Style Of Play Research Articles

Efficiency of one-on-one play situations of Polish football players and their opponents during European Championships in relation to the playing area, current result and match

Background and Study Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of players of the Polish national football team and their opponents in one-on-one situations (1-on-1) in 9 matches of the group stage of the three subsequent finals of the European Championships in the years 2008, 2012 and 2016.
 Material and methods. Audiovisual recordings of matches were analysed and game data were collected using the authors' original observation sheet. Activity, effectiveness and reliability of individual offensive and defensive actions were evaluated in terms of current match result, time elapsed and player position on the pitch. Efficiency of one-on-one play situations of 40 Polish players competing in group stages of Euro 2008-2012 was studied. The 20 of Polish National Team players taking part in this study were at the student’s age (19-24 y) during championships and 6 of them were currently students or got a scientific degree. 
 Results. The study reveals that, on average, players engage in 245 1-on-1 duels in a single match and that the best teams demonstrate almost 60% effectiveness in individual defensive actions. While the efficiency of 1-on-1 situations is the highest in the middle stage of both parts of the game and in the defensive zone, it decreases with the lapse of time and in relation with the shift of action towards the opponent's goal.
 Conlusions. Efficiency in 1-on-1 play determines success in competition and high reliability of individual defensive actions at the level close to 60% is the key differentiator of the winners' style of play.

Playful qualities of toddling style in adult–child interaction

ABSTRACT This study explores toddling style in adult–child interaction. Toddling style was conceptualised by Gunvor Løkken in relation to toddlers’ playful and social style in peer groups; however, adults’ position was rarely explored. Therefore, this article aims to examine adults’ emotional and playful support in creating, maintaining and developing toddling style. A cultural–historical approach and a multimodal interaction analysis is used for analysing toddling style in naturally occurring adult–child interaction. Video observations were made in ECEC in Australia and Finland. Drawing on three representative empirical cases, we argue that toddling style is a unique embodied way of being together as well as a form of play between adults and children. Findings show the importance of adults’ participation in play for creating a playful community. Implications suggest the important role of adults’ emotional and playful support in maintaining toddlers’ exploration of toddling style, particularly in multiparty situations.

Characterisation of offensive and defensive game play trends in the Australian Football League (1999–2019)

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to characterise and quantify offensive and defensive game play in the Australian Football League and analyse how it has evolved from 1999–2019. Nine offensive and twelve defensive variables were selected to represent their respective styles of play. Season averages for each variable were collected as well as an overall 21-season average and standard deviation. Offensive and defensive z-scores were calculated for each season and plotted relative to time. Offensive and defensive z-scores for each season showed a trend of an increase and decrease in offensive and defensive game play, respectively, up until about 2005–2007. These play pattern trends then clearly reversed and continue to evolve towards less offensive and more defensive game styles. Despite rule and interpretation changes to temper these trends, the 2019 season was the most defensive and least offensive in the period of review. Overall offensive game play has decreased across the period 1999–2019 while defensive game play has increased. Offensive play, however, was shown to be more closely related to success when compared to defensive play. This study provides a quantitative method of characterising offensive and defensive game play in Australian Rules Football.

Using network science to unveil badminton performance patterns

Abstract Bipartite networks are related to non-linear and ecological approaches where, at least, two different kinds of entities are considered. In sports, we can consider players as entities that base their decisions (actions and reactions) on opponents and their own actions. Incorporation of bipartite networks into modelling of racket sport performances may bridge the gap between the performance analysis sub-discipline and coaches for greater preparation of training sessions and competitions for enhanced success. Thus, the main aim of this study was to create badminton stroke networks (BSN), from the match activities of a player and their opponents, to describe and quantify the performance of elite Olympic badminton players. The use of a Network Science approach required the development of a series of methodologies that accounted for strokes played by all medallists within an Olympic tournament and included: (i) the construction of BSN; (ii) the one-mode projections of bipartite networks (self- and opponent- networks); (iii) the centrality of one-mode projections; and (iv) the identifiability of badminton players. The BSN identified different playing patterns for medallists with the Silver medallist categorised with the less predictable and defined style of play, the Bronze medallist exhibiting the most defined style; and the Gold medallist exhibiting the greatest predictability, but only when losing points (self-networks). The use of Network Science enabled the identification of distinctive styles of play (self- and opponent–related), based on stroke performance, during successful and unsuccessful points within an Olympic tournament. Specifically, the identifiability of each player's network and its associations with point outcome, provided a better understanding of stroke performances and individual features of world-class badminton players. The use of non-linear approaches (such as bipartite networks) to measure and visualize player's performances, accounting for the specific nature of badminton and opponents, may support coaches and players with the contextualized demands of playing patterns and their performances (i.e., winning and losing points) for future success.

