Do Decision-Making Skills During Defensive Scenarios in Soccer Transfer Across Similar and Dissimilar Sports?

Expert performance in highly dynamic and time pressured team sports such as soccer is underpinned by successful decision-making. Little research exists examining whether these decision-making skills associated with defensive scenarios can be transferred across similar and dissimilar sports. A shortened participation history questionnaire was used to identify 98 soccer players, 35 invasion sport players (e.g., rugby) and 52 other sport players (e.g., swimming), as well as skill level (hours of engagement/competition level). These participants completed a video-based temporal occlusion test designed to measure decision making in 11 vs. 11 defensive soccer scenarios. Results indicated that the skilled soccer players were more accurate than the skilled and less-skilled invasion sport players and skilled and less-skilled other sport players. Skilled soccer players were also more accurate than the less- skilled soccer players, with less-skilled soccer players exhibiting similar accuracy to both the skilled and less-skilled invasion sport and other sport players indicating that processes associated with decision- making in defensive scenarios may be specific to their sport.