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Recently, the Tactical Assessment Instrument in Football (TAIS) was developed to address football's tactical requirements in terms of game phases, learners' roles, and organizational levels of play. In this study, we sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of this existing instrument in the Physical Education (PE) context and for youth sport teams (ages 8 - 12 years). Our research design involved: (a) participants playing 37 football games, (b) assessing participants via observation with the TAIS and (c) conducting psychometric analysis on the obtained assessment data. For the psychometric analysis, we carried out our work in four phases: (a) a statistical analysis of the evaluation criteria, (b) analysis of the instrument's structural dimensions, (c) internal item reliability analysis, and (d) provision of evidence for external validity. Participants were 592 children (156 girls, 436 boys; ages 8 - 12 years) from 74 PE classes or sport teams (from three institutional contexts - schools, community-based sports, and sports clubs) in Spain. We selected 12 tactical criteria and grouped them into four theoretical dimensions (appropriate attack, inappropriate attack, appropriate defense, inappropriate defense) to confirm the instrument's structural dimensions. The Cronbach alpha and Omega McDonald coefficients were greater than .70. The TAIS discriminated between participants from the three institutional contexts, offering evidence of the instrument's external validity. Thus, the TAIS now has sufficient psychometric support for assessing learning of football tactics in PE and youth sport teams. This instrument facilitates an ecological assessment of youth players' understanding of football tactics through four theoretical tactical dimensions and 12 criteria involving information about four learners' roles (both attack and defense, on- and off-the-ball) and three organizational tactical levels of play (whole team, small groups of learners, and individual learners)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

According to the theory of practice architecture, every practice enacted in classrooms is a result of interaction between social, physical and spatial elements. In relation, from a practice-referenced perspective, it is necessary to know which teaching-learning implementation features could help teachers/coaches/researchers to assemble Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) interventions in relation to the institutional environment. Purpose : This review aimed to explore from a practice-referenced perspective how TGfU researchers reported their interventions based on the teaching-learning implementation features (intervention design as a function of the context, intervention length, lesson content, basic lesson elements, lesson alignment, teacher/coach experience with the approach, and lesson validation and treatment verification) and their association with learners' outcomes. Results : We found 20 studies that included some of the teaching-learning implementation features, but none of the studies included all of these features. We also found that studies of TGfU measured and reported learners' outcomes in a variety of ways. This creates difficulties for drawing conclusions about the relationships between the presence of teaching-learning implementation features and student learning outcomes. Conclusion : Further TGfU interventions should be planned to consider the following: (a) that lessons need to be designed as a function of the context; (b) the number of intervention lessons, their duration and the duration of each lesson task; (c) the concrete tactical and technique contents and goals per lesson; (d) the modified games, questions and achievable challenges as basic lesson elements; (e) the alignment between the basic lesson elements and the structure of lessons, based on the goals of each lesson; (f) that teachers/coaches need to have previous experience in TGfU and be trained on the specific study purpose; (g) that lessons should be validated before implementation and verified during intervention; (h) researchers should regulate the ways in which learners' outcomes are measured and reported within TGfU studies.

While there is a burgeoning body of literature on visual methods in ethnography, including drawing and illustration as method for collecting and exploring data, little has been written about how artistic illustrations can be used as a representational method for finished ethnographic texts. Based on an illustrated ethnography-a PhD thesis on sport pedagogy in youth detention-this paper explores what artistic illustrations can do for representations of ethnographic texts. An important starting point of the paper is that artistic illustrations are purpose-full-they can be used strategically to highlight some details over others, thus making it possible for researchers to selectively accomplish several aims when it comes to representation. Particularly, we focus on ethical, affective, and descriptive purposes for using artistic illustrations when publishing research on sport in total institutions. We present selected illustrations from the thesis together with analytical and procedural commentary to shed light on some strategic thinking behind the production of the illustrations. Finally, we conclude with some reflections on the methodology and discuss some further considerations for illustrating ethnographic texts in terms of benefits, risks, and possibilities., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Roe and Bäckström.)

