Predominance of Selected Kinanthropometric and Psychomotor Variables of Successful and Less Successful Soccer Players

Predominance of Selected Kinanthropometric and Psychomotor Variables of Successful and Less Successful Soccer Players

Rachita Kiran 1, Kiran Kumar H.K. 2

1 Department of Medical Electronics Engineering, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore. India

2 Director of Physical Education, M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore. India E-

Abstract – The study was proposed to comprehend the selected kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables that contributes to the classification of soccer players as successful and less successful. One hundred and sixty five (165) football players from nine (9) universities, those participated in the All India Inter University football tournament held in Kottayam during the last week of December 2013, were selected as subjects with an informed consent. The age of the selected subjects ranged from 18 through 25 years. The selected subjects were categorized as successful team players (N = 58) and less successful team players (N = 107) based on their teams tournament standings. The kinanthropometric measurements and psychomotor variables were assessed utilizing calibrated instruments, standardized methods, procedures and tests. The experimental design used in this study was stratified group design involving convenient sampling. The discriminant analysis was performed to analyze the data collected using SPSS. In all the cases level of confidence was fixed at 0.05 for significance. The results show that statistically significant difference on calf girth, leg length, explosive strength and speed endurance among soccer players with different levels of achievement success. Yet, discriminant equation with inclusion 4 of 16 independent variables (kinanthropometric and psychomotor) in computing the equation as: D = 43.504 + 0.125 (Calf girth) + 0.231 (Explosive strength) 2.104 (Speed) + 3.023 (Speed endurance), and consequently it imply that soccer players with the potential for success can be predetermined as it is predominantly influenced by selected kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables.

Keywords: kinanthropometric, psychomotor, success in soccer, discriminant analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays the evolution of human scientific knowledge is dramatic in all walks of life and it is factual in the area of games and sports. Sports performance is indeed an aspect of complex human performance, which has several dimensions. Sports researchers often accept that a top-notch feat is the result of numerous aspects, advocating a multidimensional approach in studies on talented players (Regnier et al., 1993; Reilly et al., 2000). Burwitz et al. (1994) also recommend interdisciplinary performance- related sports science research.

Successful sports performance is influenced by morphological and anthropometric characteristics, functional parameters (Scott, 1991; Singh et al., 2010) and fitness (Nikitushkin & Guba, 1998). Soccer is the most popular sport, played in many countries through the world. The soccer skills are more complex as dribbling, kicking, juggling, and so forth are to be performed mostly by foot and other parts of the body except hands, which made it interesting to participate and witness. Excelling in team sports like soccer at elite level demands for multidimensional characteristics.

Indeed, research in male professional soccer has shown that the physical characteristics of players (Nevill, Holder, & Watts, 2009) and the fitness demands in official competition have substantially evolved over recent decades (Strudwick & Reilly, 2001). The capability of a sportsperson in a team game emanates from various kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables of the players. Contemporary science is enormously concerned in approximating the optimum anthropometric make-up of a player.

So the scanning and selection of a particular player may be achieved successfully to a great extent by measuring anthropometric components.

Anthropometric are dimensions of the structure of the human body taken at specific sites to give measures of girth and width. They include the body size and body proportions. Measurements of body size include such descriptive information as height, weight and surface area, while the measures of body proportions describe relationship between height, weight, among length, width and girths of various body segments. It has been observed that top athletes in some sports tend to have those proportions to biologically aid the performance (Mathews, 1973). Physical fitness is the capacity of an individual to perform a given task requiring muscular force. The greater the physical fitness, the longer can a person work and the more efficient will be his performance and his capacity for recovering from fatigue (Willgoose, 1961).

It would be of interest to explore the predominant kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables that categorizes soccer players as successful and less successful, since there has been a very little research with regard to it. Thus, the researcher is encouraged to verify the predominance of kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables that determines the soccer players level of success. This study was proposed to comprehend the selected kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables that contributes to the classification of soccer players as successful and less successful.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

One hundred and sixty five (165) football players from nine (9) universities, those participated in the All India Inter University football tournament held in Kottayam during the last week of December 2013, were selected as subjects with an informed consent. The age of the selected subjects ranged from 18 through 25 years. The selected subjects were categorized as successful team players (N = 58) and less successful team players (N = 107) based on their teams tournament standings. The kinanthropometric measurements and psychomotor variables were assessed utilizing calibrated instruments, standardized methods, procedures and tests. The experimental design used in this study was stratified group design involving convenient sampling. The discriminant analysis was performed to analyze the data collected using SPSS. In all the cases level of confidence was fixed at 0.05 for significance.

