Thinking While Playing: Exploring Cognitive Load and Passing Accuracy in Football Training

The present study compared pass decision-making performance among young football players exposed to small-sided games with manipulated cognitive load following a training session. Twenty-four U-14 athletes participated in four experimental conditions: a control protocol (CON) and three small-sided game protocols involving dual tasks that required counting passes (T1, T2, and T3). Cognitive load was progressively increased by requiring players to memorize more items (i.e. sectors used to divide the number of passes) from T1 to T3. The pass decision-making index was used as the dependent variable, and the pass-counting error rate served as a manipulation check. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to analyze decision-making performance, and parameter estimates were applied to examine pairwise differences. No main effects of time or experimental condition were observed. However, a significant time-by-condition interaction emerged (p = .007), with posttest decision-making performance in T3 being lower than in the control condition (a 15% decrease in accuracy). No differences were found between the control and either T1 or T2. These findings suggest that the pass decision-making performance is impaired under high cognitive load. In contrast, introducing up to two additional pieces of information does not hinder performance, supporting its application as a training strategy for players in this age group and skill level.