A influência da manipulação de tarefa em jogos reduzidos sobre o comportamento criativo de jogadores de futebol

Abstract

Creativity has been identified as an important performance factor for high-level football players. However, there is still a gap in the literature regarding this topic. Therefore, the objectives of this research will be: i) Investigate the effect of manipulating task constraints on the creative behavior of youth football players; ii) Analyze the effects of manipulating relative space per player and the creative behavior of players in different categories. The sample consisted of 189 youth football players: under-11 (n=32), under-13 (n=27), under-15 (n=36), under-17 (n=31) and under- 20 (n=63). The activities were filmed in a typical weekly training schedule and the players subsequently had their creativity analyzed using the Creative Behavior Assessment in Team Sports (CBATS) instrument. A separate linear mixed model was performed to compare (fixed effects): Relative space by player (small x medium x large), game (3vs3 x 5vs5) and category (under-11, under-13, under-15, under-17 and under-20), with “athlete ID” included as a random effect to account for the non-independence of data sampled from the same individuals across multiple matches. Furthermore, multiple comparisons were adjusted using the Bonferroni method. A significance level of p ≤ 0.05 was adopted. The effect size was analyzed using Pearson's r to verify the magnitude of the results. The ranges adopted were low (<0.29), medium (0.30 – 0.49) and high (>0.50). Under-20 and under-17 players performed better in terms of fluency, versatility and originality in games with a small relative space, while under-15, under-13 and under-11 players performed better in games with a larger relative space. It is concluded that manipulating task constraints can facilitate the emergence of players' creativity. Furthermore, manipulating the relative space per player can enhance players' creativity. However, its effects are different for each age group.