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Mohd Harridon, 2022, 10:1
ISSN (Online): 2348-4098
ISSN (Print): 2395-4752
© 2022 Mohd Harridon. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original work is properly credited.
Body Position of Soccer Players: Kuala Lumpur City
FC versus Melaka United FC
Mohd Harridon
Aviation Fitness Cluster Universiti Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology,
Malaysia Civil Defence Force
mdharridon@unikl.edu.my
I. INTRODUCTION
Sporting events are popular these days with many
attending the events to be entertained. Soccer is one
such event where patrons are delighted with the
skills and fluid passing of teams playing each other.
According to Kirkendall, soccer is widely studied and
various researches had been actuated upon soccer
[1]. He further stated that vast variety of topics
pertinent to soccer were analyzed and this showed
that teams went to length to enhance their chances
of winning through detailed research and analyses
[1].
In order for players to be able to receive and pass
the ball effectively and accurately, the body position
of the player should be at an angle where he or she
could observe the ball coming while receiving the
ball and also could observe his or her teammates
before actuating the pass. Optimum body position
allows the player to play fast pace passing games
such as one touch football which can lead to goals.
In this paper, the body positions of players from two
teams playing each other were analyzed in terms of
correctness and incorrectness. The analyses were
done for the first 5 minutes of the match. The teams
being analyzed were Kuala Lumpur City FC and
Melaka United FC where both teams hailed from
Malaysia.
As stated earlier, body position is important in soccer
matches. Harrison pointed out that with the correct
body position, a player would be able to peer upon
opponents and teammates and thus be successful on
the pitch [2]. Harrison also mentioned that players
should train regularly in order to enhance their body
positions during matches [2]. The training should
emphasize upon creating angles via positioning of
the body where these angles allow the player to have
peripheral views of his or her surroundings.
With the correct and optimum body position, players
can have much greater views as mentioned earlier
and this entails them to observe options to pass the
ball. Hence this aids the Passing Lanes process.
Harridon stated that Passing Lanes are channels
which the ball passes through where locations of
players on the field create these Passing Lanes [3].
Harridon also iterated that more lanes are created
when the players without the ball are constantly
moving in order to create options to the player with
the ball [3].
In today’s games, every team is looking for ways to
increase the chances of victory. Video Analysis is one
of the tools that is constantly utilized to provide
means to win matches. Cuevas and et al indicated
that Video Analysis is used by coaches to analyze
games and pinpoint mistakes in order to be better
than the other team [4]. Cuevas and et al also
explained that game analysis is challenging and the
Abstract- Soccer is very popular among the masses and it had conjured millions of spectators. With this, teams
pressed tremendously to win and with the right technique players would be efficient in the field and this would
contribute to wins. One of the techniques in soccer is the Body Position where with the correct Body Position
the player could receive and pass the ball swiftly, accurately, and concretely. This paper analyzed the Body
Position of soccer players from two competing teams in Malaysia where both these teams played against each
other and video analysis of that particular match was examined.
Keywords- Soccer, Body Position, Video Analysis, Physical Fitness, Technique.
Mohd Harridon. International Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2022, 10:1
Page 2 of 6
International Journal of Science,
Engineering and Technology
An Open Access Journal
evolution in techniques in Video Analysis aids users
in the field of analysis [4].
The analyses of body positions that the author had
done was through Video Analysis where the video of
the match was acquired from the internet and the
video was scrutinized in details. The numerical count
of correct and incorrect body positions that the
author had actuated was akin to statistical analysis
where statistics is widely used in current game
scenarios.
Prakoso and Lumintuarso stipulated that statistical
data is used by coaches to develop strategies and
game plays and this somehow had given their teams
edges in competitive matches [5]. They also
mentioned several parameters, such as passes, shots,
and others are statistically recorded for formulation
of tactical plays [5].
For players to be able to position themselves
correctly while receiving and passing the ball, they
should have an optimum degree of physical fitness in
order to be able to turn swiftly in a continuous
fashion. The optimum level of physical fitness is also
required so that the players have high level of
concentrations in order to scan teammates and
opponents in lieu with receiving and passing the ball.
Harridon had recommended several key physical
regimes that could be implemented in order to
increase or retain physical fitness of players [6].
Harridon also stated that these regimes can be
carried out during training and they are across the
board which means that they can be utilized in other
fields or industries, such as aviation and others, that
required a certain level of physical fitness [6].
Turner and Stewart concurred with Harridon and
they stated that soccer is a high intensity game
where players are in constant movement and the
players need the necessary physical fitness to
perform well on the pitch [7].