SEX AND AGE-BASED DIFFERENCES IN PEDIATRIC BASKETBALL INJURIES

Background:There is limited epidemiologic data on pediatric basketball injuries and the correlation of these injuries with sex-based differences pre- and post-adolescence.Purpose:To describe sex and age-based injury rates associated with common pediatric basketball injuries.Methods:A descriptive epidemiology study was conducted utilizing publicly available injury data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) and participation data from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). Data on pediatric basketball injuries from January 2012 – December 2018 in patients ages 7-17 years were extracted and used to calculate national injury incidence rates with 95% confidence intervals.Results:Over 7 years, 9,582 basketball injuries were reported annually in the NEISS in pediatric patients 7-17 years old, which corresponds to an annual national estimate of 294,920 visits.The 5 most common diagnoses were ankle strain/sprain (17.7%), finger strain/sprain and finger fracture (12.1%), concussion/head injury (9.4%), knee strain/sprain (4.5%), and facial laceration (3.3%).There was a notable increase in injury rate in adolescents when compared with childhood ages; 7- to 11-year-old category accounted for 19.1% of estimated injuries (56,242 injuries per year) and the 12- to 17-year-old category accounted for 80.9% (238,678 injuries per year). While boys accounted for the majority of injuries in both age groups [72.6% of all injuries (40,824 injuries per year) in the 7- to 11-year-old category and 74.4% of all injuries (177,572 injuries per year) in the 12- to 17-year-old category], overall, there was no significant difference in injury rate between boys and girls (boys: 91 injuries per 100,000 athlete days, 95% CI = 73-109; girls: 110 injuries per 100,000 athlete days, 95% CI = 92-128; p=0.140). Overall injury rates across the two age groups are reported in Table 1.Head injuries/concussions were a frequent cause of presentation (second only to finger injuries) in 7- to 11-year-olds, and occurred at a similar rate in girls and boys. In adolescents, ankle injuries were the most common injury overall, but there was a most notable increase in the rate of girls’ head and knee injury compared with their boy counterparts within these ages (Table 1).Conclusions:Ankle injuries continue to be the most predominant pediatric basketball injury. However, disproportionate rates of girls’ head and knee injuries during adolescent basketball suggest that style of play and knee injury prevention programs should target girls participating in youth basketball.Table 1.Rate of basketball injuries treated in US emergency departments in the NEISS from 2012-2018a Variables7- to 11-Year-Oldsp-value12- to 17-Year-Oldsp-valueBoysGirlsBoysGirls Ankle Strain/Sprain 3.4 (2.6-4.2)6.1 (4.9-7.3)0.000223.5 (19.2-27.8)27.1 (22.4-31.8)0.2688 Finger Strain/Sprain/Fracture 8.0 (6.4-9.6)13.8 (10.5-17.1)0.002011.5 (9.1-13.9)17.4 (14.3-20.5)0.0032 Concussion/Head Injury 5.9 (4.3-7.5)4.9 (3.1-6.7)0.40638.5 (6.7-10.3)19 (15.1-22.9)<0.0001 Knee Strain/Sprain 1.4 (1-1.8)1.6 (1.2-2)0.47954.9 (3.7-6.1)10.2 (8.2-12.2)<0.0001 Facial Laceration 1.5 (1.1-1.9)0.5 (0.3-0.7)<0.00014.8 (3.8-5.8)2.4 (1.8-3)<0.0001 Overall Injuries 46.7 (37.1-56.3)57.9 (47.1-68.7)0.1284116.6 (93.5-139.7)142.9 (119.6-166.2)0.1166 Overall Injuries 49.3 (39.7-58.9)-122.4 (99.9-144.9)<0.0001 a No. of injuries per 100,000 athlete days (95% confidence interval)

