Unit 5 Research Project

Unit 5 Research Project

Worthing College Sports ScienceScott Goodman

2015

Assessment Criteria Pages 3-17 & 27-38

• P2: carry out sport science or exercise science-based research

• P3: collect and record data from the research project conducted

• M2: correctly analyse collected data, describing techniques used

• D1: correctly analyse data, explaining techniques used

• P4: produce a full research report using a standard scientific structure

Does optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back affect the amount of headers

won?

P2: Carry out / P4: Produce

AbstractMy research project involves investigating whether there is a relationship between optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back, affects the amount of headers won through regaining possession in a 90 minute game of football. I aim to find out whether there was a correlation between variables in my investigation and how strong it was. In my opinion it was interesting to answer the question of, do you need to have a high optimal jumping height to win headers against an opponent? Relating to this, does being tall enable your jumping height to not be as high to win headers? I used Spearman’s rank data table to display the data I obtained from performance level centre backs. This level falls into the Worthing college football academy bracket. I used 9 players to obtain their optimal jumping height and their height and used this for two separate parts of data. The correlation between optimal jumping height and headers won was very strong. This supports my hypothesis as I predicted that having a higher optimal jumping height would have an increase in the amount of headers won to regain possession in a 90 minute game of football. The scope was relatively small, however, it sets a good enough base for further research in this subject. This type pf research can be used to scout players and use variables such as optimal jumping height or even height alone in relation to headers won. On the other hand, it wont determine the view on performance level centre backs at this present time.


Contents: GeneralPage 3: Aim of research projectPage 4: Abstract Page 5: Contents (General) Page 6: Contents (Appendences) Page 7: Contents (Figures & tables)Page 8: AcknowledgementsPage 9: IntroductionPage 10: Literature review and referencesPage 11: Project hypothesesPage 12: MethodPage 13: Data collectionPage 14: Data AnalysisPage 15: ResultsPage 16: DiscussionPage 17: ConclusionPage 18: Assessment criteria pages 19-26Page 19: Review 1/3Page 20: Review 2/3Page 21: Review 3/3Page 22: Future recommendations 1/5Page 23: Future recommendations 2/5Page 24: Future recommendations 3/5Page 25: Future recommendations 4/5Page 26: Future recommendations 5/5


Contents: AppendicesPage 27: Appendix 1 titlePage 28: Player profile of Matthew Smith


Contents: Figures and TablesPage 29: Figures and tables titlePage 30: Figures and tables spearman’s rank dataPage 31: Figures and tables scatter graph


AcknowledgementsI would like to thank Paul Cox for his continued help throughout this project. Also, I would like to thank both Paul Cox and Oscar Gamble for their help and advice on Microsoft Excel. I would like to thank Matthew Smith, Callum Lee, Josh Ethrington, Harry Lewington, David Beaney, Ben Rose, Jack Barnes and Carl Boath as participants in my research project.


IntroductionThe aim of this research project is to investigate the relationship between optimal jumping height and the amount of headers won of a performance level centre back.

I chose this aim because optimal jumping height is a main component of defending that football clubs focus on when scouting a player. I wanted to investigate whether this has a major influence on the amount of headers a centre back wins. Heading and tackling are the two main aspects of defending in football. Heading has a stronger relation to optimal jumping height than tackling.

The aim was created a few weeks back. During this period of time I have obtained data from numerous performance level centre backs and have focussed on collecting data and analysing it. Evaluating and reviewing the data has been the main focus in recent days through figures and tables.


Literature Review and Referenceshttps://worthingsportscience.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/unit-5-literacy-review-scott-goodman/


https://worthingsportscience.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/unit-5-literacy-review-scott-goodman/

https://worthingsportscience.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/unit-5-literacy-review-scott-goodman/

Project Hypothesis

“The higher the optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back, the more headers they will win.”

“The taller a performance level centre back is, the more headers they will win.”


