This article analyses the offensive phase of the national team than won the 2010 UEFA Championship. More specifically, the observational sampling includes all plays in which the Spanish national futsal team managed to “shoot” in the competition in question. This data was obtained by adapting an observational and recording tool typically used for football to the technical specifications of futsal; the SOF-CODER (Jonsson et al., 2006). Two types of analysis have been performed. One statistical analysis using the SPSS programme, version 15.0, the most relevant results from which refer to the significant differences found on linking: the zone from which the shot is made and the type of shot (χ² = 55.821, P = 0.006); and the contact surface used and the type of shot (χ² = 30.293, P = 0.017). And another, using the Theme programme, version 5.0, through which regular behaviour structures (temporal patterns) have been detected within the plays that include shooting. The temporal patterns obtained – in addition to elaborating on the relationship between the area from which the shot is made, the contact surface used and the type of shot – enable a tactical interpretation of the technical actions that support the development of the offensive phase of futsal.

Within an observational design aimed at studying what type of soccer is better adapted to the possibilities of the 11–12 year-old child, a comparison was made of the results obtained using two fully consolidated analysis techniques in observational methods, and which form the basis in the development of two respective software programs: SDIS-GSEQ and THEME, which allow one to detect the existence of sequential patterns hidden in a data set. This work is intended to shed light on the comparison of results obtained using these two analysis techniques. In particular, the data used for the analysis are multicode event data (using the lexicon of the sequential analysis), and do not incorporate the duration parameter. Accordingly, for the detection of regular structures using the THEME program (T-patterns), a constant duration has conventionally been assigned to each occurrence. Using THEME, among the greatest number of sequential structures detected, diachronic and synchronic correspondence was observed (T-patterns reflecting identical multi-events) with each and every one of the sequential patterns obtained using the lag technique, by the SDIS-GSEQ software. This coincidence strengthens the link between the algorithms that support SDIS-GSEQ and THEME. The results indicate that 7-a-side soccer and 9-a-side soccer types facilitate the spatial mastery of the game by the child, compared with the adult form, 11-a-side soccer.

Observational studies in the field of sport are complicated by the added difficulty of having to analyse multiple, complex events or behaviours that may last just a fraction of a second. In this study, we analyse three aspects related to the reliability of data collected in such a study. The first aim was to analyse and compare the reliability of data sets assessed quantitatively (calculation of kappa statistic) and qualitatively (consensus agreement method). The second aim was to describe how, by ensuring the alignment of events, we calculated the kappa statistic for the order parameter using SDIS-GSEQ software (version 5.1) for data sets containing different numbers of sequences. The third objective was to describe a new consultative procedure designed to remove the confusion generated by discordant data sets and improve the reliability of the data. The procedure is called “consultative” because it involves the participation of a new observer who is responsible for consulting the existing observations and deciding on the definitive result.

Polar coordinate analysis is a powerful data reduction technique based on the Zsum statistic, which is calculated from adjusted residuals obtained by lag sequential analysis. Its use has been greatly simplified since the addition of a module in the free software program HOISAN for performing the necessary computations and producing easy-to-interpret results in the form of polar coordinate maps. In this study, we provide a simple and practical example of how this technique can be used to analyze tactical behaviors in sport and physical exercise. We studied 158 performances by 82 male runners in thirteen 1,500-m finals held at the Olympic Games, the World Championships in Athletics, and the European Athletics Championships between 2000 and 2012 to investigate associations between the initiation of sprints by race winners and other runners (focal behaviors) and the lap and zone of the track in which the sprints were initiated (conditional behaviors). The significant prospective/retrospective activating/inhibitory relationships shown in the polar coordinate maps confirm the decision to start a sprint is a tactical one and are consistent with a winning strategy consisting of avoiding giving rivals the benefit of the slipstream while conserving sufficient energy for a final winning burst. Polar coordinate analysis is a powerful technique for studying tactical behaviors in the field of sport.

This article analyses the tactics employed by middle‐distance (1500‐m) and long‐distance (5000‐m) runners from an observational methodology perspective. The subject of investigation has received little attention from specialists in the field of athletics, with most research focusing on physiological studies of athlete performance. Using an ad hoc observation tool and a database containing systematically recorded data we detected time patterns (T‐patterns) within the data recorded using the Theme software program (version 5.0), and analysed the tactics employed by winners of the men's 1500‐m and 5000‐m finals of the World Championships in Athletics [Edmonton 2001, Paris 2003, Helsinki 2005 (1500‐m final only), Osaka 2007 (1500‐m final only), Berlin 2009 and Daegu 2011], the European Athletics Championships (Munich 2002, Göteborg 2006, and Barcelona 2010) and the Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012). T‐pattern detection and investigation of the relationship between category systems corresponding to the criteria comprising the observation tool revealed both similarities (starting lane and lane used during race, runner's position during race and sprint zone and lane) and differences (variations in pace, zones in which changes of pace occur, sprint initiation zone and winner's position at the start of the sprint) between the two disciplines.

Observational methodology provides a rigorous yet flexible framework for capturing behaviors over time to allow for the performance of subsequent diachronic analyses of the data captured. Theme is a specialized software program that detects hidden temporal behavioral patterns (T-patterns) within data sets. It is increasingly being used to analyze performance in soccer and other sports. The aim of this study was to show how to select and interpret T-patterns generated by the application of three “quantitative” sort options in Theme and three “qualitative” filters established by the researchers. These will be used to investigate whether 7-a-side (F7) or 8-a-side (F8) soccer is best suited to the learning and skills development needs of 7- and 8-year-old male soccer players. The information contained in the T-patterns generated allowed us to characterize patterns of play in children in this age group. For both formats, we detected technical-tactical behaviors showing that children of this age have difficulty with first-touch actions and controlling the ball after a throw-in. We also found that ball control followed by a pass or a shot at the goal are common in the central corridor of the pitch. Further, depth of play is achieved by ball control, followed by dribbling and a pass or shot. In F8, we saw that depth of play was achieved through ball control, followed by dribbling and passing of one or more opponents leading to a pass or shot. However, in F7, we saw that players succeeded in advancing from their goal area to the rival goal area through a sequence of actions.