The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players

Creativity is a popular topic that has been increasingly researched over the years. Recently, creativity is suggested as a relational concept (Zahno & Hossner, 2020). This conceptualization implies that creativity is not solely an individual ability. By contrast, creative actions emerge in the...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tom De Joode
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bern Open Publishing 2023-02-01
Series:Current Issues in Sport Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/9332
_version_ 1797905398396616704
author Tom De Joode
author_facet Tom De Joode
author_sort Tom De Joode
collection DOAJ
description Creativity is a popular topic that has been increasingly researched over the years. Recently, creativity is suggested as a relational concept (Zahno & Hossner, 2020). This conceptualization implies that creativity is not solely an individual ability. By contrast, creative actions emerge in the athlete’s search to adapt to task and environmental constraints (Orth et al., 2017; Withagen & van der Kamp, 2018). Manipulating task constraints that serve to increase variability might, therefore, evoke creative actions. Such manipulations in soccer are often conducted in training situations with small sided games. This was recently shown with a numerical assessment of creative actions comparing small sided soccer games (SSGs) with 11v11 matches in elite adult soccer players (Caso & van der Kamp, 2020). They found that players performed more actions, a broader action repertoire and more creative actions in smaller formats (5v5, 6v6 and 7v7) than in an 11v11 format. The purely quantitative method of Caso & van der Kamp (2020), however, uses an arbitrarily 5% benchmark for originality. More importantly, although subjective, the coaches opinions are not meaningless and should not be neglected. Our research examined whether the latter task manipulation also increased the action repertoire and creative performance of elite youth soccer players (O11-O13). A numerical method was introduced, assessing creative performances as a frequency of the action types emerging in an environment. A notational video-analysis identified all (not-) functional actions. Next, a threshold defined whether the action was original. This threshold has been determined with expert coaches ranking action types following the procedure of the consensual assessment technique (CAT; Amabile, 1996). If the action was both original and functional, then it was defined a creative action. The data consisted of 293 minutes small sided game (4v4) and 263 minutes regular sided game (11v11). Results indicated that small sided games hold relative more actions, more functional action and more creative actions compared with regular sided games. This is in line with previous studies, that small sided games induce more variation of actions which increase the possible emergence of creative actions (Orth et al., 2017). References Amabile, T. M., Amabile, T. M., Collins, M. A., Conti, R., Phillips, E., Picariello, M., Ruscio, J., & Whitney, D. (1996). Creativity in Context: Update to The Social Psychology of Creativity (1st ed.). Routledge. Caso, S., & van der Kamp, J. (2020). Variability and creativity in small-sided conditioned games among elite soccer players. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 48, Article 101645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101645 Orth, D., van der Kamp, J., Memmert, D., & Savelsbergh, G. J. P. (2017). Creative motor actions as emerging from movement variability. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1903. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01903 Withagen, R., & van der Kamp, J. (2018). An ecological approach to creativity in making. New Ideas in Psychology,49, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2017.11.002 Zahno, S., & Hossner, E.-J. (2020). On the issue of ceveloping creative players in team sports: A systematic review and critique from a functional perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 575475. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575475
first_indexed 2024-04-10T10:04:38Z
format Article
id doaj.art-73d7826f89c4401bb8de1d945f13faa4
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2414-6641
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-10T10:04:38Z
publishDate 2023-02-01
publisher Bern Open Publishing
record_format Article
series Current Issues in Sport Science
spelling doaj.art-73d7826f89c4401bb8de1d945f13faa42023-02-16T03:15:23ZengBern Open PublishingCurrent Issues in Sport Science2414-66412023-02-018210.36950/2023.2ciss043The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer playersTom De Joode0Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Nehterlands Creativity is a popular topic that has been increasingly researched over the years. Recently, creativity is suggested as a relational concept (Zahno & Hossner, 2020). This conceptualization implies that creativity is not solely an individual ability. By contrast, creative actions emerge in the athlete’s search to adapt to task and environmental constraints (Orth et al., 2017; Withagen & van der Kamp, 2018). Manipulating task constraints that serve to increase variability might, therefore, evoke creative actions. Such manipulations in soccer are often conducted in training situations with small sided games. This was recently shown with a numerical assessment of creative actions comparing small sided soccer games (SSGs) with 11v11 matches in elite adult soccer players (Caso & van der Kamp, 2020). They found that players performed more actions, a broader action repertoire and more creative actions in smaller formats (5v5, 6v6 and 7v7) than in an 11v11 format. The purely quantitative method of Caso & van der Kamp (2020), however, uses an arbitrarily 5% benchmark for originality. More importantly, although subjective, the coaches opinions are not meaningless and should not be neglected. Our research examined whether the latter task manipulation also increased the action repertoire and creative performance of elite youth soccer players (O11-O13). A numerical method was introduced, assessing creative performances as a frequency of the action types emerging in an environment. A notational video-analysis identified all (not-) functional actions. Next, a threshold defined whether the action was original. This threshold has been determined with expert coaches ranking action types following the procedure of the consensual assessment technique (CAT; Amabile, 1996). If the action was both original and functional, then it was defined a creative action. The data consisted of 293 minutes small sided game (4v4) and 263 minutes regular sided game (11v11). Results indicated that small sided games hold relative more actions, more functional action and more creative actions compared with regular sided games. This is in line with previous studies, that small sided games induce more variation of actions which increase the possible emergence of creative actions (Orth et al., 2017). References Amabile, T. M., Amabile, T. M., Collins, M. A., Conti, R., Phillips, E., Picariello, M., Ruscio, J., & Whitney, D. (1996). Creativity in Context: Update to The Social Psychology of Creativity (1st ed.). Routledge. Caso, S., & van der Kamp, J. (2020). Variability and creativity in small-sided conditioned games among elite soccer players. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 48, Article 101645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101645 Orth, D., van der Kamp, J., Memmert, D., & Savelsbergh, G. J. P. (2017). Creative motor actions as emerging from movement variability. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1903. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01903 Withagen, R., & van der Kamp, J. (2018). An ecological approach to creativity in making. New Ideas in Psychology,49, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2017.11.002 Zahno, S., & Hossner, E.-J. (2020). On the issue of ceveloping creative players in team sports: A systematic review and critique from a functional perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 575475. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575475 https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/9332footballpractice transferperceptual-motor skillsdecision-makingteam sportscoaching
spellingShingle Tom De Joode
The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
Current Issues in Sport Science
football
practice transfer
perceptual-motor skills
decision-making
team sports
coaching
title The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
title_full The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
title_fullStr The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
title_full_unstemmed The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
title_short The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
title_sort manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players
topic football
practice transfer
perceptual-motor skills
decision-making
team sports
coaching
url https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/9332
work_keys_str_mv AT tomdejoode themanipulationoftaskconstraintsandtheeffectoncreativeperformanceofyouthsoccerplayers
AT tomdejoode manipulationoftaskconstraintsandtheeffectoncreativeperformanceofyouthsoccerplayers