Mini handball is among the sports included as part of school physical education in Chile to improve children's motor skills and to motivate their adherence to a healthy and active lifestyle in response to concerns about this country's high level of childhood obesity. To this end, non-linear pedagogy (NLP) has been used to develop motor skills through mini handball in the school context. However, socioeconomic differences that influence the development of children's motor skills have not been considered to determine whether the methodology applies to everyone. The aim of the present observational study is to describe and compare the effectiveness of the previously applied NLP methodology in two contrasting socioeconomic contexts to determine whether it helps to develop motor skills through mini handball in both school contexts. The Levine test was used to determine the homogeneity of the variances ( p < 0.05), as the distribution of the data was not normal. The Kruskal-Wallis H statistical test was used to analyse within-group data. Additionally, the Mann-Whitney U test was applied for comparisons between groups. The results show significant improvements in the acquisition of the expected motor skills specific to mini handball. Additionally, a shortening of the gap was evidenced between the groups during the training process, with no significant differences at the end of the progression. Therefore, the investigated NLP is equally as effective for schoolchildren in two opposite socioeconomic contexts.

The focus on tactics has made assessment more difficult due to the lack of knowledge in the topic and the limitations of current tactical assessment instruments. Purpose : To design and validate a tactical assessment instrument in youth football (TAIS) following an exhaustive, ecological and meticulous process and dealing with the limitations found in the literature. Method : The design was divided in two stages related to its development and validation. During the development stage: (a) a preliminary list of criteria was determined through a literature review; (b) the criteria were delimited through an exploratory observation; and (c) the adequacy of the criteria was determined by consulting experts. In the validation stage: (a) content and comprehension validity were obtained by consulting experts and through a systematic game observation; (b) construct validity was obtained by comparing the tactical outcomes from two groups with different skill levels; (c) criterion validity was established by comparing the tactical outcome using Game Performance Assessment Instrument and the present instrument, and (d) the reliability was obtained through inter-rater reliability. Results : The research process showed that the instrument is a valid and reliable tool comprised of 22 criteria to assess tactical outcomes in 8-12 years old youth football. Conclusion : The TAIS presents several advantages in practical terms with respect to assessment. First, it allows assessment of the three tactical levels nested in the unit of observation. Second, it considers all the player roles. Third, results are presented without general indexes. Fourth, it can be used to assess participants from all the institutional contexts. Finally, it includes contextual variables.

Physical literacy (PL) is thought to facilitate engagement in physical activity, which could lead to better physical fitness (PF). The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of the Croatian version of two frequently applied PL questionnaires that evaluate knowledge and understanding, perceived competence, environment, and value for literacy, numeracy, and PL and validity regarding correlation with objectively evaluated PF in adolescents. Five hundred forty-four high school students (403 females, 141 males) from Croatia were tested on PF (standing long jump, sit-ups for 30 s, sit-and-reach test, multilevel endurance test) and two PL questionnaires. The reliability of the Croatian version of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy knowledge and understanding (CAPL-2-KU) and PLAYself was good (α = 0.71−0.81 for PLAYself subscales, κ = 0.39−0.69 for CAPL-2-KU). Genders differed in the self-description dimension of PLAYself, with higher results in boys (Z = 3.72, p < 0.001). CAPL-2-KU and PLAYself total score were associated with PF in boys and girls, with PLAYself having stronger associations with PF. This research supports the idea of PL as an essential determinant for the development of PF, highlighting the necessity of the development of cognitive and affective domains of PL in physical education throughout a specifically tailored pedagogical process.

