IMPROVING COORDINATION SKILLS IN YOUNG FOOTBALL PLAYERS AGED 8-10 YEARS

. The assumptions underlying the current direction of research have been determined by both the decreasing level of the football game in the investigated age group and the failure to exploit the impressive skills that a child aged 8-10 years is able to develop as a result of proper training. In our country, the current game of football for children aged between 8 and 10 years does not focus on the development of their creativity and coordination skills, but predominantly on the systematic tactical game following various predefined play routes. Taking into account the above, we consider it imperative to optimise the coordination skills of young players. The purpose of this research is to improve the level of coordination skills in a team of children aged 8-10 years through means specific to the game of football. During the research, two assessments were performed to determine the level of coordination skills by using the Agility T-Test (BlazePod technology) and Adams Test, which are specific for the assessment of these qualities. The research includes 42 male players aged between 8 and 10 years, as members of two football clubs, namely FC Chelsea Bucharest and FC Tineretul Bucharest. The research methods used are: documentation, experiment, recording, conversation, mathematical statistics and graphical representation. The statistically significant differences allow us to say that the improvements achieved are not random but are also due to the exercise programme intervention. As regards the T-Test specific to coordination skills, an improvement of 0.12 sec is noted for the experimental group and an improvement of only 0.05 sec for the control group.


Introduction
The game of football is increasingly privileged at all levels of society.This sport can be played by younger and older people, both men and women.According to Rein and Memmert (2016), football is a complex game with a multitude of technical and tactical facets."Every player should be able to master the basic techniques of playing football" (Burhaein et al., 2020, p. 265).
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world, with over 200 million professional players (Stojanovic & Ostojic, 2011).Football players need special technical and tactical skills and good fitness to achieve superior performance (Hoff, 2007).
"Dribble is influenced by coordination, sensory acuity, speed of movement, feeling of movement and movement technique it self."(Armando & Rahman, 2020, p. 127).Educating the components of coordination skills at the right time is crucial for the development of the future football player, given their influence on performance factors (Stoica, 2013).
All the discoveries of science in the technological, medical, functional, video-IT and methodological fields have been dedicated to professional football coaches to make their road to progress smoother (Stoica & Blejan, 2012).In order to achieve the desired football performance, the highest scientific achievements in both the field concerned and related sciences are exploited.The use of science in football should be permanent and systematic.
Based on the literature review, Liakh and Vitkovskij (2010) state that existing studies about the improvement of coordination skills in sport are not sufficiently addressed, especially in sports games.Cojocaru et al. (2015) conducted a research on intersegmental coordination in junior football players.The purpose of their study was to analyse correlations between intersegmental coordination and sports performance.The RCMV test included in the Psiselteva battery (developed by RQ Plus) was used to assess intersegmental coordination, expressed through psychomotor parameters.The study participants were 24 junior football players from the Dinamo Bucharest Sports Club.Using the Spearman correlation, important relationships were highlighted between the perceptual-motor learning coefficient, the time-pressure resistance coefficient and the scores obtained by football players according to their performance on the field.
Coordination as a basic motor ability in the game of football has been assessed in football academies for different age groups, thus highlighting its importance (Gonaus et al., 2019).Prasetyo et al. (2019) claim that optimal development of eye-foot coordination leads to improved dribbling skills.The game of football is influenced by each player's technical ability.According to Stoica (2000), superior physical factors have an impact on coordination skills, for example, a minimum of power is needed to perform a deceptive movement.Teodorescu and Dănășel (2014) believe that learning can overlap with spontaneous and native reactivity, thus becoming, through repetition or consolidation, an important acquisition in sports games.Lloyd et al. (2012) say that coaches should be aware of how to develop maximum speed in their players, adding that this can only be achieved by including the learning, consolidation and improvement of coordination skills in the training process.Burhaein et al. (2020)claim that the motor development of school children is smoother but better coordinated as the child grows in weight and strength.Children seem to be able to properly control and coordinate their limb movements.Their arm and leg muscles begin to get stronger, so various physical activities such as kicking, jumping, throwing, catching and running can be done faster and more accurately.
As methodological indications, the rest between exercises should be long enough to allow athletes to fully recover, and the workload should be relatively small, knowing that childhood, puberty and adolescence are favourable periods for the development of coordination (Gil et al., 2007).
In the game of football, players rely on eye-foot and eye-body coordination, which are essential to achieving performance (Marques et al., 2013).
The tests used in research studies focus on several components of coordination skills, including dynamic balance.Burhaein et al. (2020) indicate that there is a relationship between coordination and shooting ability but also between balance and shooting ability.
Coordination incorporates there forms of manifestation: general, specific and coupled with other motor qualities (Șandor, 2008):  General -in which the performance of all motor acts or actions involves more or less the existence of this form of coordination;  Specificis the result of a particular specialisation in a certain activity;  Coupled with other motor qualitieswhen it can be efficiently combined with other motor qualities, resulting in the increase of the activity area in different fields.

