Cognitive abilities as one of the criteria for the selection and orientation of athletes of various ages in game team sports (for example, football)

Selection in the system of long-term training of athletes is one of the most complex problems in the theory and practice of sports training and involves the development and implementation of scientific and methodological developments in several directions at once: forecasting, modeling and control. As a result, in game team sports and in particular in football, ensuring the effectiveness of the selection and orientation process is determined by a comprehensive assessment of the athlete's abilities, covering all aspects of his preparation. Nowadays, psychodiagnostics and the practical application of the obtained data in the process of selection, competitive activity and in the educational and training process of young football players of various ages are still a reserve that can significantly increase the effectiveness of the training of the sports reserve in football. Not an exception is the study of the cognitive sphere of players, the lack of attention to which leads to a decrease in the prognostic value of conclusions about the potential capabilities of football players, as well as a negative impact on the effectiveness of training in certain areas and, first of all, tactical and technical. In order to determine the level of formation of a number of cognitive abilities of young football players of various ages, appropriate diagnostic measures were carried out, which made it possible to establish the dynamic characteristics of changes in individual cognitive indicators at different stages of training. The two tests used during the diagnosis showed consistent results in determining the age limits, where there is a stabilization of the rate of growth of the studied indicators. The obtained data can be used as criteria for assessing the degree of suitability of a young football player for effective functioning within sports activities at a specific stage of multi-year training.