The study of declarative and procedural knowledge makes it possible to ascertain what cognitive processes are like during motor learning. This study aimed to compare, according to the methodology, gender and experience (football practise), and the levels of declarative and procedural knowledge after the implementation of two intervention programmes on school football including one based on the tactics learning and the other on the technique learning. A total of 41 students in the 5th year of primary education from a state school from Spain, distributed in two class groups, participated in the study. Each class group participated in a different intervention programme. The sample of subjects was equal (tactical programme (n = 20) and technical programme (n = 21)). A panel of 13 experts validated both programmes. Levels of knowledge were measured using the Tactical Knowledge Assessment test in football. A descriptive analysis was performed to characterise the sample. Moreover, a t-test for independent samples, a t-test for related samples, and a 2 × 2 ANOVA (analysis of variance) were performed to compare the levels of knowledge between the pre-test and the post-test, according to the methodology, gender, and experience of the students. Results indicate that both intervention programmes induced higher levels of declarative and procedural knowledge in the post-test. Similarly, there were no significant differences with regard to the applied methodology. This fact is due to the heterogeneous character of the class groups with gender and experience showing effects on the levels of knowledge. The boys possessed greater experience and a higher level of knowledge compared to the girls.

The design of teaching tasks determines the physical and physiological demands that students are exposed to in physical education classes. The purpose of this study is to quantify and compare, according to gender and teaching methodology, the external (eTL) and internal (iTL) load resulting from the application of two programs that follow different teaching methodologies, i.e., a Tactical Games Approach (TGA) and Direct Instruction (DI), to teach school football. The Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPEs) recorded in the assessments were also studied. A total of 41 students in the fifth year of primary education from a state school from Spain participated in the study (23 boys and 18 girls), aged from 10 to 11 (M ± SD, 10.63 ± 0.49 years) and divided into two class groups. All the sessions were monitored with inertial devices that made it possible to record physical activity and convert the information into kinematic parameters. The results indicated that the students who followed the TGA method recorded higher iTL values (heart rate) and spent more time performing high-intensity activities. Boys recorded higher eTL, iTL, and RPE values than girls. There was an evolution in the RPE between the assessments, with both groups presenting a more efficient RPE in the posttest. The TGA method favors student physical fitness and health, thus, this method is recommended when planning physical education sessions.

The assessment of tactical-technical knowledge of football is essential to develop optimal and integral teaching processes for students. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and validate an instrument so that teachers, coaches, and researchers can observe and codify both the tactical behaviors and technical skills performed by the students in the game of football. The design and validation of the instrument were carried out in four phases: a) review of the literature and previous instruments; b) design of the Instrument for the Measurement of Learning and Performance in Football (IMLPFoot). It assesses all the offensive and defensive play actions, with and without the ball, as well as their three components (decision-making, technical execution, and final result); c) sample selection of experts (N = 12); and d) quantitative (Likert-type scale from 1 to 10) and qualitative assessment of degree the pertinence, unambiguity, and importance of each of the 33 items included in the IMLPFoot. Aiken’s V coefficient was used to determine content validity. Likewise, internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach’s α coefficient. The results showed demanding levels of validity (V ≥ 0.77), internal consistency (α = 0.983), inter-rater, and intra-rater reliability. Therefore, it is a valid and reliable instrument that makes possible a complete assessment of football in physical education classes and/or in the sports context (out-of-school football).

Football performance requires beginning learners to develop both technical skills and tactical awareness. The aim of this study was to examine and contrast the differences in the learning of football across two different teaching methodologies. A total of 35 students, distributed in two class-groups at the fifth-grade level of primary education participated in the study. Each class group participated in just one of the intervention programs (tactical program, n = 17; technical program, n = 18). The Instrument for the Measurement of Learning and Performance in Football was used to evaluate each student’s actions and in relation to specific performance indicators. For each one of the play actions analyzed, the Performance Index of Decision-Making, the Performance Index of Technical Execution, and the Performance Index of Final Results were calculated and these scores were summed to generate the Total Performance Index. The differences in technical and tactical learning between the class-groups were calculated using the Total Performance Index. For this assessment, various statistical tests were used: the Mann–Whitney’s U and the Wilcoxon’s T (for the non-parametric variables) and the T-test for Independent Samples, as well as the T-test for Related Samples (for the parametric variables). Likewise, a 2 × 2 ANOVA was conducted to determine whether the students’ previous experience had an effect on the level of learning. The results indicated improvements with both intervention programs; however, the tactical program provided a higher level of learning than the technical program between the assessment tests. The experience of the students had an effect on the play actions of dribbling the ball and in marking the player without the ball. Physical education teachers are recommended to implement comprehensive methods for technical and tactical football teaching at school.

The objective of this study was to design and analyse the differences and/or similarities of two homogeneous intervention programmes (didactic units) based on two different teaching methods, Direct Instruction (DI) and Tactical Games Approach (TGA), for teaching school-age soccer. The sample was composed of 58 tasks, 29 for each intervention programme. The pedagogical and external Training Load (eTL) variables recorded in the Integral System for Training Tasks Analysis (SIATE) were studied. The two intervention programmes were compared using Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney U and the Adjusted Standardized Residuals statistical tests. Likewise, the strength of association of the variables under study was calculated using Cramer’s Phi and Cramer’s V coefficients. Both intervention programmes had the same number of tasks (n = 29), sessions (n = 12), game phases (x² = 0.000; p = 1.000), specific contents (x² = 5.311; p = 0.968) and didactic objectives, as well as different levels of eTL (U = 145.000; p = 0.000; d = 1.357); which are necessary requirements to be considered similar. The differences and/or similarities between both intervention programmes will offer teachers guidelines to develop different didactic units using the specific DI and TGA methodologies.

Analysing declarative and procedural knowledge in sport makes it possible to evaluate the students’ acquisitions in the learning process. This study aimed to compare the acquisition of declarative and procedural knowledge after the implementation of several intervention programmes in school basketball, according to the methodology and prior experience of the students. A total of 55 students from the sixth year of primary education took part in the study, distributed into three groups. Each group participated in a different intervention programme: tactical games approach (TGA), direct instruction (DI) or service teacher’s basketball unit (STBU). The level of knowledge was measured using the Test of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge in Basketball (TDPKB). A descriptive analysis was performed to determine the participants’ characteristics. A factorial ANOVA was subsequently applied in two phases (pre-test and post-test) for independent samples to compare the level of knowledge among the different groups, and a t-test for related samples was performed to compare the pre–post knowledge level within each group. Then, a factorial ANOVA and a test of repeated measures were carried out to determine the effect of the methodology and experience on the students’ knowledge. The results indicate that the TGA, DI and STBU intervention programmes induced improvements in the levels of declarative and procedural knowledge in all the groups, with the students who participated in the TGA programme achieving higher levels of declarative knowledge. Finally, the effect of the absence of practical experience was identified as a determining factor for improvement. The students who had not previously practised basketball achieved higher levels of knowledge with the TGA intervention programme.