Combining Constraint-led (ecological) and Step-Game (constructivist) approaches through an Action-Research (AR) design conducted throughout a competitive volleyball season, this study aimed to: (i) analyse the impact of increased tactical complexity on lateral and longitudinal collective Synchronisation Tendencies (ST) during defensive and offensive counterattack-subphases, and (ii) examine how opposition attacking contexts (i.e. playing in full -system or in -system) might influence ST throughout each counterattack-subphase. Performance of a youth team, comprised of 15 players, was studied across three AR-cycles. The team's competitive performance was analysed through three competitive matches (one per cycle). Team ST were evaluated using the cluster-phase method and a 3 (matches) × 2 (counterattack-subphases) × 2 (opposition attacking contexts) × 2 (court directions) repeated-measures ANOVA were used to calculate the differences in cluster-amplitude mean values. Results showed that increments in tactical complexity (second AR-cycle) were followed by decreases in collective ST, which were (re)achieved during the third AR-cycle, possibly due to the ecological-constructivist coaching intervention. Our findings imply that coaches could design representative and specific-didactical learning environments, predicated on a team's tactical needs and strategical ideas from a game-plan, framing player intentionality. Results also support the use of questioning strategies to narrow players' attentional focus, stimulating perceptual attunement to relevant constraints emerging in performance. Finally, the insider AR-design provided valuable contextualised insights on coaching interventions for developing collective coordinative structures.

Young players report that they dropout of organized football due to excessive emphasis on technical execution, low success, and the lack of autonomy and motivation experienced by players during training sessions. Purpose : To determine whether a TGfU intervention during a youth football program led players to improve in variables related to dropout. That means tactical-technical competence (decision-making, skill execution), success (successful game performance), autonomy (number of decisions made, player autonomy, number of game involvements, player participation), and motivation (enjoyment, intention to be physically active). Method : Twenty under-11-players and two coaches were recruited from 17 clubs. A pretest-posttest design with a multi-method approach was used. Coaches were trained and mentored in TGfU. Data were collected using Game Performance Assessment Instrument, enjoyment and intention to be physically active scales, and two focus groups with the players and the coaches. Results : Players improved in decision-making, skill execution, successful game performance, number of decisions made, number of game involvements, and intention to be physically active ( p < .05). Participants attributed the results to the TGfU pedagogical features emphasized during the coaches' training and mentoring. Conclusion : Considering the reasons for dropout in football, in terms of excessive emphasis on technical execution, low success, and the lack of autonomy and motivation experienced by players, TGfU could be a useful pedagogical approach for teaching-learning organized youth football. The TGfU pedagogical features emphasized during coaches' training and mentoring could be crucial to obtain these results due to the fact that they were the sub-themes highlighted during the focus groups.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the educational landscape worldwide. One year after the disease outbreak, blended learning, which combines distance and face-to-face learning, became an alternative to fully online learning to address the demands of ensuring students' health and education. Physical education teachers faced an additional challenge, given the experiential nature of their subject, but research on teachers' perspectives is scarce. This study aims to explore high school physical education teachers' perceptions of the potential, advantages, and disadvantages of the blended learning model of instruction. An online survey was used to register the views of 174 Spanish high school physical education teachers (120 men and 54 women). The main findings revealed that physical education teachers considered that blended learning, compared with full face-to-face learning, implied a work overload, worsened social relationships, and did not help to increase students' motivation. Likewise, most teachers considered the physical activity performed by students during the blended learning period as being lower than usual. Furthermore, teachers reported that the students from lower-income families were the ones that experienced a lack of technological means the most. These results may guide both present and future policies and procedures for blended physical education. More research is needed to analyze the usefulness of blended learning in high school physical education.

The aim of this study was to explore the tactical effects of different pitch configurations on the collective playing tactics and the creation of goal scoring opportunities (GSO) during small sided soccer games (SSG) in youth players. A total of 22 players performed a 7 vs. 7 + 1 floater (including goalkeepers) under three different pitch configurations ("Standard", 53 × 38 m; "Long", 63 × 32 m; and "Wide", 43 × 47 m). Eleven tactical indicators related to the development and the end of the team possessions were evaluated by systematic observation. Friedman tests (non-parametric ANOVA for repeated measures) revealed that the long and wide configurations produced more counterattacks ( p = 0.0028; ES = 0.3), higher offensive penetration ( p = 0.007; ES = 0.41), and more GSO ( p = 0.018; ES = 0.30) than the standard format. Regarding the creation of GSO, the wide configuration produced more assists in the form of crosses than the long and standard formats ( p = 0.025; ES = 0.31), more utilization of wide subspaces to assist the final player ( p = 0.022; ES = 0.35), more number of headers as the final action ( p = 0.022; ES = 0.32), and less assists in the form of passes in behind the defense ( p = 0.034; ES = 0.28), than the long configuration. The modulation of the pitch configuration during SSG produced different tactical demands, requiring players to implement different tactical solutions to create GSO.

