Visual exploratory activity and defensive success in small-sided games

Abstract

Visual exploratory activity (VEA) has been widely associated with attacking performance in football, yet its role during the defensive phase remains unclear. This study compared the frequency of VEA between successful and unsuccessful defensive sequences in small-sided games (SSGs). Thirty-five under-15 players participated in standardized 3 vs 3 SSGs with goalkeepers and the offside rule. VEA was defined as off-ball head movements away from the ball and expressed as frequency per second within each defensive sequence. A linear mixed-effects model, with team as a random effect, was used for analysis. A significant effect of defensive outcome on VEA was observed (F (1, 86.45) = 4.17, p = .044), with higher frequencies in successful (M = 0.267; 95% CI [0.202, 0.331]) compared to unsuccessful sequences (M = 0.152; 95% CI [0.055, 0.248]). The effect size was moderate (Cohen's d = 0.549), exceeding the predefined smallest effect size of interest (d = 0.50). However, sensitivity analysis indicated that the study was only powered to detect larger effects (d = 0.668), warranting cautious interpretation. These findings provide initial evidence that greater visual exploratory activity is associated with successful defensive performance in youth football.