Abstract

This present work is a quantification of distance covered and time spent on it (“rhythm”) for an indoor football player, during a match situation. We try to find out the total distance covered by a player during a match and the partials of each “rhythm” of the five that we have determined (walking, walking quickly, medium speed, fast speed and sprinting) as well as the time used in each of the partial distances covered and the time of rest, or when the player is static. The fieldwork was done in five registers on players in matches played in San Fernando Sports Centre, Maspalomas (Canary Islands) in matches played between Maspalomas, Rias Baixas, Martorell and Interviu (2) of the national league of the 1st. Division Masculine of the indoor football leagues, during the seasons 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998 and 1998-1999. To make the register, we determined, as a unit of analysis, the player; and as a unit of observation, the timing or length of events. The variables, the distance and time; and the categories, different “rhythms” of movement, movement with the ball, lateral movement and backward movement. We used two specific tele-cameras to make the register, called “play controllers”, made in Italy by Edizioni Nuova Prhomos  company and adapted by the Laboratory of Analysis and Measurement of the P.E. department of the ULPGC, Julio Domínguez Aguilar following the modifications that we proposed. We also counted on the help of the Maspalomas club who gave us permission to use and enter the sports centre and put up the cameras wherever we wanted. For the treatment of the data we used an informatic programme specially made for this reason. We are dealing with an investigation of a sporting nature, set within a praxiological network, using a methodology of observation, which is systematic, non-participative, descriptive and contextual.