Relationship Between Football Players’ Postural Balance Parameters When Dual-Tasking and Their Position on the Field

Abstract

In the course of the game, football players are constantly dual-tasking, i.e. performing motor actions and maintaining various postures as well as solving cognitive tasks. It is generally recognized that when studying functional capabilities of athletes in team sports, we need to take into account their assigned roles. However, there are no studies into postural balance during parallel solving of cognitive tasks in football players depending on their position on the field. The purpose of this article is to study the maintenance of postural balance in football players when dual-tasking depending on their role. Materials and methods. The research involved 90 male football players aged between 17 and 20 years (mean age 18.7 years) assigned to different positions: goalkeepers (n = 8), central defenders (n = 12), full-backs (n = 14), midfielders (n = 37) and forwards (n = 19). Their anthropometric data and postural balance parameters were studied in an upright stance on two feet (60 s) and in an upright stance on two feet with parallel solving of cognitive tasks (60 s), which included counting passes and goals on a video recording of a football match. Results. It was found that goalkeepers, full-backs and midfielders, compared with central defenders and forwards, are characterized by a lower centre of pressure velocity and a lower level of energy expenditure on maintaining posture, which indicates a less intense and more economical functioning of the postural system when solving specific cognitive tasks. These features may be due to differences in the functions performed on the field by players occupying different roles. The results obtained complement the existing data on the postural system of football players assigned different roles and will be of use for coaches who must organize the training process taking into account the positions on the field.