Research purpose
The research aims to apply a specific Coerver Coaching programme to children aged 8-10 years in order to improve their motor skills.

Research hypothesis
The research hypothesis is that the specific Coerver Coaching programme influences the level of coordination skills.

Participants and procedure
The research was conducted on 42 children aged between 8 and 10 years, as members of two football clubs, namely FC Chelsea Bucharest andFC Tineretul Bucharest, from 15.11.2021 (initial testing) to 25.01.2022 (final testing).We received the consent of the clubs and coaches for the proposed research directions.We mention that the informed consent was obtained from their parents, and data confidentiality was ensured.

Methods
The research methods used are: documentation, experiment, recording, conversation, mathematical statistics and graphical representation.

Instruments
 Agility T-Test Description: Four markers (BlazePods) are placed in the shape of the letter "T" (A, B, C, D).The athlete starts from BlazePod A. When indicated by the software, the athlete sprints to BlazePod B and touches its base with the right hand.Then, through lateral running to the left with added steps, the athlete moves to BlazePod C and touches its base with the left hand.By using the same run, the athlete returns to BlazePod B and touches its base with the right hand.This is followed by lateral running to the right with added steps and touching BlazePod D, after which the athlete returns to BlazePod B and touches it with the left hand.Finally, the athlete runs backwards to BlazePod A, and the route ends when touching it.
Figure 1 shows an example of data obtained in the initial Agility T-Test using BlazePod sensors.We present the times achieved by one of the athletes during two attempts, namely 14.05 sec and 14.99 sec.The best time is taken into account.2022), the Coerver Method involves structured pyramidal progress in the football player's technique, starting from the basic elements of ball mastery to the collective tactical attack.Wiel Coerver developed a training technique (called the Coerver Method) by analysing the videos of great players, including Pele, and designed a new football concept based on the idea that the football-specific ability could be fully transmitted academically.We will use this method to develop the player's technique but especially coordination skills.
The Coerver pyramid includes six levels that are closely related to each other, namely: -Foundation, control/touches and trust, which affect every other part of the pyramid -Receiving and passing -Individual skills to keep possession and create space and time for dribbling, passing or finishing -Mental and physical speed with and without the ball -Synchronisation, concentration and responsibility skills -Combined play, small group defence, fast play, teamwork The level of exercises will gradually increase and their complexity will become higher and higher in compliance with the rule of progressive practice that involves the transition from easy to difficult, from simple to complex and from known to unknown.
 Adams Test Description: Intersecting lines with a length of 1 m are drawn on the ground, and the four spaces created in the upper part are numbered with 2 and 4, while in the lower part, they are numbered with 1 and 3.The athlete starts from space 1 by performing double-foot jumps in the order of numbers with the purpose of doing as many jumps as possible with in 15 seconds.Touching the line or not touching the ground with both feet is considered a mistake.
6.Dynamic game -"Freeze Tag with ball at the foot".Two players are tagged and can freeze other children by touching them.A player can only be unfrozen by another child who passes the ball between the frozen player's legs  3 repetitions/5 minutes, 1-minute break 7.Dribbling around cones with the right foot and the left foot 5 repetitions/5 minutes, 1minute break 8.Leading the ball around cones of different colours placed into the large square, each colour indicating the technique used (e.g.: white-outside; red-inside)  5 repetitions/6 minutes, 1-minute break 9.4 students in two columns of 2 students each, with the columns placed 10-12m apart, pass the ball and sprint to the partner who takes possession, perform a deceptive kick to overtake the sprinting colleague, pass and sprint towards the next player 6 repetitions/7 minutes, 1-minute break 10.In a rectangle 10 m long and 6m wide, 1 vs. 1 and finishing at the small goals placed across the width of the rectangle.Emphasis is put