A New Test for the Assessment of Agility and Dribbling Skill of Soccer Players Aged 14-15 Years Old

Authors : Michalis Mitrotasios, Athanasios Souglis, Aristotelis Gioldasis, Nikolaos Kesaris, Triantafillos Kampouris

Pages : 425-433

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Publication Date : 2018-12-30

Article Type : Research

Abstract :The aim of the study was the development of a new agility and dribbling skill test for young footballers. Twenty-one amateur soccer players aged 14.48 ± 0.11 years old participated in the study. Their overall mean height, weight and playing experience were 166.76 ± 2.06 cm, 58.03 ± 2.73 kg, 6.05 ± 0.51 years respectively. The anthropometric characteristics were examined by a portable Seca stadiometer, a calibrated Seca weight scale and a certified Harpenden skinfold caliper. Timing gates (Photocells; Microgate, RACETIME 2) were used for the assessment of sprint time, agility and dribbling skill. Descriptive statistics, t-test for dependent groups and Pearson correlation were executed by SPSS package (v. 17) in a statistical significance level of p< .10. The results showed that MM test with and without ball is a reliable and valid test for the assessment of dribbling skill and agility of young players. Furthermore, 10m speed, 20m speed, 30m speed and agility (Little and MM test) present a statistical significant correlation. However, 10m speed revealed higher correlation with 20m and 30m than MM and Little test without ball.
Keywords : Soccer, Speed, Agility, Skill, Little test