Effects of virtual reality-based cognitive and technical drills on scanning and passing performance in youth football...

Traditional training methods often fall short in replicating the perceptual load of match environments. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising modality to enhance cognitive-motor integration in football contexts.

This study aimed to examine the effects of a 7-week virtual reality-based training program designed to improve both scanning behavior and passing performance in youth football players, in comparison with traditional training methods.

A parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted with 22 male youth players from U16-U17 squads (mean age = 16.77 ± 0.42 years), who were assigned to either a VR group (n = 11) or a control group (n = 11). The VR group completed 3 weekly sessions using the SensiballVR™ platform for a duration of 7 weeks, in addition to their regular training. Scanning frequency (before ball reception, during control, and off-the-ball) and passing performance (by execution type, outcome, and pass style) were assessed via video analysis in small-sided games pre- and post-intervention.

Between-group analysis revealed that the VR group achieved significantly greater improvements across all scanning domains compared to the control group, with mean-based percentage increases (calculated as the average of individual relative changes) ranging from + 198% to + 456%, rising from group mean values of 18 to 43 scans before ball reception, 20 to 43 during ball control, and 257 to 714 off the ball, versus - 12% to + 37% in controls (p < 0.01; ES = 0.58-0.83). Within-group analysis confirmed that scanning frequency increased significantly from pre- to post-test in the VR group (p = 0.003, ES = 0.89), whereas only off-the-ball scanning improved in the control group (p = 0.008, ES = 0.81). In passing performance, the VR group improved significantly in one-touch short-successful passes (+ 38%, p = 0.006, ES = 0.83), whereas the control group showed no meaningful change (+ 28%, p = 0.247, ES = 0.35). Although the VR group initially showed higher performance in control-pass short-successful passes (p = 0.038; ES = 0.44), this difference did not remain significant after false discovery rate correction (q = 0.199). Under the same condition, penetrative passes also improved significantly within the VR group (+ 108%, p = 0.029, ES = 0.66). No significant effects were observed for multi-touch passes (p > 0.05).

Preliminary evidence suggests that immersive VR-based training can meaningfully enhance scanning behavior in youth football players, while potential benefits for passing outcomes remain exploratory. These findings highlight VR technology as a promising complementary tool in modern football development frameworks for improving perceptual-cognitive skills and decision-making.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT07144371 (retrospectively registered on 27/08/2025).