THE INVESTIGATION OF THE CORRELATION BETWEEN MOTOR SKILLS AND SOCCER RELATED TECHNICAL SKILLS OF CHILDREN

The purpose of the study is to investigate the correlation between motor skills and soccer related technical skills of children. 337 male soccer players between 6-14 years of age who were playing in Kayserispor Soccer Club participated in the study. Motor skills of the participants in the study were determined through Deutscher Motor Test (DMT) which has 8 sub-dimensions, while their soccer skills were determined through Mor-Christian General Soccer Ability test which consists of three different tests. Pearson Correlation analysis was utilized in the determination of motor skills and soccer related technical skills of children. According to the results obtained, it was determined that there was a significant positive correlation between DMTtotal score andshoot skills and pass skills. In conclusion, it can be stated that the soccer players with higher motor skills are better at revealing soccer related technical skills. By including exercise methods which can improve children’s motor skills beginning from young ages into practice contents, they can be made to fulfill skills special to football with a higher performance