Attitude of professional minifootball players towards selftraining

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Starodubtseva I.V.
Tyumen State University, Tyumen

Akvazba M.D.
Tyumen State University, Tyumen

Keywords: futsal, professional athletes, independent training, self-preparation

Introduction

Enhancing the efficiency of training activities among football players is a critical task at all stages of athletic preparation [1, 2], including in professional futsal. Increasingly, athlete self-preparation is being recognized as an essential supplementary resource for improving overall performance.

Research objective

To investigate professional futsal players’ attitudes toward the content and structure of independent (self-directed) training.

Methodology and research organization

The primary method of data collection was a structured survey conducted between 2023 and 2024 with members of the professional futsal team “Torpedo Miass.” A total of 26 athletes participated. The mean age of respondents was 22.8 years, with an average professional playing experience of 5.9 years.

Results and discussion

When asked to evaluate different components of training, athletes identified physical preparation as the most effective form of independent training. All players engaged in some form of self-directed physical training, and 50% rated its effectiveness as the maximum score (10/10). Within this domain, the most common activities included:

  • Visiting the gym (88.5%);
  • Performing exercises at home (84.6%);
  • Cross-country running (57.7%).
Regarding technical preparation, 46% of athletes rated its effectiveness as optimal (10/10). The most frequently practiced technical drills were:
  • Shooting with head and feet (76.9%);
  • Ball control and passing techniques (69.2%);
  • Movement without the ball (57.7%).
    Notably, 3.8% of respondents reported not engaging in any additional technical training, believing that regular team sessions were sufficient.
Only 38.5% of players considered tactical preparation highly effective through self-study, while 7.7% did not engage in it at all. The predominant form of tactical self-training involved watching and analyzing matches in which they participated (80.8%). Additionally, 65.4% reviewed games of top-tier football teams, and 42.3% practiced specific tactical drills independently.
For theoretical preparation, 46% of athletes rated its effectiveness as maximal. Primary sources included:
  • Consulting with specialists in football training (73.1%);
  • Viewing online publications and videos (61.5%).
    In contrast, only 26.9% read specialized theoretical literature to deepen their knowledge.
Psychological preparation ranked lowest in terms of engagement and perceived importance, despite 46% still rating its effectiveness as high. However, 15.4% of players did not engage in psychological self-preparation, claiming team training was adequate. Among those who did practice it, the most common methods were:
  • Visualization techniques (50%);
  • Reading specialized psychological literature (46.2%);
  • Autogenic training (26.9%);
  • Working with a sports psychologist (23.1%).
Conclusion

The survey results reveal significant individual variation in both the volume and content of self-directed training among professional futsal players. Players consistently rate physical and technical preparation as the most effective forms of self-training. In contrast, theoretical and especially psychological preparation are undertaken by fewer athletes and receive lower levels of systematic engagement. These findings suggest a need for targeted educational interventions to broaden athletes’ understanding of the value of non-physical components of self-preparation, particularly in tactical, theoretical, and psychological domains, to fully optimize performance potential.

References
  1. Guskov, M.V., Starodubtseva, I.V. & Manzheley, I.V. (2022) Razvitie koordinatsionnykh sposobnostey malchikov v protsesse zanyatiy mini-futbolom [Development of coordination abilities of boys in the process of mini-football]. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury, 6, pp. 23–25.
  2. Shulyatyev, V.M. & Dugbley, A.D. (2018) Podgotovka kvalifitsirovannykh futbolistov na etape sovershenstvovaniya sportivnogo masterstva [Training qualified footballers at the stage of sports mastery improvement]. Moscow: Sputnik+, 127 p.