Functional Capacities and Mental Skills Necessary for Expertise in Soccer

Expertise in sport relies on interactions between individual, task and environment constraints. Individual performer constraints include mental and physical characteristics. The present study aimed to measure the functional capacities and mental skills in adolescent, elite (N=26) and sub-elite (N=35) soccer players to determine the important factors in the talent selection process. Participants were classified in four groups according to their age: U16, U15, U14 and U13. The OMSAT-3 was used to evaluate the mental skills. Furthermore, functional capacities were measured using four tests including aerobic resistance (shuttle run), explosive power (vertical jump), running speed (running with the ball) and strength (shooting). The results of the present study showed a significant difference between elite and sub-elite soccer players in three functional and seven mental characteristics. There were significant differences between elite and sub-elite soccer players regarding functional capacities between U15 and U16 players. Also, mental skills differentiated between elite and sub-elite players in U13, U14 and U16 age groups. Discussion and It seems that soccer players lacking functional capacities and mental skills may not continue the participation and/or may not be selected for higher level participations. These results suggest that performance and psychometric characteristics of young soccer players differ at different ages. According to the results it seems that mental skill measurements at ages under 13 and 14 can help the selection process, but functional capacities should be emphasized at U15 and U16 age groups.