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Visual search behaviors of association football referees during assessment of foul play situations.

ABSTRACT: It is well reported that expert athletes have refined perceptual-cognitive skills and fixate on more informative areas during representative tasks. These perceptual-cognitive skills are also crucial to performance within the domain of sports officials. We examined the visual scan patterns of elite and sub-elite association football referees while assessing foul play situations. These foul play situations (open play and corner kick situations) were presented on a Tobii T120 Eye Tracking monitor. The elite referees made more accurate decisions and differences in their visual search behaviors were observed. For the open play situations, referees in the elite group spent significantly more time fixating the most informative area of the attacking player (contact zone) and less time fixating the body part that was not involved in the infringement (non-contact zone). Furthermore, the average total fixation time in the contact zone and non-contact zone tended to differ between the elite and sub-elite referees in corner kick situations. In conclusion, elite level referees have learned to discern relevant from less-relevant information in the same way as expert athletes. Findings have implications for the development of perceptual training programs for sport officials.

SUBMITTER: Spitz J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5256438 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Visual search behaviors of association football referees during assessment of foul play situations.

Spitz Jochim J Put Koen K Wagemans Johan J Williams A Mark AM Helsen Werner F WF

Cognitive research: principles and implications 20161031 1

It is well reported that expert athletes have refined perceptual-cognitive skills and fixate on more informative areas during representative tasks. These perceptual-cognitive skills are also crucial to performance within the domain of sports officials. We examined the visual scan patterns of elite and sub-elite association football referees while assessing foul play situations. These foul play situations (open play and corner kick situations) were presented on a Tobii T120 Eye Tracking monitor. ...[more]

PMID: 28180163

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Project description:BackgroundInjury among soccer referees is rarely studied, especially with regard to differences in the quality level of the refereeing. Additionally, we have found no study that has reported injury occurrence during official physical fitness testing for soccer referees. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, type and consequences of match-related and fitness-testing related injuries among soccer referees of different competitive levels.MethodsWe studied 342 soccer referees (all males; mean age 32.9?±?5.02?years). The study was retrospective, and a self-administered questionnaire was used. In the first phase of the study, the questionnaire was tested for its reliability and applicability. The questionnaire included morphological/anthropometric data, refereeing variables, and musculoskeletal disorders together with the consequences.ResultsThe sample comprised 157 main referees (MR; mean age 31.4?±?4.9?years) and 185 assistant referees (AR; mean age 34.1?±?5.1?years) divided into: international level (Union of European Football Associations-UEFA) referees (N?=?18; 6 MRs; 12 ARs) ; 1st (N?=?78; 31 MRs; 47 ARs), 2nd (N?=?91; 45 MRs; 46 ARs); or 3rd national level referees (N?=?155; 75 MRs; 80 ARs). In total, 29% (95%CI: 0.23-0.37) of the MRs and 30% (95%CI: 0.22-0.36) of the ARs had experienced an injury during the previous year, while 13% (95%CI: 0.05-0.14) of the MRs, and 19% (95%CI: 0.14-0.25) of the ARs suffered from an injury that occurred during fitness testing. There was an obvious increase in injury severity as the refereeing advanced at the national level, but the UEFA referees were the least injured of all referees. The results showed a relatively high prevalence of injuries to the upper leg (i.e., quadriceps and hamstrings) during physical fitness testing for all but the UEFA referees. During game refereeing, the ankles and lower legs were the most commonly injured regions. The MRs primarily injured their ankles. The ARs experienced lower leg and lower back disorders. However, the overall injury rate was equal for both groups, with 5.29 (95%CI: 2.23-8.30) and 4.58 (95%CI: 2.63-6.54) injuries per 1000?hours of refereeing for MRs and ARs, respectively.ConclusionIn addition to the reported risk of injury during soccer games, physical fitness testing should be classified as a risk for injury among soccer referees. Special attention should be given to (I) lower leg injuries during games and (II) upper leg injuries during physical fitness tests. A higher physical fitness level and a qualitative approach to training are recognized as protective factors against injury. Subsequent studies should investigate the specific predictors of injuries among referees.