MethodI collected the optimal jumping height of each of my participants through the vertical jump test. The height of each participant was also obtained for additional data that supports another hypothesis if needed (see appendix 1). I then ensured I watched a full 90 minute game of football of each participant. I used notational analysis to record the amount of headers each of my participant won in the game. Based upon two factors, I only recorded specific headers. The header must have resulted from a jump. In addition, the ball must have made contact with a teammate before an opposition player. Following on from this, I put the data gained from observing my participants in a table along with the optimal jumping height and height (see figures and tables) This allowed me to place this information into another table in rank order. This is for both optimal jumping height and headers won. This allowed me to calculate spearman’s coefficient rank of results on Microsoft excel. A separate table of results was formed for height and headers won. Using the data calculated by excel, I formed two graphs showing the correlation between optimal jumping height and headers won and the correlation between height and headers won.

P3: Collect and record / M2: Correctly analyse & describe techniques / D1: Correctly analyse & explain techniques

Data CollectionAll my data is quantitative and is from a primary source. Because this data is field data, the data is more reliable as you have recorded it yourself and shows more precise data as opposed to desk data which is a secondary form. I had to go out and conduct tests to gain the specific data I need in terms of optimal jumping height, height and headers won. A drawback of this type of data is that it is time consuming. A large proportion of this project was actually going out and collecting the data to put in my figures and tables (see figures and tables). Although my tests were easily accessible and without cost, field data can be cost effective which is another disadvantage.

On the other hand, my data collection did not breach any of the legal and ethical rules set by BASES. In terms of the data protection act, I ensured I stayed within the guidelines and instructions set for protection of all individuals involved n my research.


Data Analysis

Spearman’s rank table ordered from highest to lowest the optimal jumping height and the headers won to indicate any relationship between both variables. Once I collected all data I put it into an ordinal ranked data table for my results. I used this data to create a scatter graph for both the relationship between optimal jumping height and headers won, as well as, the relationship between height and headers won.


ResultsThe results showed that the correlation between optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back and the amount of headers they win in a game of football was very strong. This supports my hypothesis very strongly that the higher the optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back, the more headers they will win. The scatter graph (see figures and tables) shows that the participant with the highest optimal jumping height, won the most headers in a game. In addition, the participant with the lowest optimal jumping height, won the least headers in a game. Therefore, this is evident that optimal jumping height plays a major role in the defensive qualities of a centre back. There was no outlier in my results.

In terms of the correlation between height and headers won, the results show that my hypothesis was correct but not as strongly as optimal jumping height to headers won. This shows that you do not necessarily need to be tall to win headers in football because your optimal jumping height may be high. However, the results showed that the participant with the smallest height, won the least amount of headers in a game. There was no outlier in my results.


DiscussionI found out from my research that the correlation between the optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back and the amount of headers they win is very strong. I know this from the spearman’s rank data is obtained through my own data I collected. The results show that the participant with the highest optimal jumping height, won the most headers in a game. On the other hand, the participants with lower optimal jumping height did not win the most headers in a game. Both of these outcomes support my hypothesis strongly. The factors that make a successful header were made from a higher optimal jumping height. Although every participant made more headers than recorded, I only used the headers that regained possession as valid data. This showed that the optimal jumping height created a more possession regained percentage from the total headers won. When discussing the outcome of height to headers won, my hypothesis was correct but did not support it as strongly as the optimal jumping height data. The correlation between height and headers won was strong. However, the data proved that you do not need to be tall to have a higher optimal jumping height. You can be small and have a higher optimal jumping height, or be tall with a lower optimal jumping height.


ConclusionDoes optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back affect the amount of headers won? In terms of my literacy review, there isn’t any specific topic that is re-occurring enough to be a trend. However, one specific topic that is mentioned the most is the contribution to being good in the air when jumping. moharrami etal, (2011), sorenson etal, (2007), shergold, (2013), zonalmarking, (2012), all refer to the fact that you need to have specific qualities when umping to optimize a jumping height when heading. Zonalmarking, (2012) states that no matter how tall a player is, the jumping height can optimize can be higher of a smaller individual than to a taller individual. The results showed that the correlation between optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back and the amount of headers they win in a game of football was very strong. This supports my hypothesis very strongly that the higher the optimal jumping height of a performance level centre back, the more headers they will win. The scatter graph (see figures and tables) shows that the participant with the highest optimal jumping height, won the most headers in a game. In addition, the participant with the lowest optimal jumping height, won the least headers in a game. Therefore, this is evident that optimal jumping height plays a major role in the defensive qualities of a centre back. There was no outlier in my results. In terms of the correlation between height and headers won, the results show that my hypothesis was correct but not as strongly as optimal jumping height to headers won. This shows that you do not necessarily need to be tall to win headers in football because your optimal jumping height may be high. However, the results showed that the participant with the smallest height, won the least amount of headers in a game. There was no outlier in my results.


