Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Effects of a Novel Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Jump, Sprint, and Change of Direction in Adult Female Soccer Players
Published on: June 10, 2025
Classification and determinants of passing difficulty in soccer: a multivariate approach
Murilo Merlin1, Allan Pinto1,2, Alexandre Gomes de Almeida1
1School of Physical Education, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Introduction:
Usually, the players' or teams' efficiency to perform passes is measured in terms of accuracy. The degree of difficulty of this action has been overlooked in the literature.
Objectives:
The present study aimed to classify the degree of passing difficulty in soccer matches and to identify and to discuss the variables that most explain the passing difficulty using spatiotemporal data.
Results:
The data used corresponds to 2,856 passes and 32 independent variables. The Fisher Discriminant Analysis presented 72.0% of the original grouped cases classified correctly. The passes analyzed were classified as low (56.5%), medium (22.6%), and high difficulty (20.9%), and we identified 16 variables that best explain the degree of passing difficulty related to the passing receiver, ball trajectory, pitch position and passing player.
Conclusions:
The merit and ability of the player to perform passes with high difficulty should be valued and can be used to rank the best players and teams.In addition, the highlighted variables should be looked carefully by coaches when analyzing profiles, strengths and weaknesses of players and teams, and talent identification context.
Practical Implications:
The values found for each variable can be used as a reference for planning training, such as small side games, and in future research.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Multiple Regression
Farmers can use multiple regression to determine the crop yield based on more than one factor, such as water availability, fertilizer, soil properties, etc. Here, the crop yield is the response or dependent variable as it depends on the other independent variables. The analysis requires the construction of a scatter plot...
01:23Motion of a Projectile
Horizontal motion, governed by the initial kick, maintains a constant velocity throughout the flight of the soccer ball.
01:18One-Way ANOVA
01:19Variation
When independent and dependent variables are plotted on a scatter plot, the slope of a line is a value that describes the rate of change between the two...
01:11Regression Analysis
In regression analysis, a regression equation is determined based on the line of best fit– a line that best fits the data points plotted in a graph. This line is also called the regression line. The algebraic equation for the regression line is called the regression equation. It is represented as:
02:01Factorial Design