Proposta de ordenamento de clubes e análise do perfil em competições eliminatórias

Objetivo: Elaboração de um indicador de desempenho em competições eliminatórias a partir de dados técnicos presentes no jogo de futebol.&#x0D; Método: Este estudo foi composto de 650 jogos coletados em 5 temporadas, sendo 4 para a obtenção dos pesos e 1 para a aplicação da metodologia, 2017-2018. Obteve-se 32 variáveis técnicas e utilizou-se do modelo matemático MAVT (Multi-Atribute Value Theory) para a composição do ordenamento e valor da equipe. Após esta obtenção, possibilitou-se a realização de um perfil através de 6 atributos: Resultados, Finalização, Construção do Jogo, Recuperação da Posse, Proteção da Meta e Infrações. A comparação entre o ordenamento do estudo e a competição ocorreu através da ordem da competição por soma de pontos e pela classificação através das fases da competição. Em ambos os casos, aplicou-se o teste de Kendall-τ.&#x0D; Resultado: Obteve-se os resultados de ordenamento de clubes e a comparação, que em ambos os casos, a correlação foi acima de 0.7, apresentando significância estatística em 0.01. Como equipe que obteve maior pontuação, destaca-se o Real Madrid com 71. Por fim, permite-se uma comparação entre os finalistas da competição através da análise de perfil, onde verificou-se superioridade da equipe campeã.&#x0D; Conclusão: O estudo demonstrou-se satisfatório, pois obteve uma alta relação com os resultados encontrados na competição e possibilitou a obtenção do perfil de clubes para análise de seu estilo de jogo.

The 16th Top Chess Engine Championship, TCEC16

TCEC16 was the 16th season of the Top Chess Engine Championship and ran from July 14th to October 13th, 2019. TCEC has become the largest Open Computer Chess Championship. It attracts the best engines in the field and provides an opportunity for a comparative analysis of the Shannon-AB and the new Neural-Network engines’ styles of play. STOCKFISH regained the title of Grand Champion by beating ALLIESTEIN in the Superfinal. The defending Grand Champion, LEELA CHESS ZERO was third. The attached files at http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/86830 provide the 950 games with engine PVs, the detail on them and some summary statistics.

The 19th Top Chess Engine Championship, TCEC19

TCEC19 was the 18th season of the Top Chess Engine Championship and ran from August 6th to October 16th, 2020. TCEC has become the largest Open Computer Chess Championship. It attracts the best engines in the field and provides an opportunity for a comparative analysis of the Shannon-AB and the new Neural-Network engines’ styles of play. STOCKFISH retained the Grand Champion title with +9 in another exciting Superfinal, but only because it took on 'NN' technology 'just in time'. These two engines have dominated the field for the last eight TCEC seasons now. The attached files at http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/93815 provide the 726 games with engine PVs, the detail on them, some summary statistics and the completion to mate of the wins. Bonus matches put these two engines' performance in a valuable context of STOCKFISH_CLASSICAL and KOMODO.

The 17th Top Chess Engine Championship, TCEC17

TCEC17 was the 17th season of the Top Chess Engine Championship and ran from January 2nd to 21st April, 2020. TCEC has become the largest Open Computer Chess Championship. It attracts the best engines in the field and provides an opportunity for a comparative analysis of the Shannon-AB and the new Neural-Network engines’ styles of play. LEELA CHESS ZERO took the Grand Champion title from STOCKFISH again with +5 in an exciting Superfinal. The attached files at http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/89999 provide the 1300 games with engine PVs, the detail on them, some summary statistics and the completion to mate of the wins.

Online detection and classification of in-corrected played strokes in table tennis using IR depth camera

Abstract Table tennis is a complex sport with a distinctive style of play. Due to the rising interest in this sport the past years, attempts have been targeted towards enhancing the training experience and quality through various techniques. Technology has been used to support training sessions for table tennis players before, with a focus on players’ performance measures rather than technique. In this paper, we propose a methodology based on IR depth camera for detecting and classifying the efficiency of strokes performed by players in order to enhance the training experience. Our system is to based on analyzing depth data collected from IR depth camera and recognized using fastDTW algorithm. The results show an average accuracy of 88% - 100%. This is the first paper to address the usage of IR depth camera on the table tennis player to detect and classify the strokes played.

