Visual search advantages in tactical decision-making of male soccer players: evidence from 3V2 and 3V3 scenarios

Objective This study aims to explore the visual search advantages of male soccer players with higher training experience in two offensive tactical decision-making scenarios (3V2 and 3V3) and clarify the differences in players’ visual search strategies under different levels of tactical complexity. Methods A 2 (athletic level: higher training experience group vs. lower higher training experience group) × 2 (stimulus material: 3V2 scenario vs. 3V3 scenario) experimental design was adopted. The higher training experience group consisted of 16 players participating in the China University Football Association (CUFA) matches, while the lower training experience group was composed of 16 students majoring in soccer. Eye movements were recorded using a Dikablis Professional head-mounted eye-tracker manufactured by Ergoneers (Germany), with a mean calibration error = 0.25°. The stimulus materials were first-person perspective videos of 3V2 and 3V3 offensive scenarios, adapted from real match clips of the Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL). Based on SPSS 23.0 software, two-way analysis of variance (two-way ANOVA) was employed for statistical analysis. Results In both the 3V2 and 3V3 scenarios, the higher training experience group showed significantly better performance than the lower training experience group in terms of decision reaction time and decision rationality ( p < 0.05), with a more reasonable visual search strategy. Specifically, in the 3V2 offensive tactical decision-making scenario, the higher training experience group had significantly more fixations and longer fixation duration on the gap and goal areas compared to the lower training experience group ( p < 0.05). In the 3V3 offensive tactical decision-making scenario, the higher training experience group exhibited significantly more fixations and longer fixation duration on the gap and far offensive player areas than the lower training experience group ( p < 0.05). Additionally, in the 3V3 offensive tactical decision-making scenario, the higher training experience group spent significantly longer total fixation time on the goal, gap, near offensive players, and far offensive players ( p < 0.05). Conclusion The higher training experience group possesses faster and more rational tactical decision-making abilities as well as a concise and reasonable visual search strategy. This study provides guidance for athletes’ cognitive and decision-making training.