The Level of Physical Fitness and Its Relationship to the Level of Skillful Performance of Some Basic Soccer Skills Among Youth Female Players in Palestine

Abstract

The study sought to identify the level of physical fitness and its relationship to the level of skill performance of some soccer skills among emerging young female players in Palestinian clubs. The study used the descriptive correlational (semi-experimental) approach to achieve its objectives, the study tool consisted of physical tests (speed, flexibility, endurance, agility, muscle strength) and skill tests (running with the ball, passing, controlling the ball, shooting, hitting the ball with the head). The tests were applied to a random stratified sample of (89) emerging young female soccer players from the Palestinian club players and the study reached several results, including: The level of physical fitness of young female soccer players in Palestinian clubs was good, in terms of the arithmetic average of the elements of physical fitness, respectively: speed (8.9) m/s, flexibility (6.05) cm, endurance (2.39) m/min, and agility (14.7) m/s, muscular power (1.45) meters. In addition, the level of skill performance of some of the basic soccer skills of the young female players in the Palestinian clubs was between average and good, in terms of the arithmetic mean of skill performance tests, where the average results of the ball running test were (17.01) seconds, passing skill (11.6) times, controlling the ball (14.87) times, shooting skill (14.43) times, and hitting the ball with the head (4.04) times. The results of the study indicated that there is a statistically significant correlation between the level of physical fitness and skillful performance of young female soccer players in Palestinian clubs and the study reached several results, the most prominent of which is: the need to work on improving and developing the level of physical and skill performance of young female soccer players in Palestinian clubs, increasing interest in women's sports, especially for young women in soccer, by encouraging the Federation of clubs to pay attention to this category, because it forms the core and basis for the following groups, such as the Olympic teams, the approval of coaches for physical and skill tests in the process of selection and evaluation of soccer players.