The purpose of this study was to explore any differences in game performance variables and knowledge among a cohort of high school students who participated in either homogeneous or heterogeneous skill level groups (N = 126) across a 12-lesson mini-volleyball sport education unit of study. This study followed a mixed-methods approach using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design. The quantitative variables analyzed were decision making, skill execution, game performance, game involvement, and game knowledge. We also evaluated students' performance qualitatively, employing two methods: (a) experts' analysis of students' game performance, and (b) students' and teachers' perceptions of students' performance. We analyzed quantitative data through a series of paired samples t-tests comparing pre- and post-test scores according to the grouping strategy. Students became more competent in their game play and more knowledgeable in their technique, the sport's rules, tactical awareness, and general game knowledge. However, grouping students by skill level had no impact on gains in game performance variables and knowledge. Although sport education literature shows a preference for heterogeneity in ability-based grouping, within our data both heterogeneous and homogenous groups of higher and lower skilled students achieved improvements in game performance and knowledge, leading us to suggest that teachers who are interested in grouping students to create a meaningful learning experience should consider criteria other than student ability.

This systematic review aimed to examine the main findings concerning to the investigations focused on compare, within Physical Education context, the influence of Sport Education (SE) and Traditional Teaching (TT) on students' learning outcomes. A literature search was conducted on nine electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Academic Search Ultimate, ERIC, Education Source, APA PsycINFO and APA PsycARTICLES). Inclusion criteria were defined before the selection process. Accordingly, were only included articles that (i) were published in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports or Scientific Journal Rankings; (ii) were available in full-text; (iii) were published in English, Portuguese or Spanish; (iv) were performed within Physical Education context; and (v) provided specifically a comparison between the effects of SE and TT on students' learning outcomes. Globally, twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The manuscripts' methodological quality was assessed through Downs and Black checklist, with all studies displaying moderate quality. Results showed that comparisons among SE and TT tend to analyze team sports activities sampling high-school students via quasi-experimental designs, with more than half of them were published over the past five years. Also, these investigations typically focused on the differences between both models on the development of personal and social skills, as well as its impact on the motor and cognitive domains. In this respect, although the results tend to point out increases in both SE and TT, superior values are achieved when SE is implemented. The analysis of the teaching-learning process using alternative research methods and designs (i.e., experimental studies, qualitative data, longitudinal analysis, action-research and case studies), longer units with appropriate planning, and the report of model's fidelity so that robust findings can endorse the teachers' praxis, must be a concern in future studies., (© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.)

Rationale: Research on positive youth development through sport is confronted with a number of limitations: it lacks a clear theoretical basis of mechanisms underlying life skill development through sport, it has a narrow focus on the sports setting thereby neglecting the interplay between life domains in reaching positive youth development, and the mechanisms underlying the transfer process of newly acquired skills and competences from the sports setting to other life domains are unclear., Objective: This study aims to advance research in in this field by applying theoretical insights from the salutogenic model of health to address the aforementioned limitations., Innovation: The salutogenic model of health describes how health and well-being develops in challenging or stressful situations and offers an interesting perspective on the mechanisms underlying youth developmental processes while simultaneously aligning well with the tenets of the positive youth development approach. The application of the salutogenic model of health offered a number of interesting theoretical insights to further understand 1) the mechanisms underlying positive youth development through sport (i.e., enhancing comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness), 2) that youth development arises in the interaction between an individual's stressors, resources and sense of coherence across different life domains, and 3) the central role of both generalized and resistance resources and sense of coherence in the transfer of life skills between life domains. Given that sense of coherence plays a vital role in the healthy development of individuals and the transfer of life skills across life domains, it would make sense to strengthen the sense of coherence of youths in sports programs., Conclusion: Based on this theoretical analysis, several recommendations and considerations for further research on positive youth development through sport are provided., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