on using deceptive kicks (while turning, dribbling forward)  6 repetitions/7 minutes, 1-minute break 11.Two-by-two, one player with the back to the goal and the other facing the goal, are placed 5m apart, perform speed dribbling and finishing while the opponent is semi-active.Subsequently, they change roles 4 repetitions/8 minutes, 1-minute break 12.In teams of 3 against 2 opponents on half of the field, players are allowed to finish only after performing a deceptive kick.The one who scores a goal becomes a striker in the team that was initially in defence to keep the rule of 3 vs. 2  1 repetition/10 minutes, 1-minute break 13.Walking with breathing movements  2 minutes 14.Relaxation exercises 3-5 minutes Other specific means used during training: 1. Behind a starting line, at the beep, sprinting with a lunge step while passing the ball between one's legs at each step until reaching the finish line placed 30 meters away  2x 30 m/ 1-minute break 2. From standing, at the beep, throwing the ball up, clapping in front of the body and behind the back, then catching the ball  3x 30 seconds/ 1-minute break 3.Each player has two balls, one in the left hand and the other in the right hand.The balls are alternately thrown against the wall and caught.2x 3 minutes/ 1-minute break 4.Each player has a ball and runs while throwing it up, and then catches it from the goal line of the field to the 9 m line of the opposing field.3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 5. Facing the coordination ladder, at the beep, footwork run while stepping into each square and handling the ball around the hips 3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 6.Facing the coordination ladder, at the beep, running while stepping into each square of the ladder  3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 7.At the beep, alternating jumps from one foot to the other into 5 hoops placed on the ground, which are 15 cm in diameter.After the last hoop, there is a ball that must be picked up by the player, who will dribble alternately around 4 cones with the left foot and the right foot, and then will stop and send the ball to a fixed target.3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 8. Laterally, facing the coordination ladder, footwork while steeping into and out of each square simultaneously with throwing and catching and the ball sent by a partner 3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 9. Facing the coordination ladder, jumping from both feet to both feet inside it and landing outside it 3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 10.Facing the coordination ladder, running while stepping inside it and performing a 360degree turn at half distance 3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 11.20 m relay while carrying two balls in balance with arms outstretched sideways  3x 2 minutes/ 1-minute break 12.From standing between two cones placed 5 m apart (Figure 5), the player drives the ball with the right foot towards a cone, and then makes a short and clear turn on the same right foot.Immediately after the turn, the player starts driving the ball with the left foot towards the next cone, making another turn on the left foot.After each turn, the player moves the tennis ball from one hand to the other only if the coach smiles because otherwise the ball will not be moved.The child must also name the colour(s) that the coach raises above the shoulder, namely red, yellow, green or blue.The statistical analysis of initial and final T-Test results obtained by the experiment group for coordination skills allows us to make more clarifications regarding the mathematical and statistical indicators.Thus, the initial test indicates a mean of14.27sec, with a minimum of 13.02 sec and a maximum of 16.03 sec.The final test shows changes in the mathematical and statistical indicators, highlighting a mean of 14.14 sec, with a minimum of 12.55 sec and a maximum of 15.58 sec.The statistical analysis of initial and final T-Test results obtained by the control group for coordination skills allows us to make more clarifications regarding the mathematical and statistical indicators.Thus, the initial test indicates a mean of 14.38 sec, with a minimum of 12.46 sec and a maximum of 17.76 sec.The final test shows changes in the mathematical and statistical indicators, highlighting a mean of 14.33 sec, with a minimum of 12.45 sec and a maximum of 17.74 sec.A comparison between initial and final T-Test results for coordination skillsexperiment group highlights the following (Table4):

