Motion tracking in young male football players: a preliminary study of within-session movement reliability

ABSTRACT

Purpose

We assessed the reliability of fundamental movement skills in young male footballers within one session. Methods: 197 players from 5 English category 3 football academies across U9 – U18 age groups volunteered (mean: age = 12.6 ± 2.8 years; stature = 156 ± 17 cm; weight = 47 ± 15 kg; years from peak height velocity (PHV) = – 1.1 ± 2.3). Motion tracking of squat depth and anterior Y-balance test maximum reach was recorded. Reliability was assessed (trial 1 vs. 2; trial 2 vs. 3) via mean change, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and typical error. Results: The overall mean change was trivial (−1.8–2.9%), while Y-balance left showed a small negative change (trial 2 vs. 3; −3.2%). All ICCs across the tests ranged from moderate to high (0.71–0.79). Typical errors for Y-balance tests ranged from 8.3–10.8% and squats from 19.3–21.8%. Pre-PHV vs. post-PHV players had similar typical errors for Y-balance left and right (9.0 vs. 11.5%; 9.0 vs. 7.1%, respectively), and the squat (21.1 vs. 20%). Conclusions: The high within-player typical error scores obtained over three trials suggest that, contrary to some movement screening guidelines, prior habituation is needed to increase both the stability and reliability of these tests.

KEYWORDS:

• AMAT Performance
• FMS
• movement screening
• movement variability
• reliability

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to Professor Alan M. Batterham for his invaluable statistical advice throughout the completion of this research. The authors acknowledge the help of Pro Sport Support Ltd for the provision of the anonymised data, which was used for this study. At the time of this research, MML and GP were employees of Pro Sport Support Ltd—a company seeking the development and commercial sale of practical, marker based tracking systems for athletic movement screening. The project received government funding from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Innovate UK) to Pro Sport Support Ltd and Teesside University (KTP 009965).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The project received government funding from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Innovate UK) to Pro Sport Support Ltd and Teesside University (KTP 009965. Project title: To develop a specialist technology enhanced Adolescent Movement Analysis Tool and associated training intervention curriculum, exergaming and CPD offers underpinned by leading biomechanical research to improve the physicality of elite youth athletes).