Project description:The present multi-study article investigates the subjective experience of professional football (a.k.a. soccer) referees and players during the COVID-19 pandemic and the so-called ghost games (i.e., games without supporters). Referees from the Austrian Football Association completed questionnaires inquiring about self-efficacy, motivation, and general personal observations and perceptions (e.g., arousal or confidence). In addition, two players and one referee in the Austrian Football Bundesliga were interviewed retrospectively regarding their subjective experience during ghost games and the effects of emotions on behavior and performance using semi-structured, video-taped interviews. Results of the referee survey indicate that the most profound differences between regular games and ghost games lie in the domain of intrinsic motivation and multiple aspects of subjective experience. Specifically, the experience in ghost games compared with regular games was reported by referees as being significantly less motivating, less excited/tense, less emotional, less focused, and overall, more negative, despite being easier to referee and the players behaving more positively. Qualitative analyses of the video-taped interview footage indicated (i) substantial inter-individual variability regarding the extent of the effect of the empty stadiums on the subjective experience of emotions, (ii) consequently, different strategies to regulate emotions and arousal from suboptimal to optimal levels, both before and during competition, and (iii) interactions between reported emotions, arousal, motivation, self-confidence, behavior and performance on the pitch. In addition, non-verbal expressions of emotion were captured using fully automated AI-software that coded facial movements during interviews. The results of this exploratory facial expression analysis revealed varying degrees of arousal and valence in relation to the content of the statements during the interviews, demonstrating the convergent validity of our findings. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on the effects of football games without fans during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide insights into the subjective experience of professional football referees. Concerning referees and players alike, emotions are investigated as potential processes related to home-field advantage and performance in professional football by means of a multi-methods approach. Further, the combination of qualitative and quantitative measures-as well as verbal and non-verbal communication channels-can deepen our understanding of the emotional influence of (missing) spectators on the subjective experience and the behavior of sports professionals is discussed.

Project description:BackgroundLateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most common types of injury in football (soccer). Normative baseline data of performance tests for Return to Play (RTP) decision are still lacking.PurposeThe primary aim of this study was to generate baseline values for uninjured elite youth football players for a multifactorial RTP assessment and compare with previously published data. A secondary aim was to investigate the use of the Limb Symmetry Index (LSI) as a method to determine whether an athlete passes a performance test or not.Study designObservational Cohort study.MethodsBaseline data of performance tests (Y-Balance [YBT-LQ], Heel Rise [HRT]; Singe Leg Squat [SLST]; Single Leg Drop Jump [SLDJ]; Side Hop [SHT]; Figure of 8 Hop [F-8]; Modified Agility T-Test [MAT]) were assessed in 20 elite youth football players, aged 16-21 years. Additionally, the traditional LSI (dividing the result of the non-dominant leg by the result of the dominant leg and multiplying by 100) and directionally corrected LSI (the worst value is divided by the better value and multiplied by 100) were calculated. The test values were compared to previously reported study results. LSI and side-to-side comparisons between dominant and non-dominant leg sides were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test.ResultsMale elite youth football players achieved better results in the dynamic performance tests (SHT, F-8, and MAT) compared to reference values of the cohorts previously described in the literature: YBT-LQ total score (cm) dominant (dom) 99.3±8.3, non-dominant (ND) 99.5±10.4; HRT (average number) dom. 27.1±5.4, ND 25.2±5.1); SLDJ height (cm) dom 15±5, ND 15±5 and contact time (sec) dom 0.29±0.08, ND 0.29±0.07, Reactive Strength Index (RSI) dom 0.52±0.12, ND 0.50±0.13); SHT (sec) dom 7.12±0.73, ND 7.39±0.93; F-8 (sec) dom 10.52±1.02, ND 10.37±1.04; and MAT (sec) 5.82±0.22. Directionally corrected LSI differed significantly from the traditional calculated LSI (p<0.05).ConclusionThe findings of this study highlight the need to determine specific baseline data for RTP testing in male elite youth football players after LAS. The traditional LSI should not be used as a "stand alone method" for determining RTP. LSI calculations should consider the direction of asymmetry to determine passing a performance test or not.Level of evidence3b.

Dataset Information

Visual search behaviors of association football referees during assessment of foul play situations.

Publications

Visual search behaviors of association football referees during assessment of foul play situations.

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