Table 1. T-Test results for coordination skills using BlazePod sensors and improvements recorded by the experiment and control groups between the initial and final tests
The t-Stat value is 5.9684, while the t-Critical two-tail has the value 2.0859 relative to Fisher's Table for p < 0.05 at n-1 and a 95% confidence interval.
The statistically significant differences allow us to say that the improvements achieved are not random but are also due to the exercise programme intervention.A comparison between initial and final T-Test results for coordination skillscontrol group highlights the following (Table5):

Table5.Comparison between initial and final T-Test results for coordination skills-Control group
The t-Stat value is 3.84879, while the t-Critical two-tail has the value 2.0859 relative to Fisher's Table for p < 0.05 at n-1 and a 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3 shows the average improvement of T-Test times for both the experiment and control groups.It can be seen that the mean of the experiment group is 0.1247 sec, while the mean of the control group is 0.0538 sec.The statistical analysis of initial and final Adams Test results obtained by the experiment group for coordination skills allows us to make more clarifications regarding the mathematical and statistical indicators.Thus, the initial test indicates a mean of 8.76 errors, with a minimum of 2 errors and a maximum of 15 errors.The final test shows changes in the mathematical and statistical indicators, highlighting a mean of 3.61 errors, with a minimum of 1 error and a maximum of 6 errors.The statistical analysis of initial and final Adams Test results obtained by the control group for coordination skills allows us to make more clarifications regarding the mathematical and statistical indicators.Thus, the initial test indicates a mean of 10.47 errors, with a minimum of 4 errors and a maximum of 16 errors.The final test shows changes in the mathematical and statistical indicators, highlighting a mean of 7.95 errors, with a minimum of 3 errors and a maximum of 13 errors.
Figure 4 shows the average decrease in errors made in Adams Test for coordination skills by the experiment and control groups.It can be seen that the mean of the experiment group is 5.14, so there are 5.14 fewer errors in the final test compared to the initial test.The mean of the control group is 2.52, so there are 2.52 fewer errors in the final test compared to the initial test.Therefore, the experimental group has achieved a significant improvement.A comparison between initial and final Adams Test results for coordination skillsexperiment group highlights the following (Table 9): The t-Stat value is 9.0188, while the t-Critical two-tail has the value 2.0859 relative to Fisher's Table for p < 0.05 at n-1 and a 95% confidence interval.
The statistically significant differences allow us to say that the improvements achieved are not random but are also due to the exercise programme intervention.
The same table shows that, for the control group, the T-Stat value is 7.37107, while the T-Critical two-tail is 2.0859 relative to Fisher's

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.An example of data obtained in the initial Agility T-Test using BlazePod sensors

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Improvements of average group scores in T-Test results for coordination skills

Figure 5 .
Figure 5. Improvements for the experiment group vs. the control group in Adams Test for coordination skills

Table 2 .
Statistical analysis of initial and final T-Test results for coordination skills-Experiment group

Table 3 .
Statistical analysis of initial and final T-Test results for coordination skills-Control group

Table 4 .
Comparison between initial and final T-Test results for coordination skills-Experiment group

Table 6 .
Initial and final Adams Test results for coordination skills -Experiment and control groups

Table 7 .
Statistical analysis of initial and final Adams Test results for coordination skills-Experiment group

Table 8 .
Statistical analysis of initial and final Adams Test results for coordination skills-Control group

Table 9 .
T-Test for initial and final Adams Test-Results of the experiment and control groups for coordination skills

for the experiment group vs. the control group
Table for p < 0.05 at n-1 and a 95% confidence interval.