Improvements in executive functions by domain-specific cognitive training in youth elite soccer players.

Autor: Heilmann F; Movement Science Lab, Institute for Sport Science, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, von-Seckendorff-Platz 2, Halle (Saale), 06120, Germany. florian.heilmann@sport.uni-halle.de., Knöbel S; Institute for Sport Psychology and Sport Pedagogy, Leipzig, Germany., Lautenbach F; Department of Sport Psychology, Institute for Sport Science, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC psychology [BMC Psychol] 2024 Oct 02; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 528. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 02.
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-02017-9
Abstrakt: This study examined the impact of sport-specific cognitive training (CT) on executive functions (EFs) in youth soccer players. Thirty-one athletes (13-15 years) participated, 13 in the intervention group (IG) and 18 in the control group (CG). The IG underwent an 8-week soccer-focused CT program, while the CG maintained regular training. The assessments included working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility tasks. The results revealed no significant improvements in EFs in the IG compared to those in the CG. Both groups showed enhanced cognitive flexibility, possibly due to general cognitive development or learning effects. The study suggested that an 8-week sport-specific CT may not enhance EFs in young soccer players, potentially due to a ceiling effect in highly skilled athletes. These findings should be considered when designing cognitive training programs for athletes, and future research could explore the optimal duration of such programs.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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