Investigating Acceleration and Deceleration Patterns in Elite Youth Football: The Interplay of Ball Possession and Tactical Behavior Conde Pipó, Javier De Sousa Pinheiro, Guilherme Fombella Pombal, David Mosquera Toscano, Luis Gómez Llamas, Juan Esteban Cruz Gallardo, José María Requena, Bernardo Mariscal Arcas, Miguel Local positioning system Ball tracking Live ball data The main objective of this study was (1) to analyze the patterns of acceleration (Ac) and deceleration (Dec) during football matches in elite youth football, both within and between different segments of the match; and (2) to investigate the impact of ball possession and various playing positions on these acceleration and deceleration patterns. To provide a broader explanatory context, the influence of tactical space management was assessed in terms of depth and width. A descriptive comparative design was used, and data were collected during two friendly matches. Player and ball tracking data were collected using a local positioning system. In the attack phase, differences were obtained in the average Ac (first half: 0.42 ± 0.06 m·s−2, second half: 0.38 ± 0.07 m·s−2; p = 0.021, d = 0.50) and average Dec (first half: −0.44 ± 0.09 m·s−2, second half: −0.36 ± 0.08 m·s−2; p = 0.001, d = 0.84). Wingers in the attack phase obtained higher values in maximum Ac (1.65 ± 0.65 m·s−2; p = 0.007, η2 = 0.03), and in the total number of both Ac (68.7 ± 45.22; p = 0.001, η2 = 0.10) and Dec (70.6 ± 45.70; p = 0.001, η2 = 0.10). In the defense phase, full-backs obtained higher values in average Ac (0.53 ± 0.17 m·s−2; p = 0.001, η2 = 0.07) and average Dec (−0.49 ± 0.18 m·s−2; p = 0.001, η2 = 0.05) and wingers in the total number of Ac (43.9 ± 27.30; p = 0.001, η2 = 0.11) and Dec (43.8 ± 28.60; p = 0.001, η2 = 0.10). In young football players, Ac and Dec do not follow a decreasing end throughout the match, and their behavior is uneven depending on ball possession and the position assigned to the player, with the highest demands on Ac/Dec in winger and full-back positions. 2024-07-18T09:58:36Z 2024-07-18T09:58:36Z 2024-05-20 journal article Conde-Pipó, J.; de Sousa Pinheiro, G.; Pombal, D.F.; Toscano, L.M.; Llamas, J.E.G.; Gallardo, J.M.C.; Requena, B.; Mariscal-Arcas, M. Investigating Acceleration and Deceleration Patterns in Elite Youth Football: The Interplay of Ball Possession and Tactical Behavior. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 4336. [https://doi.org/10.3390/app14104336] https://hdl.handle.net/10481/93215 10.3390/app14104336 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional MDPI