Associate Professor, PhD A.Y. Malofeev¹
Associate Professor, PhD S.N. Klyuchnikova¹
PhD D.N. Nemytov^1
1Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I.N. Ulyanov, Ulyanovsk

Keywords: bandy, competitive performance, bandy techniques, technical/ tactical skills rating criteria.

Background. Technical and tactical fitness of junior bandy players formed by multiannual persistent training systems is demonstrated in practical competitions in the range of skating, ball/ stick control, positioning and other skills under high competitive pressures in high-intensity game episodes. Successful individual and team technical and tactical actions in bandy are intended to attain a variety of competitive goals on the field and pave the way for success of the team in every match and tournament on the whole. Competitive performances in modern team sports on the whole and bandy in particular are rather versatile in the technical and tactical actions [3, 4, 5], with the technical and tactical actions success rating test data providing a sound basis for the individual/ team tactical/ tactical mastery profiling analyses followed by the necessary corrections to the training systems and competitive performances [2, 1].

Objective of the study was to analyze the 10-13 year-old bandy players’ competitive performance rating data with an emphasis on every skill quality and success and the individual game control tactics in matches.

Methods and structure of the study. The valid technical match record form approved by the Russian Bandy Federation (RBF) lists the key technical and tactical actions as follows: goal, shot on goal, free shot, corner shot, 12m penalty shot, and the team penalty time. We offered an expanded match statistical form different from the existing technical match records, based on the competitive performance scores, records and analyses [2, 3], with the new form including the following sections and technical skills:

1. Section 1: short/ middle/ long passes;

2. Section 2: ball control skills: dribbling, ball control with dribbling elements followed by a pass;

3. Section 3: shots on goal classified into the scoring, missed and blocked ones;

4. Section 4: ball repossessions; and

5. Section 5: scoring shots on goal from the standard positions (free shot, corner shot and the 12m penalty shot).

The study analyzes the competitive technical and tactical actions rates of the 10-13 years old bandy players obtained by the video record analyses of the formal RBF tournament records including: (1) Qualification events for the Russian Children Bandy League (RCBL) competitions of the 10-11 year-olds named after V.P. Maslov, Honorary Coach and Honorary MS; and (2) Finals of the M.G. Melnikov’s Russian Knitted Ball Tournaments of the 12-13 year-olds.

In the above tournaments we surveyed and analyzed the age-specific individual/ team competitive performances  of the Special Children and Youth Olympic Reserve Bandy School “Volga” (Ulyanovsk city) junior players, based on the records of technical and tactical actions classified by the above five sections. The technical and tactical actions registration procedure in the match report (Section 1: ball passes) omitted the first passes from/to the goalkeeper/ defender in the 5m zone inside the penalty area that was considered inactive. The ball passes were scored on an age-specific basis, with the short, middle and long passes grouped as those under 5m, 5-17m and above 17m long, respectively. In Section 2 (ball control skills) we scored active dribbling; and the ball control with dribbling followed by a pass. In Section 5 (standard shots) we scored corner shots the highest when they resulted in a teammate’s shot on goal. Free shots were scored the highest when resulted either in a shot on goal or a high goal chance in the penalty zone. Upon the individual match technical and tactical actions were fixed and scored in the database, the technical and tactical actions scoring data were processed by a statistical toolkit.

Study findings and discussion. Mission of the Children Bandy League (CBL) tournament of the 10-11 year-olds is both to nominate the winner and runner-ups and provide a start for the multiannual training process of the youth bandy prospects. This tournament is also viewed as an important skill test prior to the finals for the age group and a selection ground that gives the participating team coaches chances to assess gifts and skills of the prospects for one or another game position. The matches include two 20min (minimum standard) halves. The Knitted Ball Tournament of the 12 year-olds summons 8 youth bandy teams for the finals – which is the highest participation in all the national competitions for the age groups. Matches of the next age group (13- year-olds) completions include two extended 25min halves. The both latter competitions are designed as one-round events.

The individual technical and tactical actions in every match were classified into the scoring (successful) and non-scoring (unsuccessful) ones, with the relevant error ratios; with the resultant technical and tactical actions and error ratios giving the means to rate the individual/ team competitive performance and categorize it by the above five sections. A comparative analysis of the 10-13 year-olds’ technical and tactical actions test data and competitive performances in the formal tournaments showed certain variations and fluctuations in the key game techniques and tactics: see Table 1.

