Editorial: Observational Methodology in Sport: Performance Key Elements

Abstract

Performance analysis is today essential to all domains of sport. Advances in technology increased its meaning in soccer practice contexts, thus big data incites researchers to scrutinize the variables that may help a better understanding of athletes and teams. This topic intended to understand how the selection and combination of performance variables effect the performances, and to predict the functioning of performance indicators in each sport thus permitting to plan more effective training and playing pedagogical and methodological models. Most studies were performed in team sports. Successful and unsuccessful teams are best discriminated by greater shooting accuracy and ball possession, more recovered balls nearby own goal and less shots conceded. Penetrative actions after recovering the ball and progressing by fast attacks or counterattacks induce superior goal-scoring opportunities, in specific in winning situations. About pedagogical procedures, increasing rules manipulations negatively impact exploratory behaviour. About individual sports, athletes used most difficult tactics to achieve the highest score, and considering psychological performance indicators, self-esteem, neuroticism, and conscientiousness variables seemed to distinguish individual and team sports. This research topic present ideas about the application of scientific knowledge in the practices of individual and team sports, concerning to methodological and pedagogical principles.