Turner and Stewart reiterated the fact that players
should go through a structured training programme
to alleviate their physical fitness [7]. This paper even
though it outlined the Body Position during a match,
the underlying gist is numerous where one of them is
the ingrained physical fitness of players and how this
affects their abilities to actuate proper Body Positions
during matches.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Soccer had played a role in providing entertainment
and also creating healthy lifestyles among
individuals. Stolen and et al mentioned that soccer is
very popular and is played by many with different
sets of expertise [8]. Stolen and et al also stipulated
players have different performances and most teams
preferred to indulge in systematic training in order to
harness the talents of the players [8].
The focus of this paper is the Body Position of the
players and according to Five Aside, it’s imperative
for soccer players to have the correct Body Position
as this allows them to observe cleanly their
teammates and oppositions [9]. Five Aside also
indicated that the correct Body Position would
enhance the reaction of the players and make them
quicker in transferring the ball [9].
To be able to position the body effectively and
continuously, players need to be physically fit.
Harridon stated that getting the right nutrients or
eating orderly aids one’s physical fitness and stature
[10]. Harridon also opinionated that the productivity
of individuals would also increase due to proper
eating habit [10]. Thus, Body Position of soccer
players are interconnected with other underlying
components and parameters.
The primary tool that we utilized was the video of the
match between Kuala Lumpur FC Versus Melaka
United FC. This approach is called Video Analysis and
Hjort and et al mentioned that Video Analysis helps
players to reflect upon their mistakes and
performances during matches [11]. They further
iterated that Video Analysis is a great tool for
coaches to enhance the team and the analysis also
provides critical feedbacks to the coaches [11].
Teams now days are also inclined to use statistics to
gauge discreetly their performances. Yue and et al
had studied parameters that were usually utilized to
measure the efficiency of teams [12]. They parlayed
the fact that shots, contacts with the ball, and passes
are parameters of importance in order to sufficiently
determine the abilities of teams [12]. Within those
parameters, several analyses could be performed to
aid coaches and players.
As mentioned earlier it’s vital for players to have
sufficient fitness in order to be swift in getting to the
Mohd Harridon. International Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2022, 10:1
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International Journal of Science,
Engineering and Technology
An Open Access Journal
correct body position. Freire and et al mentioned
several components that are critical for the success
of a player and they listed out acceleration, changes
in direction, sprint, and others as these critical
parameters [13]. Freire and the team also examined
fatigue in players and stipulated that high frequency
of participation in matches would increase fatigue in
players [13].
Players are encouraged to be physically fit because it
was shown that unfit players tend to produce errors.
Harridon indicated that individuals that have low
level of physical fitness are inclined to produce errors
as their focuses and concentrations are lacking [14].
Harridon also mentioned that this applies not only in
sports but also in other fields and industries and also
other facets of life [14]. Within the confine of this
paper, errors in this context mean having incorrect
Body Positions during matches.
As iterated earlier, Body Position of a player or the
technique of the player is important as it determined
whether the team could win efficiently or nor.
According to Soniawan and et al, a player with good
technique can overcome hurdles in a match and be
successful in various scenarios on the pitch [15].
Soniawan and et al also indicated that to be able to
play efficiently in a match a player should also be
physically fit and be equipped with necessary
knowledge to solve predicaments during matches
[15]. Thus this showed that the author’s approach of
analyzing Body Position is vital to gauge the
technical level of players of Kuala Lumpur City FC
and Melaka United FC.
III. METHODOLOGY
The approach or methodology that was applied is
shown in Fig 1.
The author had picked a random match in Malaysia
for the Body Position analysis. The match between
Kuala Lumpur City FC and Melaka United FC was
chosen. The video clip of the match was available
from the internet where the primary source was
YouTube. The clip was incredibly long where it
started with commentaries from journalists and
experts. The irrelevant segments were ignored and
the segment that was taken into account was the
start of the match till the 5th minute of the match.
The author decided to only analyze the first 5
minutes of the match.
Fig 1. The Approach to Gauge the Body Positions of
Players.
The five minutes duration was segmentized into 5
segments which were 0 till 1st minute, 1st till 2nd
minute, 2nd till 3rd minute, 3rd till 4th minute, and 4th
till 5th minute. Each segment was analyzed in terms
of possessions of both teams.
The method to measure the possession was based
upon the duration the ball was held by a team where
it should be noted that if a free kick or throw in was
given, the team is deemed to have possession from
the start of the given free kick / throw in till the free
kick / throw in was taken.
