Cognitive-Integrated Soccer Training and Performance

NCT07284940 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: QDU-HEC-2024376
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 64
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will examine whether an 8-week soccer-specific cognitive-motor training program can improve executive functions, decision-making, and soccer skill performance in youth soccer players. Soccer players often need to scan the field, process information quickly, choose appropriate actions, and perform technical skills under pressure. The training program is designed to combine soccer skills with game-like cognitive demands, such as recognizing opponents' movement, selecting passing or dribbling options, and responding to changing play situations. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a soccer-specific cognitive-motor training group or an active control technical training group. Both groups will train three times per week for eight weeks in addition to their usual soccer training. The study will compare changes in soccer decision-making, executive functions, and skill performance from baseline to post-intervention and to a four-week retention test.

Conditions

Performance; Motor Development; Executive Function (Cognition); Soccer Training

Keywords

cognitive promotion; dribbling; soccer

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Video-Based Soccer Decision Accuracy

  Video-based soccer decision accuracy will be used as the primary outcome to assess soccer-specific decision-making performance. Participants will view attacking and transition scenarios from a field-player perspective. Each video will be occluded at a critical decision point, and participants will select the most appropriate action, such as pass, dribble, shoot, switch play, or retain possession. Decision accuracy will be calculated as the percentage of responses that match the expert consensus answer. Higher scores indicate better soccer-specific decision-making performance.

  Baseline, immediately after the 8-week intervention, and 4-week retention follow-up.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Dribbling performance time

  Baseline, immediately after the 8-week intervention, and 4-week retention follow-up.

• Reaction time on cognitive tasks (Stroop task and 2-back task)

  Baseline, immediately after the 8-week intervention, and 4-week retention follow-up.

• Response accuracy on cognitive tasks (Stroop task and 2-back task)

  Baseline, immediately after the 8-week intervention, and 4-week retention follow-up.

Study Arms (2)

Cognitively Engaging Soccer Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the experimental arm will receive soccer-specific cognitive-motor training in addition to their usual soccer training. The program will last 8 weeks, with 3 sessions per week and approximately 45 minutes per session. Each session will combine soccer technical practice with game-like cognitive demands, including scanning before receiving the ball, recognizing opponent pressure, identifying target players, selecting between passing, dribbling, or shooting options, responding to transition cues, and performing under time or opponent pressure. Training tasks will progress from constrained perception-action drills to conditioned small-sided games. The intervention is designed to improve executive functions, decision-making, and soccer skill performance under representative match-like conditions.

Behavioral: Cognitively Engaging Soccer Practice

Conventional Soccer Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants assigned to the control arm will receive active technical training in addition to their usual soccer training. The program will last 8 weeks, with 3 sessions per week and approximately 45 minutes per session. Training will include conventional soccer technical drills, such as passing patterns, dribbling circuits, receiving and turning exercises, ball-control activities, and finishing practice. The control sessions will be matched with the experimental arm for training duration, session frequency, general soccer content, and approximate physical workload. However, they will not systematically include game-like cognitive-motor constraints such as opponent-pressure recognition, target-player identification, decision-switching cues, or structured pass/dribble/shoot choice demands.

Behavioral: Conventional Soccer Practice

Interventions

Cognitively Engaging Soccer Practice BEHAVIORAL

This intervention integrates cognitive elements into basic soccer skill practice. Participants engage in 20-minute soccer dribbling sessions that include decision-making tasks, attention control, and working memory challenges embedded within motor actions. For example, players must react to color or number cues while performing dribbling drills. The purpose is to enhance both motor learning and cognitive performance through dual-task engagement.Cognitively Engaging Soccer Practice

Cognitively Engaging Soccer Training

Conventional Soccer Practice BEHAVIORAL

This intervention consists of traditional soccer dribbling training without added cognitive tasks. Participants perform the same duration and frequency of soccer skill practice (20 minutes) focusing purely on motor performance and technique refinement. No external cognitive demands are introduced.

Conventional Soccer Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male adolescents aged 16-18 years;
• Healthy students with no recent injury affecting movement or physical activity;
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision;
• Not taking any medication during the study period;

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosed neurological disorders;
• Diagnosed musculoskeletal disorders;
• Use of medications known to affect cognitive function

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fan Mao: lead

Study Sites (1)

Qingdao University, School of Physical Education

Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, China

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Alesi M, Bianco A, Padulo J, Luppina G, Petrucci M, Paoli A, Palma A, Pepi A. Motor and cognitive growth following a Football Training Program. Front Psychol. 2015 Oct 27;6:1627. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01627. eCollection 2015.

  PMID: 26579014 RESULT

• Mao F, Li Z, Qiu C, Fang Q. Developing integrative practice on basic soccer skills to stimulate cognitive promotion for children and adolescents. Front Psychol. 2024 Apr 19;15:1348006. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348006. eCollection 2024. No abstract available.

  PMID: 38708011 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sialorrhea

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Salivary Gland Diseases; Mouth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: CARE PROVIDER
• Masking Details: Only the coaches delivering the intervention are blinded to group allocation. Participants and outcome assessors are not blinded due to the nature of the intervention.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 20, 2025
• First Posted: December 16, 2025
• Study Start: February 15, 2024
• Primary Completion: May 23, 2024
• Study Completion: June 27, 2024
• Last Updated: July 7, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CN (1)