RESULTS OF THE STUDY

So as to comprehend the kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables that contributes to the classification of soccer players as successful and less successful, discriminant analysis was appraised, and thereby unstandardized canonical discriminant function coefficients is used to derive the regression equation that classifies soccer team players to the categories namely: successful and less successful based on their kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables.

The data on kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables among soccer players with different levels of achievement success is analyzed and given in Table 1.

Table 1 reveals a statistically significant difference in the level of certain kinanthropometric (calf girth and leg length) and psychomotor (explosive strength and speed endurance) variables among soccer players with different levels of achievement success.

Table 1- ANOVA on Selected Anthropometric and Psychomotor Variables among different Levels of Successful Soccer Team Players

Source: Primary Data

Table 2 – Test of Equality of Group Covariance Matrices using Boxs M

Source: Primary Data

Table 2 reveals the test of the multivariate normality of the data. The Rank (4) of the covariance matrix indicates that this is a 4 x 4 matrix, the number of variables in the discriminant equation. The natural log of the determinant of successful and less successful players covariance matrices is -1.956 and -2.185 respectively. Pooled within groups covariance matrix composed of the means of each corresponding value within the two 4 x 4 matrices of the successful and less successful players are -1.986.

The Boxs M value of 19.438 is a measure of multivariate normality, based on the similarities of the determinants of the covariance matrices for the successful and less successful players. The approximate F value of 1.885 reveals that the determinants from the two levels of the dependent variable (successful and less successful players) differ considerably as the significance value is 0.042, and thereby it suggests that the obtained data is not found to be multivariate normal.

Table 3 – Eigen values and Wilks' Lambda

Source: Primary Data

a. First 1 canonical discriminant functions were used in the analysis.

The Eigen value of 0.220 is the proportion of variance explained by factor for the first (1) canonical discriminant function. The % of variance for the function 1 is 100%, and cumulative % of the function accounts for 100%. The correlation among players with different levels of achievement success for discriminant scores is high as the obtained canonical correlation of

0.424 (p < 0.05), which indicates that canonical discriminant function discriminates the two different levels of dependent variables (successful and less successful) well.

To conduct a discriminant analysis that predicts membership into two groups based on the dependent variable categories (successful and less successful) and creating the discriminant equation with inclusion 4 of 16 independent variables (kinanthropometric and psychomotor) selected by stepwise procedure based on the minimization of Wilks lambda at each step with an F-to-enter of 1.15 and an F-to-remove of 1.00.

The observed chi-square value of 31.976 denotes that there is a significant difference among players with different

levels of achievement success based on the discriminant function.

Table 4 – Analysis of Unstandardized Canonical Discriminant Function Coefficients

Source: Primary Data

Table 4 shows the list of coefficients and the constant of the discriminant equation. Each subjects discriminant score would be computed by entering their construct values for each of the 4 variables in the equation. The discriminant equation was as follows:

D = 43.504 + 0.125 (Calf girth) + 0.231 (Explosive strength)

2.104 (Speed) + 3.023 (Speed endurance)

The discriminant score of the data collected for successful and less successful players is graphically illustrated in Figure

1 and 2.

Figure 1: Graphical Representation of Canonical Dicriminant Function 1 of the Successful Team Players

Mean = 0.63

Std. Dev. = 1.020 N = 58

Figure 1: Graphical Representation of Canonical Discriminant Function 1 of the Successful Team Players

Mean = 0.63

Std. Dev. = 1.020 N = 58

Figure 2: Graphical Representation of Canonical Discriminant Function 1 of the Less Successful Team Players

Mean = -0.34 Std. Dev. = 0.989 N = 107

Figure 2: Graphical Representation of Canonical Discriminant Function 1 of the Less Successful Team Players

Mean = -0.34 Std. Dev. = 0.989 N = 107

Table 5 – Classification Results

Source: Primary Data

1. 68.5% of original grouped cases correctly classified.

Table 5 summarizes the number and percentage of players classified correctly and incorrectly as successful and less successful players. It is found that 41 of 58 players classified as successful soccer team players is correct, while 17 of them were incorrect as the analysis predicts them to be as less successful soccer team players. Furthermore, it is found that 72 of 107 players classified as less successful soccer team players were correct, but 35 of them were incorrect as the analysis predicts them to be as successful soccer team players. Thereby 68.5% of original grouped cases (players) were correctly classified.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study imply that soccer players with the potential for success can be predetermined as it is predominantly influenced by selected kinanthropometric and psychomotor variables.

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