Variability in tactical behavior of futsal teams from different categories

PLoS One. 2020 Mar 17;15(3):e0230513. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230513. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze the time series of team spread during futsal official matches in the frequency domain for different categories. Using an automatic tracking method, trajectories of 258 players (excluding goalkeepers) were obtained, composed of 79 players from the under-15 (U15) category, 86 from the under-18 (U18), and 93 from the professional. We calculated the team spread defined as the Euclidean norm of the distance-between-player vector as a function of time. We applied the Fast Fourier Transformation method and calculated the median frequency for each time series of spread. The results of mean ± SD of the median frequency of the time series of spread from the first to the second half were significantly different only for the U15 category (first half, 1.04 ± 0.46, second half 1.40 ± 0.34). The frequency values differed significantly between the categories. The younger categories presented a higher frequency of spread oscillation than the professional category, which reflects the dynamics of the game between attack and defense sequences. The results provide insights into the features of the sport and present a basis for appropriate training interventions for players in each category, planning for future transition to the following category.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Athletic Performance*
  • Fourier Analysis
  • Humans
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Soccer
  • Task Performance and Analysis
  • Time and Motion Studies

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.9772559.v1

Grants and funding

The authors would like to thank CNPq (protocol number 446548/2014-6) and Fundação Araucária (protocol number 25372/2013) for the financial support for this research. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001. São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) grant# 2016/50250-1 -2017/20945-0 - 2018/19007-9. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.