Analyse and Observe a sportspersons performance and see how they can improve

Authors Avatar

GCSE PE Coursework Section One

I decided to analyse and observe Natasha Sandalls’ performance as a centre midfield football player and the captain of her team.

Name of sportsperson: Natasha Sandalls

Age: 15

Training: Natasha is captain of a woman’s football club in Amersham. She also attends a lunchtime football club at school.

Ability: Associative

Identify the important skills/techniques and fitness components needed for participation in this position/role and explain why they are important.

Firstly, I thought of all the important skills and techniques that Natasha would need to be able to know and perform in her position and role as captain of her team.

  • Good communication skills

All players in any sports team need to be able to communicate well, one with another. This is because a team will be less successful without communication; when you communicate with team members everyone knows what to do and will be more confident in what they are doing. It is extremely important that Natasha has good communication as she is the captain of her team. Being the captain, Natasha has to lead the team and instruct or give advice to them while playing and training. One way Natasha can do this is by communicating with her fellow team mates.  

  • Using space and having good awareness of space and your position

A football pitch is very large in comparison to other sport’s pitches and courts. A good footballer will use the large spaces available to create opportunities for the team to score a goal. Natasha, as a midfielder, is a position that can help conceive a goal. By having good awareness of space she can make good passes to the players upfront which could then could lead to their team gaining a goal.

  • Good team work

Football is a team game. It is all about blending a variety of talents into an effective unit. A team that operates well together will perform at a much higher level than the skills of one player. For example, Natasha could try score a goal alone without passing to the players around her, although this is not good team work. In football, working as a team leads to success; scoring goals and winning matches and tournaments.

  • Co-ordination and timing

It is vital that all football players have good co-ordination with the ball. It is also very important when players time their runs; too fast and you could be flagged offside, too slow and you will got retain possession of the ball. Having good co-ordination with the balls can increase a player’s speed with the ball. Natasha needs good co-ordination to time her play and to run quickly with the ball. She also needs good timing so that she can make good runs without running offside.

  • Fitness and muscular endurance

Football is a long game with only one break half way through the match. Players have to run, pass, shoot and save for two 45 minute sessions. This requires high fitness and endurance. To get this fitness and endurance players must eat healthily and exercise regularly. Natasha must train on a regular basis to maintain the required fitness and endurance needed in her highly demanding, important position.

  • Good heading

Many footballers prefer not to header a faster moving ball out of fear. It is a natural reaction to preserves oneself by shielding ourselves, ducking out of the way, turning our head away and closing our eyes. Although, heading should not be feared and will not hurt as long as the player times and hits the header correctly. Players should overcome the fear of heading a ball by practicing. Natasha should be able to demonstrate a confident header for it is a useful skill when the ball is in the air. Natasha could use a header to regain possession of the ball, attack the ball forward, defend the ball away and/or to potentially score a goal.    

  • A wide range of accurate tackles and defensive play

When Natasha’s team has possession she should play attackingly. On the other hand, when the other team has possession of the ball Natasha should play defensively. For that reason, Natasha should learn and practice a wide range of accurate tackles and defending skills. The golden rule is to tackle when you are sure of winning the ball. However, risky tackling may be used if a player (on the other team) is in a good position to potentially score. Natasha should time her tackles precisely to avoid fouling the player. She can tackle by blocking and sliding. Natasha should also know to intercept the ball or put the ball out of play when the opposite team has possession.    

  • Good dribbling, turning and control of the ball

 Ideally, the ball should remain within playing distance at all times (unless a lot of space has opened up in front of you). Keeping the ball this close to a player requires good control. Natasha should practice dribbling often. She should also practice skills such as turning and twisting while dribbling so that, in a game, she may defeat the defender. Other methods that Natasha could practice to defeat the defender could include: varying where the boot makes contact with the ball, using feints and dummies, protecting the ball and stepping over the ball. Natasha should play with her head up so that she can assess the options open to her.

Join now!
  • A wide range of accurate passes

Passing is an essential skill in football where the ball is transferred from one player to another. To pass the ball players must select the type of pass they will perform, then time and execute the pass. Natasha needs a selection of different accurate passes so that possession can be maintained and goals can be scored.

  • Knowledge of rules and tactics

All footballers need to know the rules of the game so that they do not give away free kicks or penalties. They also need to know the rules so ...

This is a preview of the whole essay