The effect of contextual variables on the attacking style of play in professional soccer

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of a Spanish government subproject Mixed method approach on performance analysis (in training and competition) in elite and academy sport [PGC2018-098742-B-C33] (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, Programa Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Cientifico y Tecnologico del Sistema I+D+i), that is part of the coordinated project New approach of research in physical activity and sport from mixed methods perspective (NARPAS_MM) [SPGC201800X098742CV0].

Сравнителен анализ на показателите за физическо развитие ръст и тегло между пивота и останалите постове в хандбала при 19-годишни хандбалистки

The modern effective management of the training process in the handball game requires the knowledge of age characteristics and the interrelationships between the physical development and the physical capacity of adolescents. One of the main figures in the team is the pivot. Its game contributes to the full realization of the other players. This has led us to research the game of the pivot, in order to reveal some regularities in his style of play and hence to clarify of approaches in the training process, in improving mainly individual actions and group interactions. The aim of the study is to establish the level of some anthropometric indicators in order to optimize the selection of the game post pivot. Our objective assessment of the state of anthropometric status is an important condition for an adequate correction and improvement of the handball hand selection.

Identification and Preference of Game Styles in LaLiga Associated with Match Outcomes.

The objective was to model the teams’ styles of play (SoPs) in elite football and relate them to the match result. For this, the twenty Spanish first division teams in the 2016–2017 season were analysed, using nine interaction performance indicators (IRi). A principal component (PC) analysis was applied. From two PCs four SoPs were established: deep or high-pressure defending, and elaborate or direct attack. The SoPs were distributed according to average performance obtained throughout the championship. The connection between the preferred SoP and the final result was estimated. Teams with elaborate offensive styles and teams defensively minded got better results. In addition, most of the teams showed variability in their SoP. The applications of the study are (1) the IRi have served to identify SoP and can be used as a reference to optimize team performance; (2) teams should have a varied SoP repertoire, as well as being prepared to deal with different SoPs; (3) particular player profiles should be connected with the desired SoP when creating the squad and (4) clubs should develop a varied range of SoPs at their academies.

Technical-Tactical Analysis of The Players of the Left and Right Wing in Elite Soccer

In today's soccer, teams are increasingly better trained both physically and tactically, hence different game styles can be identified and differences between them reduced. However, without an exhaustive analysis of reality, the view can lead to the extraction of erroneous conclusions, and what seems to be a team with a marked offensive profile is a mere illusion, resulting to be a team that develops a perfectly balanced game. In this paper, an analysis of technical-tactical performance of players who occupied both wings in an elite team was made, taking as reference the Spanish national soccer team as the model of international game to imitate in the last decade. The development of this paper was located within the observational methodology, using the polar coordinates technique for the analysis of the obtained data. The results showed how, despite identifying offensive profiles within technical-tactical performance of players that occupied the outer wings or lanes of the playing field, their tactical means and orientations diverged from each other. The results showed a more offensive profile and with higher technical complexity of players that occupied the left wing, while players that held the right wing showed a more defensive and recuperative profile, indicating a less vertical and complex style of play at a technical level with the forward as an offensive reference.

Development of a Knockout Competition in Basketball: A Study of the Spanish Copa del Rey.

Performance in basketball has been widely studied with regard to the results of the game using competition statistics. Few studies have analyzed the play process from a dynamic viewpoint regarding tactical actions and styles of play. The general objective of this research was to analyze the development in the styles of play of the teams participating in the Spanish Copa del Rey by studying the development of ball possessions (from start to finish) and the styles of play (attack and defense phases). The specific aim was to identify the relations between how possessions end and the style of play, as well as the relation between the duration of possession and the action of shooting and efficacy of the possession. All the matches corresponding to the Spanish Copa del Rey in basketball in the seasons 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018 were analyzed, comprising a total of 3,865 possessions. To this end, two groups of variables were characterized, which made it possible to define play, the development of possession (start and finish), and the style of play (attack and defense phase). An exploratory and descriptive analysis of the situational variables, development of possession, and style of play was carried out to characterize the competition. The Chi-squared test and Cramer’s V coefficient were used to estimate the association among the categorical variables, interpreting the association among the categories using contingency tables. The results show a greater number of attacks in the final stages of the matches, with short possessions that end in baskets or rebounds, and positional attacks and individual half-court defenses predominating. There were more shots in positional attacks and more fouls in transitions. It also was apparent that the competition is developing from 1 year to another. The Spanish Copa del Rey competition changes from season to season, revealing slight modifications in the teams’ styles of play, although there is stability in the fundamental play parameters, like the predominance of man-to-man defense, the duration of the attacks, and the use of screens. The style of play conditions the finalization of the possession.

