DECISION MAKING IN SPORT: MANIPULATING CONSTRAINTS FOR A BETTER LEARNING IN THE PENALTY KICK IN FOOTBALL

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Decision-making in the penalty kick: the role of constraints in the perceptual guidance of action

Publication . Lopes, José Eduardo Maia Dias Nunes; Araújo, Duarte Fernando da Rosa Belo Patronilho de; Jacobs, David Maximillian

The aim of this thesis was to examine how players’ strategies influence available information on movement when performing penalty kicks. An ecological dynamics perspective of the penalty kick is initially presented as a supporting framework for recent research, as well as a plausible path to overcome the shortage of ecological validity of experimental designs that aim to capture the information-based core of players’ performance. The effect of different instructional constraints on movement patterns and outcome was analysed and results showed a significant influence on both players’ performance speed and on goalkeepers’ diving angle, although players’ efficacy remained constant. Penalty takers’ kinematics was then studied in order to understand its relation with ball’s horizontal and vertical directions, as well as the influence of ball direction on penalty kicks’ success. Kinematic variables highly correlated to ball horizontal direction were less affected by deceptive actions, demonstrating that genuine movements cannot be biased if an intended goal needs to be accomplished. Ball height influenced outcome, although physical constraints imposed on penalty takers’ movement variability (compared with other kick types) decreased the correlations between ball’s vertical direction and penalty takers’ kinematics. Developed investigation contributed to 1) clarify the influence of different strategies on players’ movements, 2) identify genuine sources of information for the anticipation of ball direction, and 3) determine the influence of ball height on penalty kick success.

2013Tese de doutoramento

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Entidade financiadora

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Programa de financiamento

PIDDAC

Número da atribuição

SFRH/BD/60520/2009