Does video game practice improve the declarative tactical knowledge of young soccer players?

Abstract

Our main aim was to investigate how video games influenced young football players’ declarative tactical knowledge (DTK). Our sample consisted of 70 male football players in the U-13, U-15, and U-17 age categories from the Extension Project ‘Futebol UFJF’. For the evaluation of DTK, the test validated by Mangas (1999), whose instrument was adapted by Giacomini et al., (2011) was used, thus considering the best possible response and hierarchy (from the first to the fourth) among the other answers. In relation to video game practice, we used a self-report questionnaire. While the results showed no statistically significant difference in the video game/DTK ratio, the level of DTK was higher in athletes who played video games as compared to those who did not (685 ± 47 versus 637 ± 92, p=0, 26). Hence, we can conclude that although playing video games can stimulate the DTK, it has no significant influence on young football players with a lot of experience in sports.

Keywords

• electronic games
• declarative tactical knowledge
• football
• young athlete