Analysis of Successful Offensive Play Patterns by the Spanish Soccer Team.

Victory is the ultimate aim in soccer and therefore when a team wins an elite European or world championship, attempts will invariably be made to emulate the winning team’s style of play. In this study, we performed an in‐depth analysis of play by the Spanish soccer team during the 2012 UEFA European Championship, where it was crowned champion. Using observational methodology and T‐pattern analysis, we identified hidden patterns of play that ended in a goal for the Spanish team. A generalizability coefficient (e2) of 0.986 demonstrated that the offensive patterns detected are robust and highly generalizable. These patterns were formed by technical actions consisting of ball control and pass, with alternations between short and long passes, in the central area of the rival pitch, with use of both wings to achieve width of play and prioritization of width over depth of play. We also found patterns showing that goals and shots at goal were made on a ball delivered from the opposite direction to the shot and were not preceded by a technical action.

Africa at the Football World Cup, 1934–2018: defining moments and memories on the field

ABSTRACTThis article looks at the memorable and defining moments that shaped the history of Africa’s participation in the World Cup. In this context ‘memorable’ refers to moments in the tournament that were attractive in terms of style of play, impact of the outcome and historical legacy. Closely related to memorable is the concept of ‘defining moments’. According to Badaracco (1997), defining moments have three characteristics: they reveal, they test, and they shape. Although this definition applies to leadership, it is used here to identify some defining moments that shaped the history of African soccer at the World Cup final tournaments preceding 1970 and in the subsequent tournaments till 2018. Although past performances by African teams have not yielded a championship trophy, there have been memorable and defining moments at each tournament that inspire hope for abreakthrough sooner than later.Abbreviations: CAF- Confederation of African Football; FIFA- Federation of International Football Associations

Implementation of Dynamic Artificial Intelligence in Game Development

The aim of this paper is to create an adaptive Artificial Intelligence implemented within our own video game which learns from players and uniquely adapts its playstyle in order to counter the play style of the current player in real time. This is done by creating a basic AI using the AI packages that come with Unreal Engine, which is what is being used to implement this technique. This AI is then trained with many different possible moves in the game represented within a tree. The end goal is to have the AI learn the moves that the user is using most frequently or most effectively and begin countering it more and more effectively as the level rises. This is done by training the AI to various movesets and giving it a sizeable sample space in order to understand and predict as required

Hegemony Contests: Challenging the Notion of a Singular Canadian Hockey Nationalism

ABSTRACTSports media, athletes, and the public alike have framed Canadian professional men’s hockey as an important symbol of the nation as a whole, while scholars have devoted considerable energy to pointing out that this celebrated hockey symbol tends to marginalize those in Canada who are not white, male, straight, and/or able-bodied. Yet various linguistic, racial, and ethnic minorities play and celebrate hockey in Canada, and indeed use hockey to express their own subordinated nationalisms. Their styles of play and the meanings they bring to the game have issued counter-hegemonic challenges to white, male, Anglo-Canadian hockey hegemony. Exploring the “hockey nationalisms” of Indigenous, Québécois, Acadian, and Central/Eastern European populations as case studies, this article argues for a reconsideration of Canadian hockey nationalism from below.

The Impact Of Online Game On The Children’s Character Change

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Online games are very fast growing lately. The longer, it becomes more fun, including the appearance, style of play, game graphics, image resolution, and so on. There is also a variety of player types such as war, adventure, strategy, fight and all types of online games which are surely interesting to play. The kind of technology development greatly impacts the development of the children's character. When technology is used positively, surely it will help us in our daily life and vice versa. Program (PKM), 1 title Village Partner Development Program (PPDM)&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;