The Relationship Between Executive Functioning and Performance Strengths Compared with Self-Efficacy in Youth Football Players

Purpose Understand the relationship of youth tackle football players’ self-reported executive functioning (E.F.) and performance strengths with self-confidence in performing safe tackling and blocking technique. Method Participants included 35 male youth football players: Mean age= 11.97±0.674; White (40%), Black (51.4%), No Response (8.6%), who completed the Player-Football Self-Efficacy (P-FSE) scale and a scale assessing E.F. and performance (intrinsic motivation, resilience, persistence, goal-setting, and challenge-seeking) strengths, which have seven and six indexes respectively. Spearman’s rho correlations were used. Results Significant correlations were found for the P-FSE Using Good Contact Skill scale with the E.F. scales, Shift (r=0.425, p=0.011), Emotional Control (r=0.420, p=0.011), Planning/Organization (r=0.508, p=0.002), Task Monitor (r=0.371, p=0.028), and Resilience performance scale (r=0.414, p=0.013); P-FSE Aggressive Play with E.F. Emotion Control (r=0.539, p=<0.001), Flexible Thinking (r=0.567, 0<0.001), Initiate (r=0.515, p=0.002), Flexible Awareness (r=0.529, p=0.001) scales; P-FSE Playing as a Means for Growth with the E.F. Flexible Thinking (r=0.355, p=0.036), Planning/Organization (r=0.338, p=0.047), and Initiate (r=0.376, p=0.026) scales; and the P-FSE Tackle/Block Learning Opportunities scale with Flexible Thinking (r=0.355, p=0.36), Initiate (r=0.376, p=0.026), Working Memory (r=0.408, p=0.015), Challenge Seeking (r=0.455, p=0.006), Goal Setting (r=0.459, p=0.005), Intrinsic Motivation (r=0.357, p=0.036) and Persistence scales (r=0.357, p=0.035). Conclusions Positive relationships were found between players’ executive function/performance strengths and their confidence in performing safe football contact skills, and their view of football as means of personal growth. Players with stronger executive functions, including emotion regulation, report greater confidence in a more aggressive playing style. Future research could consider on-field performance and injury risk to further delineate association with E.F.