Citation

Romann M, Lüdin D, Born DP. BMC Res. Notes 2020; 13(1): e240.

Affiliation

Department for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen, Alpenstrasse 18, 2532, Magglingen, Switzerland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s13104-020-05083-5

PMID

32398110

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Bio-banding (BB) [SafetyLit note- the process of grouping athletes based on attributes associated with growth and maturation, rather than chronological age] has been introduced to account for varying maturity and to improve the talent development of junior soccer players. To date, research that investigated the physiological and technical effects of BB is sparse. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare effects of BB with CA on selected technical and tactical parameters in U13 and U14 soccer players.

RESULTS: BB significantly increased the number of duels (p = 0.024) and set pieces (p = 0.025) compared to chronological age. The mean time of ball possession per action was reduced (p = 0.021) and the rate of successful passes was lower with BB (p = 0.001). Meanwhile, the total number of passes was unaffected (p = 0.796), and there was a trend towards a lower difference in ball possession between BB teams (p = 0.058). In addition, BB reduced the distances covered while jogging (p = 0.001), running (p = 0.038) and high-speed running (p = 0.035). With BB, an increased number of duels, unsuccessful passes and set pieces resulted in a quicker change of match play situations between teams. While physical demand was reduced, BB seems to result in a more technically and tactically challenging game. Benefits in long-term player development, however, require further investigation.

Language: en

Keywords

Maturation; Puberty; Talent development; Youth competition; Youth sport