Table 1.
Technical skill definitions.
| Technical Action | Definition |
|---|---|
| Time (s) in possession (individual) | The amount of time (s) an individual player has possession. |
| Touches in possession (individual) | The number of occasions an individual player has contact with the ball (using the foot, thigh, head, or chest) per possession. |
| Time (s) in possession (team) | The amount of time (s) a team has possession. |
| Successful team passes | The number of passes each team completes for each possession. |
| Successful pass (%) | The percentage of successful passes completed during the bouts (both teams). |
| Intercept | A player from the non-possession team gains possession by intercepting a pass from the team in possession. |
| Deflection | A player is struck with the ball, without attempting to play at it resulting in a change/no change of team possession, or the ball goes out of play. |
| Unsuccessful pass | An incomplete attempted pass between players of same team. |
| Successful pass | The completion of an attempted pass between players of the same team. |
| Unsuccessful 1st touch pass | The incompletion of an attempted 1st touch pass between players of same team. |
| Successful 1st touch pass | The completion of an attempted 1st touch pass between players of the same team. |
| Successful tackle | A player from the non-possession team involved in a duel gains possession of the ball. |
| Unsuccessful tackle | A player in possession remains in possession after a duel. |
| Lost possession (miscontrol) | A player loses ball possession due to miscontrol. |
| Total possessions per bout | The number of individual possessions, during the bouts (all players). |
| Technical actions per minute | The sum of successful and unsuccessful passes, successful and unsuccessful first touch passes, successful and unsuccessful tackles, and intercepts performed per minute of the bouts. |
| Time (s) ball is out of play | Time from when the ball leaves the playing area until a new ball is played back into the playing area. |
Time in possession (individual) was recorded when a player first touched the ball until that player’s final touch of the ball (from either a pass, lost possession, or tackle). Time in possession (team) was recorded from the first touch by the player in a passing sequence, to the final touch of the last player in the passing sequence. Deflections are described as an unintentional act, and are therefore not included in the technical actions per minute variable.