Table 1. Competitive technical and tactical actions scoring data of the 10-13 year-olds

Note: + marks the successful (scoring) TA; – marks the unsuccessful (non-scoring) TTA; ER error rate

Based on the above data analysis, we ranked the most successful (scoring) technical and tactical actions: see Table 2.

Table 2. Classified competitive skills rankings for the 10-13 year-olds

As a result, we ranked the top-three technical skills as follows: (1) Free shot scored by 39 points and ranked the highest-scoring skill in youth bandy in Section 5 (standard positions); (2) Ball control with a pass scored by 35 points in Section 2 (ball control skills); and (3) Short passes scored by 31 points in Section 1.

The bottom-three (lowest-ranking) technical skills associated with the highest error rates were the following: (1) Shots on goal scored by 7 points in Section 3; (2) Long passes scored by 8 points in Section 1; and (3) 12m penalty shots scored by 9 points in Section 5 (standard positions).

Conclusion. Multiple factors of influence on the competitive performance should be taken into account to effectively design and manage the education and training process. Such factors in the modern youth bandy sport include at least the individual functional/ physical fitness rates; tactical skill rates; seasonal competitive performance variation rates; mental qualities tested in competitions; actual competitive experiences etc.

References

1. Klyuchnikova S.N., Malofeev A.Y., Nemytov D.N. Analiz sorevnovatelnoy deyatelnosti yunykh sportsmenov v khokkee s myachom [Study of competitive performance of junior hockey players]. Pedagogiko-psikhologicheskie i mediko-biologicheskie problemy fizicheskoy kultury i sporta. On-line journal. VRSAPES, Naberezhnye Chelny, 2016, no.  3, pp. 16-22.
2. Malofeev A.Y., Ushnikov A.I. Organizatsionnye i metodicheskie aspekty sportivnoy podgotovki v hokkee s myachom [Organizational and methodological aspects of hockey training]. Teaching aid. Ulyanovsk: USPU publ., 2016, 141 p.
3. Malofeev A.Y., Klyuchnikova S.N. Konkurentsiya i otbor v hokkee s myachom [Competition and qualification in hockey]. Problemy i perspektivy fizicheskogo vospitaniya, sportivnoy trenirovki i adaptivnoy fizicheskoy kultury [Physical education, sports training and adaptive physical education. Problems and prospects]. Proc. nat. with intern. participation res.-practical. conf.. VRSAPES, Pechat-Servis XXI vek publ.. Kazan, 2018, pp. 273-278.
4. Malofeev A.Y., Klyuchnikova S.N., Filatov S.A. Pokazateli tekhniko-takticheskikh deystviy yunosheskoy sbornoy Rossii (U-17) v igrakh pervenstva mira po khokkeyu s myachom [Technical-tactical rates of Russian youth national team (U-17) in bandy world championship]. Sotsialno-pedagogicheskie aspekty fizicheskogo vospitaniya molodezhi [Socio-educational aspects of physical education for young people]. Book of abstracts of XVI Intern. res.-practical conf.. Ulyanovsk, USPU publ., 2018, pp. 298-303.
5. Fedotova E.V. Osnovy upravleniya mnogoletney podgotovkoy yunykh sportsmenov v komandnykh igrovykh vidakh sporta [Long-term training management fundamentals in youth team sports]. Moscow: SportAkademPress publ., 2003, 224 p.

Corresponding author: klucnik67@mail.ru

Abstract

Persistent and systemic competitive performance rating studies in modern youth team sports help qualify and quantify the athletes’ primary skills in the training and competitive processes. Such objective training performance rating tools in modern bandy with the competitive performance analyses give the means to rate the players’ technical and tactical skills and make timely corrections to the training process. The study analyzes the 10-13 year-old bandy players’ competitive performance rating data with an emphasis on every skill quality and success and the individual game control tactics in matches. It should be mentioned that multiple factors of influence on the competitive performance should be taken into account to effectively design and manage the education and training process. Such factors in the modern youth bandy sport include at least the individual functional/ physical fitness rates; tactical skill rates; seasonal competitive performance variation rates; mental qualities tested in competitions; actual competitive experiences etc.