An Action-Research (AR) design was implemented throughout a competitive season in which Constraint-led and Step-Game approaches were combined. This intervention study investigated the impact of increased performance complexity on emergence of counterattacking synchronisation tendencies in team players (laterally and longitudinally on court) at different set moments. Fifteen youth volleyball team players were studied across three action-research cycles, with performance in one competitive match analysed per cycle. Team synchronisation tendencies were assessed using the cluster phase method, with a 3 (matches) x 2 (set moments) x 2 (court direction) repeated-measures ANOVA statistical procedure to calculate differences in cluster amplitude mean values. Results revealed a reduction in team synchrony levels when tactical complexity of counterattacking play increased (second AR-cycle). Nevertheless, similar levels of team synchrony emerged between the first and third AR-cycles. Results also revealed the final moments of a set as a significant environmental constraint that shaped synchronisation tendencies. Evidence suggested that the (re)achievement of functional synchrony was realised through integration of Constraint-led and Step-Game approaches during practices designed to enhance tactical awareness in players. Finally, an insider action-research design provided relevant contextualised insights on the development of a team's synchronisation tendencies.

The purpose of the present work was to explore whether fourth-grade physical education students improved their game performance, knowledge and psychosocial variables with Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) to a greater extent after an eight-lesson period in comparison to a 14-lesson period. The study followed a mixed-methods approach in which the design consisted of a first assessment, a second assessment after Lesson 9 (eight-lesson period) and a third assessment after Lesson 16 (14-lesson period). A TGfU floorball intervention was carried out between assessments. The participants ( n = 40) were in their fourth year of elementary education. According to students' background and setting, we decided to implement three broad and interrelated strategies to enact the intervention built on the TGfU pedagogical features. Data were collected through Game Performance Assessment Instrument, knowledge questionnaire, enjoyment, perceived competence and intention to be physically active scales and semi-structured interviews. Quantitatively, Friedman's χ 2 was used to explore differences in the variables and Wilcoxon's Z post-hoc comparisons were performed to determine: (a) first-second and first-third assessment differences; and (b) second-third assessment differences. Qualitatively, data were open and axial coded line-by-line and incident-to-incident in sub-themes. The quantitative results show no significant differences between the two periods ( p > 0.05). However, there were improvements after both periods compared with the first assessment ( p < 0.05). The qualitative information supported that the pedagogical strategies implemented could be key to explain the similarities between the two practice volumes. In conclusion, the amount of practice should not be considered as the only variable in the design of interventions with TGfU.