Assessment Criteria Pages 19-26

• P5: carry out a review of the research project conducted, describing strengths, areas for improvement and future recommendations.

• M3: carry out a review of the research project, explaining strengths, areas for improvement and future recommendations.

• D2: carry out a review of the research project, justifying future recommendations for further research.

Review (1/3)

One conclusion of the project is that there is a very strong correlation (see figures and tables) between optimal jumping height and headers won in a game. This meets my project aim as the results show that there is a relationship between these two variables no matter how strong or weak the correlation is.

P5: Describe / M3: Explain / D2: Justify

Review (2/3)In my opinion, one strength of my research was that it was investigating something to with football that was very specific. I included 3 variables and was specific to the sporting level and position. I could have chosen professional player and not included position. It is easier to obtain data from elite level because of all the sporting profiling and player profiling that surrounds it in desk form. In addition, the presentation of my data was professional through Microsoft excel in the form of spearman’s rank data and the scatter graphs I produced. Without these utilities, the data would be more difficult to analyse. Furthermore, they way I went about gathering my data for every participant that played centre back for Worthing College academy was good. I collected field data through the vertical jump test and recorded their height as well as observing them in games to record the amount of successful headers they perform from an optimal jump. Prior to the research, I wanted to challenge myself in the way I collect my data. At first I chose to analyse these variables at the elite level. The data for this would be easily accessible. Because of this I chose to research performance level players so I could obtain the data myself. The fact there was no outliers was also another positive to add to my research.


Review (3/3)The scope of my research was small an could have been larger to produce more data for my research. I only analysed 9 performance level centre backs from Worthing college. To improve this, I could have analysed other centre backs at other Colleges that are within the same performance level. This could have altered the correlation between the variables within my aim for this research. Therefore, the correlation could have been weaker due to the larger scope.


Future Recommendations (1/5)

If was to complete the project again I would change the scope by increasing the amount of participants within my research. Increasing this would provide my research with additional data which could alter the correlation between optimal jumping height and headers won.

If I was to complete the project again, I would aim to investigate other variables that contribute to a performance level centre back’s headers won succession rate. There is much more to a defender than their aerial ability to win headers. These factors would make my data more varied and provide other evidence that supports a defender’s abilities in the air.

P4: Produce / P5: Describe / M3: Explain / D2: Justify


The data collected would be more expansive and the results would be more representative to a larger population within my scope. In addition, the varied factors that influence a performance level centre back’s aerial ability could be used for scouting and could define specific attributes that certain teams are looking for in a centre back. At performance level, there is a lot of elite level scouts looking at games and this would benefit this and also aid a players’ performance.



“To investigate whether there is a relationship between performance level centre backs and elite level centre backs in terms of optimal jumping height and the amount of headers won in a game”.



“To investigate whether there is a relation between performance level centre backs and elite level centre backs in terms of height and the amount of headers won in a game”.



“To investigate whether there is a relationship between optimal jumping height and the amount of headers won between performance level centre backs and other positions within performance level”.


Research Project Appendices

Appendix 1Name: Matthew Smith

DOB: 11/02/97

Place of birth: Shoreham-by-sea

Height: 6ft 0inches (182.2cm)

Optimal Jumping height: 52.7cm

Club: Worthing College /Burgess Hill

Squad: 1XI captain (Worthing College) U18’s captain full-time/U21’s Part-time (Burgess Hill)

Position: Centre Back

Injury History: Broken tibia, torn gastrocnemius

Research Project Figures and Tables

Figures and Tables 1

Figures and Tables 2

Unit 5 Research Project

Sports

acknowledgements page

abstract page

references page

method page

conclusion page

results page

introduction page

discussion page