A real game examination of visual perception in soccer: testing the relationship between exploration frequency and performance in young and talented players

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to test the relationship between visual exploratory activity and performance in real world soccer games by employing field analysis. In line with former research of adult expert soccer players, the hypothesis was that young and talented soccer players performance is better when they more extensively turn their head forward in the field before receiving the ball from a teammate positioned closer to their own goal. In accordance to former studies (Jordet, 2004) it was predicted that increased opponent pressure was followed by decreased visual exploration frequency.