An analytical study of the passing and shooting skills of the University of Babylon football team players in the Iraqi Universities Championship

Abstract

Sports training is considered a planned, scientific, and educational process based on scientific principles and pedagogical foundations, aiming to enable the individual to reach the highest possible level in the practised sports activity. This is achieved through developing the individual’s physical abilities, motor skills, tactical capabilities, mental capacities, as well as enhancing psychological motivation and developing personal and volitional traits. Basic skills in football represent the primary foundation for achieving success in matches, as they occupy an important role in daily training units and are practised over long periods until mastery is achieved. This is because the level of mastery of basic skills for the practised activity is considered one of the essential factors upon which tactical execution in various game situations depends. Skill performance, as a requirement in football, is not limited to technical execution only; it also includes the speed and accuracy of tactical decision-making. The success of skill performance depends on the degree and level of the player’s mastery of motor skills, regardless of changing conditions. The importance of the present study lies in revealing the actual performance level of the University of Babylon football team players by identifying strengths and weaknesses through analysing the performance of passing and shooting skills. This analysis helps the team develop these two skills and maintain performance stability, avoiding fluctuations that are often considered a distinguishing feature observed by many specialists and analysts in performance analysis. The research problem emerged through monitoring the matches played by the University of Babylon football team and examining the performance of certain basic skills during matches in order to identify points of strength and weakness. Most football experts observed a weakness in passing and shooting skills among the University of Babylon football team players. The study aims to identify the actual performance level of the research sample in football regarding passing and shooting skills during the Iraqi Universities Championship, as well as to identify the relationship between passing and shooting skills for the research sample in the same championship. The study hypothesises the existence of a statistically significant correlation between the lines of the University of Babylon team in the level of passing and shooting skills in football, and a statistically significant correlation between passing and shooting skills for the research sample. The researcher adopted the descriptive approach using survey and correlational methods, as they are appropriate to the nature of the research problem. The research sample consisted of the University of Babylon football team players for the academic year 2025–2026, numbering 20 players, who also represented the research population. The researcher prepared a form to analyse the skill aspects under study and conducted a pilot study by observing and analysing a match between the University of Babylon team and the Al-Mustaqbal University team. Subsequently, the main experiment was conducted during the Iraqi Universities Football Championship by recording the matches played by the University of Babylon team and then analysing them. The researcher concluded that the performance of the research sample in passing and shooting skills showed significant weakness. The team was characterised by short- and medium-distance passing more than long-distance passing, with randomness in the ball transfer plan. The sample was characterised by shooting from outside the 18-yard area, with weakness in heading and shooting from inside and outside the 18-yard area. The researcher recommends conducting similar studies in this field on other individual and team sports and across different age groups to identify strengths and weaknesses of Iraqi teams, in order to advance the safety of sports compared to Arab and developed countries. The study also recommends developing passing and shooting skills of all types among University of Babylon team players to reduce errors, and the necessity of adopting a specific playing style for the team that aligns with the players’ capabilities.