The question of how games should be taught is still a controversial subject. There has been a growing number of studies on teaching games and coaching sports since the first publication of Bunker and Thorpe on Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). In this sense, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to systematically review the scientific literature about the effects of technical and tactical approach interventions on skill execution and decision making, and to examine the influence of the teacher/coach management style. A systematic literature search was carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines in Web of Science (WOS), PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and SportDiscus electronic databases. A total of seven and six studies were deemed to meet the inclusion criteria for decision making and skill execution, respectively. Meta-analysis results showed that tactical interventions achieved significant improvements in decision making (effect size = 0.89 with 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.12 to 1.65), but they did not show significant improvements in skill execution (effect size = 0.89 with 95% CI from -0.45 to 2.23) compared to technical approaches. However, the heterogeneity of interventions was large and the quality of evidence was low according to GRADE. In conclusion, tactical approaches are recommended to teach games and sports in order to develop technique, understanding, tactical knowledge, and decision making, which are demanded in game play. These findings could be useful for teachers and coaches to improve these aspects of their players and students., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a stroke effectiveness test in table tennis based on the temporal game structure to assess the ball speed and ball placement of the players, with a purpose to analyze its reproducibility and validity. Methods: Nineteen male table tennis players participated in this study. The test was performed twice during the first session and once during the second session to assess the intrasession and intersession reproducibility, respectively. Moreover, the test was examined on its ability to discriminate between regional ( n = 10) and local performance-level ( n = 9) players and on the relationship between the test results and the table tennis performance to assess the discriminant and concurrent validity, respectively. In general, the test consisted of 11 simulated rallies of 2-5 balls with the effort and rest ratio of 0.5, and focused on attack with offensive strokes at defensive balls delivered by a robot randomly between the left and right positions on the table. Results: Ball speed, ball placement, and ball speed-ball placement index showed satisfactory reliability (ICC range 0.78-0.96, P < 0.05) and agreement (CV range 2.7-16.2%) outcomes. Additionally, the Bland-Altman plots show the systematic error of the analyses closer to 0, and that most values were within the limits of agreements. Concerning validity analyses, regional players had higher scores of ball placement (+51.3%; P = 0.01, ES = 1.33) and ball speed-ball placement index (+56.1%; P = 0.0009, ES = 1.87) as well as made fewer errors (-25.4%; P = 0.017, ES = 1.20) than local players. Moreover, ball placement ( r = -0.79, P = 0.04), ball speed-ball placement index ( r = -0.78, P = 0.04), and percentage error ( r = 0.88, P = 0.01) presented a strong and significant correlation with table tennis performance. However, ball speed was slightly different between the regional than local players (+1.7%; P = 0.78, ES = 0.13) and this variable was not related to table tennis performance ( r = 0.32, P = 0.49). Conclusion: Our findings show evidences that the test is reproducible. Moreover, discriminant and concurrent validity are confirmed for ball placement and ball speed-ball placement index.

Physical education (PE) can be the starting point for many students to be physically active throughout their lives. Positive emotional experiences in PE are discussed as beneficial for long-term physical activity, however, triggers of students' emotions are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore, from a student's perspective, emotions and their triggers, which occur in PE classes. N = 12 students (male: six, female: six, ø-age: 15.6 ± 1.2 years) have been interviewed using a focused semi-structured interview to identify their emotions in PE and to explore the situations in which they occurred. An inductive approach with elements of the Grounded Theory Method was implemented to analyze the data. Students reported a wide range of positive and negative emotions. Furthermore, four crucial triggers were identified: (I) Attractiveness of the task, (II) social belonging, (III) competence and (IV) autonomy. Parallels to existing theories, especially the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), will be discussed. These results can be used to improve teachers' knowledge about students' emotions in PE in order to build a basis for lifelong physical activity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to know whether an intervention using an adaptation of the teaching games for understanding approach (named teaching races for understanding [TRfU]) led participants to improve skill execution, decision making, race performance, race involvement, race knowledge, enjoyment, intention to continue practicing sailing, and perceived competence., Method: Participants were 67 children from a randomly selected sailing school (M age  = 9.32 years, SD = 2.60 years) and 2 coaches. We designed and validated the TRfU lessons, and 1 coach was trained in the approach. The TRfU group participated in 11 lessons. This study followed a mixed-methods data approach. Quantitative data were evaluated using a quasiexperimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The intervention consisted of teaching sailing using the TRfU approach. Children and coaches' perceptions were evaluated through an interview on completion of the study. Data were collected using an adaptation of the Game Performance Assessment Instrument, a knowledge questionnaire, 2 psychological scales, and interviews with children and coaches., Results: The TRfU group showed statistically significant improvements in skill execution, decision making, and race performance compared with the control group, as well as significant improvements in race involvement, race knowledge, and enjoyment (ES = 0.64-2.63)., Conclusion: Teaching races for understanding can be used in sailing to improve students' capacity to reflect and connect theoretical knowledge with their motor performance in the race.