NCT07279753

Critical Thinking Tactical Training in University Futsal Players

Effects of a Critical Thinking-Based Tactical Training Program on Tactical Skills and Futsal-Specific Performance in University Players: A Single-Group Pre-Post Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 13 (actual)
• Sponsor: Federal University of Vicosa · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study examined the effects of a tactical training program based on critical thinking (TPCT) on the tactical efficiency and decision-making performance of university futsal players. The intervention was designed to strengthen players' ability to interpret the dynamics of play, anticipate opponents' actions, and generate adaptive tactical responses under competitive conditions. The program followed a socio-constructivist framework, promoting learning through problem solving and interaction among teammates. Training sessions combined representative game situations, reflective questioning, and guided tactical discussions. A single-group pre-post design was implemented. Thirteen university players participated voluntarily after providing informed consent and receiving approval from the institutional ethics committee. Data were collected before and after the intervention to assess individual and collective tactical performance, goal effectiveness, and time of ball possession. The study aimed to provide evidence on the educational and performance impact of a critical thinking-based tactical approach in futsal, contributing to contemporary models of athlete development and pedagogical innovation in team sports.

Conditions

• Athletic Performance
• Decision Making

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Tactical Program Critical Thinking	The intervention is a futsal-specific tactical training program structured around critical thinking (TPCT). Across multiple weeks, players complete representative small-sided and conditioned games framed by brief tactical problems (for example, creating numerical superiority or protecting central lanes). During tasks, the coach uses guided discovery and structured questioning to promote reading of key cues, generation and comparison of options, justification of decisions using principles of play, and anticipation of opponents' and teammates' actions. Task constraints and intensity are progressively adjusted, and each session ends with a brief collective reflection.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-10-09
• Primary completion: 2025-11-03
• Completion: 2025-11-05
• First posted: 2025-12-12
• Last updated: 2025-12-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Colombia