Peter Kacur1, Monika Vašková1, Tomas Elias1
1University of Presov, Faculty of Sports, Presov, Slovakia
Field Position- and Training Age-Related Differences in Motor-Cognitive Abilities of 10–17-Year-Old Soccer Players
Sport Mont 2026, 24(1), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.260201
Abstract
In team sports such as soccer, players must rapidly and accurately process dynamic visual scenes based on the re- al-time movements and positioning of teammates and opponents. This study aimed to investigate differences in brain processing speed, cognitive agility, and lower-limb reactive agility among youth soccer players aged 10–17 years, con- sidering both field position and level of playing experience. A total of 142 male players (mean age 13.27±2.35 years) were assessed and categorized according to their training age and field position. Brain processing speed and cognitive agility were measured using the Witty SEM system with the BrainHQ Hawk Eye and BrainHQ Agility tests, while low- er-limb reactive agility was evaluated via the Fitro Agility Check. Players with 7–9 years of training experience achieved significantly faster brain speed reaction times (BSRT; p=0.013, ηp²=0.076) and lower complex disjunctive reaction times (CDR; p<0.001, ηp²=0.340) compared with players with 1–3 years of experience. Large training-age effects were also found in all agility directions (ηp²=0.277–0.385). These findings demonstrate that greater sport experience is strongly associated with enhanced perceptual-cognitive and motor-reactive efficiency in youth soccer.
Keywords
brain speed quality, cognitive agility, lower-limb reactive agility, training age, field position, soccer
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