Abstract
University-level football performance relies on interconnected biomechanical, physical, and psychological components, yet current research often examines these factors separately, limiting comprehensive understanding of position-specific demands between attacking and defensive players. The present study aimed to: (1)describe and compare vertical kinetic variables, including stance-limb peak vertical ground reaction forces (PvGRFs) and vertical time to stabilization (vTTS) during kicking, as well as take-off PvGRFs during jumping header tasks, between attacking and defensive university-level football players.; (2)describe and compare psychological factors, including big match temperament (Athletic Coping Skills Inventory subscales) and mental toughness (Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire: confidence, constancy, control), between attacking and defensive university-level football players; 3)To describe and compare physical profiles of speed (5m, 10m, 20m sprints), agility (Illinois agility test), and lower-limb strength (1RM back squat) between attacking and defensive university-level football players; and (4) investigate the interrelationships among biomechanical, psychological, and physical performance components within attacking and defensive university-level football players.
Eighty male football players, attacking (n=40) and defensive (n=40) ( age: 20,28± 1,70 years, body mass: 64,75±9,56 kg and height: 1,72±0,07 m) conducted force plate assessments (Vald ForceDecks MAX) during instep kicking (stance-limb peak vertical ground reaction forces [PvGRFs], vertical time to stabilization [vTTS]) and jumping header tasks (take-off PvGRFs), alongside physical tests (5/10/20m sprints, Illinois agility, 1RM back squat) and psychological questionnaires (Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire [SMTQ], Athletic Coping Skills Inventory [ACSI-28]).
Mann-Whitney U tests revealed no significant differences in biomechanical kinetics (p>0.05), with attackers showing trends toward higher kicking PvGRFs and defenders’ superior header PvGRFs, reflecting role-specific explosive demands. Physical profiles indicated attackers excelled in speed (faster 5-20m sprints) and agility (shorter Illinois times; p<0.05), while defenders demonstrated greater lower-limb strength (higher 1RM squat; p<0.05). Psychological assessments found comparable mental toughness (SMTQ subscales) and big match temperament (ACSI subscales; p>0.05) across positions, reflecting baseline resilience that underpins attackers' speed/agility for offensive breakthroughs and defenders' strength for aerial duels and tackles.
Spearman's correlations revealed moderate-to-strong interrelationships in mental toughness which strongly linked to coping skills in attacking and defensive positions [r=0.61 attackers, 0.52 defenders; p<0.001]; coping skills to peak power [r=0.39, p=0.012] in attackers and PvGRF [r=0.31, p=0.049] in defenders; mental toughness negatively to agility [r=-0.38, p=0.015*] in attackers), highlighting integrated psychological-physical demands...