constraints, sports performers use kinematic and contextual information to facilitate anticipation. We examined the relative importance of these two information sources and their impact on cognitive load and anticipation performance. Cognitive load theory predicts that adding more information sources to a task will...
The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the potential sociological predictors for identifying talent in junior-elite football. Four academic databases were searched using a systematic search strategy, and nine eligibility criteria were applied to ensure only relevant studies were included. A total of 1107 potential studies were returned f...
The focus of this study was to examine the nature and function of talent identification in category one football academies in the UK. Data were collected from three participant groups: heads of recruitment (n = 12), recruitment staff (n = 18) and scouts (n = 7). Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, conducted either face-to-fa...
The purpose of this study was to identify and examine factors associated with the identification of talented junior-elite footballers. Three data collection methods were employed: (1) document analysis (4 documents), (2) overt observation (~105 h) and (3) 12 semi-structured one-to-one interviews with staff responsible for player recruitment (M = 70...
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the validity, objectivity, and reliability of a Soccer-Specific Behaviour Measurement Tool (S-SBMT) in relation to the soccer philosophy of a Category One Premier League soccer academy. Methods: A 30 minute, 8 vs. 8 small-sided game (SSG), played by the U12 squad of the participating academy was used...
The ability to anticipate is essential when performing under severe time constraints. Skilled sports performers use kinematic information from opponents’ movements and sources of contextual information (e.g., score, field positions) to facilitate anticipation. Few researchers have investigated the relative importance of these two information source...
The ability to anticipate is essential when performing under severe time constraints. Sports performers use kinematic information from opponents’ movements and contextual information (e.g., score, field positions) to facilitate anticipation. We test predictions of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT; Sweller, 1988), which has rarely been applied to perceptu...
We aimed to review and organise current literature about basketball collective behaviour assessment to categorise the most common research topics, main findings and shortcomings of the analysis made. Literature was sought via an electronic search of three databases: Scopus, Web of Science and SportDiscus. Systematic review principles were used to i...
The current study describes the global work-rate of elite hurling match-play and the influence which positional difference has on work-rate is considered. The movement of ninety-four players was recorded using GPS, sampling at 4Hz in a total of 12 games. Data were classified according to the positional line on the field and period of the match. The...
Background
The expert performance approach can be used to examine expertise during representative field-based tasks, while collecting process-tracing measures such as think-aloud verbal reports. Collecting think-aloud verbal reports provides an insight into the cognitive mechanisms that support performance during tasks.
Method
We examined the thou...
The aims of this study were to analyse the effects of using inside pass on ball possession effectiveness and to identify game performance indicators to predict inside pass success in the National Basketball Association (NBA), considering situational variables. A total of 4207 closed ball possessions (± 10 points difference) where recorded from 25 m...
The aim of this study was to define and categorise different styles of play in elite soccer and associated performance indicators by using factor analysis. Furthermore, the observed teams were categorised using all factor scores. Data were collected from 97 matches from the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League from the seasons 2006-2007 a...
Introduction: The range of factors which effect performance during hurling match-play creates a challenge for a research scientist to identify the effectiveness of a training intervention or ergogenic aid. The aim of the current study was to determine the reliability of an intermittent multidirectional hurling simulation protocol. Methods: Twenty s...
The work rate and metabolic power of elite Gaelic football
1, 2* Shane Malone 2 Kieran Collins 1Dominic Doran 1Allistair McRobert
1. RISES, Liverpool John Moores University, Henry Cotton Campus, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom.
2. Gaelic Sport Research Centre, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland
Introduction: Gaelic football is...
Background/context The acquisition of expertise requires that individuals develop complex, integrated systems of representations that facilitate the execution, monitoring, planning and analyses of performance.1 In order to determine what constitutes expertise in surgery it is important to examine the underlying processes utilised by experts. Simula...
