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Effects of a Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking on Football-Specific Decision-Making in Under-9 Academy Players
Sponsor: Federal University of Vicosa
Summary
This study evaluates whether two academy football training programmes are associated with different changes in football-specific cognitive-motor performance in under-9 male players. One academy cohort completed a Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking (TPCT) embedded within game-centred training, whereas a comparison cohort followed its usual repetition-oriented academy programme. Performance was assessed before and after 12 training sessions using the Stroop Task Football Test (STFT), including execution time, response accuracy, and a derived Total Index.
Official title: Effects of a Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking on Football-Specific Decision-Making and Execution Time in Under-9 Academy Players: A Controlled Parallel-Group Study Using the Stroop Task Football Test
Key Details
Gender
MALE
Age Range
9 Years - 9 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
25
Start Date
2026-04-14
Completion Date
2026-06-12
Last Updated
2026-08-24
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking (TPCT)
A socio-constructivist, game-based pedagogical intervention embedded within routine under-9 academy football training. TPCT is delivered over 12 on-pitch sessions and includes: (1) a brief opening collective dialogue (\~10 minutes) focused on the tactical principle of the day; (2) constrained small-sided games designed to amplify targeted information-action couplings; (3) brief structured reflection episodes (3-5 minutes) guided by five critical-thinking questions addressing tactical objective, helpful and hindering actions, alternatives, performance evaluation, and collective adjustment; and (4) extended free play representing approximately 50% of session time to promote transfer.
Matched Academy Football Training
Routine academy football training delivered under normal practice conditions, matched across groups for weekly frequency, session duration, and tactical content. Sessions target offensive and defensive tactical principles through regular coaching activities. In the control condition, training emphasizes repetition-based technical drills and customary game play without structured reflective questioning.
Locations (1)
Tecnológico de Antioquia
Medellín, Colombia