The Effects of Differential Learning and Traditional Learning Trainings on Technical Development of Football Players

Abstract

There are several different methods of learning motor skills, like traditional (linear) and differential (nonlinear) learning training. The traditional motor learning approach proposes that learners improve a skill just by repeating it. According to the teaching principles, exercises are selected along continua from easy to hard and from simple to complex.  The differential learning approach is mainly characterized by taking advantage, for the purpose of learning, of fluctuations that occur, without movement repetitions and without corrections during the skill acquisition process. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of differential and traditional training on technical development of 15-year-old football players who have been continuing football education. Twelve (12) football players who were 15 years old from the youth football team (Under 15) of Istanbul Kavacik Club were tested voluntarily in this study. In this study, the Mor-Christian soccer passing test, German Football Association agility/dribbling test, and feet-juggling test were applied on the football field with synthetic grass of the Istanbul Kavacik Sports Club in 2016. The Mann-Whitney U test for paired comparison of the groups and the Wilcoxon test for the comparison of pre- and post-tests of the groups were used for statistical analyses. In conclusion, the findings suggest that the results of the technique tests for groups offer no clear evidence for the superiority of the differential learning approach in comparison to the classical training approach. However, participants of the Differential Group (DG) were able to improve their performance in all tests and techniques compared to those of the Classical Group (CG). These findings may be useful for trainers and physical education teachers in the selection process of players and in preparing football training programs.