Relationship of executive functions and physical abilities in elite soccer players

NeuroTracker and neuropsychological assessments reveal cognitive functions relate to sprinting and jumping abilities in elite soccer players.

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Athletes

October 2021

in

German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research

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Aim

To investigate the relationship of executive functions and physical abilities in youth and adult elite soccer players.

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Method

172 elite soccer players (12–34 years of age) were assessed on NeuroTracker, working memory capacity, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition. Another series of tests measured endurance-performance, repeated intense exercises, and maximal anaerobic performance.

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Result

NeuroTracker results correlated meaningfully with 30M sprint ability and counter-movement jumps. Moderate correlations were found between working memory capacity and cognitive flexibility with sprint performance and jumping ability, and inhibition with repeated intense exercises. Overall the findings indicated that anaerobic sprinting and jumping are more closely linked to cognitive skills than other physical abilities.

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