Critical Thinking Tactical Training in University Futsal Players (TPCT-FUTSAL)

Federal University of Vicosa

Status: Completed

Conditions: Decision Making; Athletic Performance

Treatments: Other: Tactical Program Critical Thinking

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07279753

TdeA-USBMed-TPCT-FUTSAL

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 13 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older at the time of enrollment.
• Registered player of the university futsal team participating in the study.
• Minimum of 1 year of regular, organized futsal practice.
• Regular attendance at team training (at least 2 sessions per week) in the 3 months prior to baseline testing.
• Medical clearance or self-report indicating ability to perform high-intensity futsal training and testing.
• Provision of written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Current musculoskeletal injury or pain that limits normal futsal training or match participation at baseline.
• History or diagnosis of cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or metabolic disease that contraindicates high-intensity exercise.
• Use of medications that substantially affect physical performance, heart rate response, or perception of effort, as judged by the study physician or medical screener.
• Participation in another structured experimental training program targeting futsal performance during the intervention period.
• Absence from more than 20% of the scheduled TPCT training sessions.
• Withdrawal of informed consent at any time during the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

13 participants in 1 patient group

TPCT

Experimental group

Description:

This arm includes a single cohort of university futsal players who receive a critical thinking-based tactical training program (TPCT). The intervention is delivered during regular team training over multiple weeks through structured sessions that combine dynamic warm-up, representative small-sided games, and futsal-specific tactical scenarios. Each session uses guided discovery and reflective questioning to promote tactical awareness, anticipation, and collective decision-making. Task constraints, game formats, and intensity are progressively adjusted to increase tactical complexity and physiological load during the main training blocks. All enrolled participants receive the same intervention, and each player serves as his own control through pre- and post-intervention assessments.

Treatment:

Other: Tactical Program Critical Thinking