The correct and incorrect Body Positions of both
teams from 0th till 5th minutes were denoted. A
correct Body Position is deemed as the optimum
angle of a player where the player could observe the
teammate that passes to him/her and at the same
time the player could observe the teammate that he
or she would pass the ball to. Analyses of these data
were then actuated where several graphs were
produced which showed various trends of incorrect
and correct Body Positions of both teams. Discussion
and conclusions were then made based upon the
results and analyses.
IV. RESULTS
Table 1 shows the correct and incorrect Body
Positions of players of Kuala Lumpur City FC and
Melaka United FC. The possessions of both the teams
are also shown from zeroth minute till fifth minute of
the match.
Mohd Harridon. International Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2022, 10:1
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International Journal of Science,
Engineering and Technology
An Open Access Journal
Table 1. Tabulation of Correct and Incorrect Body
Positions.
Time
Frame
Kuala Lumpur
City Fc
Melaka United
Fc
Possession
Body Position
Body Position
Correct
Incorrect
Correct
Incorrect
Kuala Lumpur
City Fc
Melaka
United Fc
0 till 1st
minute
4
4
4
43.3%
56.7%
1st till 2nd
minute
4
1
28.3%
71.7%
2nd till 3rd
minute
2
1
1
2
23.3%
76.7%
3rd till 4th
minute
1
88.3%
11.7%
4th till 5th
minute
2
2
1
48.3%
51.7%
Figs 2 till 5 show the trend of the number of correct
and incorrect Body Positions of both teams from the
zeroth till fifth minute of the match.
Fig 2. Trend of Number of Correct Body Position –
Kuala Lumpur City FC.
Fig 3. Trend of Number of Incorrect Body Position –
Kuala Lumpur City FC.
Fig 4. Trend of Number of Correct Body Position –
Melaka United FC
Fig 5. Trend of Number of Incorrect Body Position –
Melaka United FC
V. DISCUSSION
Fig 2 showed the trend of the number of correct
Body Positions for Kuala Lumpur City FC. The Fig
indicated a downward trend of correct Body
Positions which is quite a concern as team always
aspires to maintain or increase the amount of correct
Body Position. However, it must be reminded that
the analyses were only for the first 5 minutes.
Perhapsthe team had a sterling performance in terms
of correct Body Position in other durations of the
match.
In Fig 3, the trend showed that eventually the
number of incorrect Body Positions had increased
even though there was a slight decrease earlier.
Mohd Harridon. International Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2022, 10:1
Page 5 of 6
International Journal of Science,
Engineering and Technology
An Open Access Journal
Its advisable for the team to fix this in order to
perform well in the match. However, a holistic
analysis of the whole match (whole 90 minutes)
should be performed in order to gauge the team
comprehensively.
Fig 4 showed the trend of Melaka United FC. There
was a sharp decline of correct Body Positions
followed by an increase of the correct Body
Positions. This may somehow indicate that the team
did not perform consistently in the context of
applying the right or correct technique during play.
There should be duration of reflection during the
match to allow the team to remedy any mistakes that
occurred.
The trend of the incorrect Body Positions of Melaka
United FC is shown in Fig 5. It can be observed that
the trend showed a decline of the number of
incorrect Body Positions and followed with an
increase and tapered towards a value at the end. This
mix provided us insights upon the inconsistencies of
the technique applied during the game. This is
something that should be pondered upon by teams
that wish to gain the upper hand in matches.
Apart from Body Positions, the author had also
collected data of possessions of both teams from
zeroth till the 5th minute of the match.
Table 1 showed the possessions where it can be
observed that Melaka United FC had a majority of
the possession in all segments except for the
segment 3rd till 4th minute of the match. If one takes
a look at the 1st till 2nd minute of the match, Melaka
United FC had no correct or incorrect Body Positions
even though it had 71.7% possession.
This is due to the fact, at that duration, Melaka
United FC was given a free kick where Melaka United
FC took an enormous amount time to take the free
kick and as mentioned in the Methodology Section,
the time taken from the free kick was given till it was
taken is considered as possession for the team (in
this case Melaka United FC). This is also similar to the
case of Kuala Lumpur City FC in the 3rd till 4th minute.
It's advisable for future works to relook the
relationship and correlation between Body Positions
and Possessions as this could further give us a
holistic and in-depth view of the trend of the
numerical values of incorrectness and correctness of
Body Position and whether this trend is relatable to
values of possession or not.
VI. CONCLUSIONS
The Body Positions of players during a match was
analyzed and the results showed there were various
instances where the player’s Body Positions were
incorrect.
The trend of the incorrectness is inconsistent where
there were increase and decrease of this parameter.
Teams should take heed of the inconsistencies of this
technique as it is highly plausible that this technique
contributed to the lackluster of a team.
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