Recognition and Knowledge Representation Related to Attacking Play in Varsity Soccer Players

Abstract

This study examined the cognition characteristics and knowledge related to attacking play in varsity soccer players. To this end, two tasks and interviews were executed. The first task, a memory recall test, -involved examining the accuracy of the subject's memory by separating the soccer field into three areas. In the second task, the subjects watched the projection and answered by attacking play methods, and were interviewed about it. In this study, McPherson's methods (1987, 1999a, 1999b) were adopted for evaluating the quantitative knowledge of the players. Then, the knowledge based on the utterance data was digitized. The result of the first task showed that the experts memorized game situations accurately, especially in the situations they faced, which could be considered the cognition characteristics of experts. The results of the second task showed that the experts had many, varied, and detailed comments on the attacking methods. This implies a definitive difference in the knowledge of understanding situations and performance movements between high-and low-skilled players. In conclusion, the study suggested that experts enhanced their understanding of game situations and performance movements, compared to low-skilled players, and that this contributed to their recognition of situations and comprehensive thinking about attacking play.