INTRODUCTION: Faster-paced attacks in basketball increase the likelihood of scoring. Furthermore, teams and players change their activity as a response to the match situations (Gómez et al., 2013). However, there is scarce information on game rhythm when there are varying degrees of match status (i.e. the difference in points). Therefore, this stud...
Abstract Several researchers have explored the processes underlying perceptual-cognitive expertise, mainly using film-based studies. However, few have compared the extent to which data from film-based settings differ from those obtained through in situ collection. This gap in the literature is a relevant concern, since scientific research is used t...
Performance improvement is thought to occur through engagement in deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is predicted to be challenging, effortful, and not inherently enjoyable. Expert and intermediate level Gaelic football players executed two types of kicks during an acquisition phase and pre-, post-, and retention tests. During acquisition, pa...
Abstract Practice plays an important role in skill acquisition, although not all practice is of equal quality. We examined the types of team practice activities in four groups of youth cricket players. The groups were recreational- and elite-children (9 to 12 years of age) and recreational- and elite-adolescent players (13 to 17 years of age). Time...
The ability to anticipate and to make decisions is crucial to skilled performance in many sports. We examined the role of and interaction between the different perceptual-cognitive skills underlying anticipation and decision making. Skilled and less skilled players interacted as defenders with life-size film sequences of 11 versus 11 soccer situati...
Background:
It is well documented that adaptations in cognitive processes with increasing skill levels support decision making in multiple domains. We examined skill-based differences in cognitive processes in emergency medicine physicians, and whether performance was significantly influenced by the removal of contextual information related to a p...
An extensive body of work has focused on the processes under- pinning perceptual-cognitive expertise. The majority of re- searchers have used film-based simulations to capture superior performance. We combined eye movement recording and verbal reports of thinking to explore the processes underpinning skilled performance in a complex, dynamic, and e...
The aim in this study was to examine the visual and cognitive processes underlying superior anticipation and decision making performance in soccer players. Skilled (n = 24) and less-skilled (n = 24) adult soccer players interacted with life-size video of 11 vs. 11 soccer situations occluded at a key moment. Skilled players were more accurate at ant...
The ability to make accurate judgments and execute effective skilled movements under severe temporal constraints are fundamental to elite performance in a number of domains including sport, military combat, law enforcement, and medicine. In two experiments, we examine the effect of stimulus strength on response time and accuracy in a temporally con...
We manipulated contextual information in order to examine the perceptual-cognitive processes that support anticipation using a simulated cricket-batting task. Skilled (N= 10) and less skilled (N= 10) cricket batters responded to video simulations of opponents bowling a cricket ball under high and low contextual information conditions. Skilled batte...
Introduction
The ability of skilled athletes to anticipate the actions of others and to make appropriate decisions under time constraints differentiates them from lesser skilled athletes (Williams, et al. 2010). These judgments are selected via underlying visual and cognitive processes, which likely differ between skill groups. The aim in this stud...
Introduction
‘Game intelligence’ skills such as anticipation and decision-making play a crucial role in expert performance. The ability of players to anticipate opponents’ intentions and to make appropriate decisions is reliant on a number of processes related to perception and cognition (Williams et al., 2010). A multidimensional research approach...
A novel, representative task was used to examine skill-based differences in the perceptual and cognitive processes underlying performance on a dynamic, externally paced task. Skilled and less skilled soccer players were required to move and interact with life-size, action sequences involving 11 versus 11 soccer situations filmed from the perspectiv...
We examined the developmental activities that contribute to the development of superior anticipation skill among elite cricket batters. The batters viewed 36 video clips involving deliveries from bowlers that were occluded at ball release and were required to predict delivery type. Accuracy scores were used to create two subgroups: high-performing...
Skilled perceptual-cognitive performance is assumed to require superior anticipation, yet few researchers have explored how individual differences in processing measures mediate superior performance, particularly when characteristics of the task are systematically changed from trial to trial. This study examined how advance cue information influenc...
