Training Decision-Making in Youth Football: A Comparative Study of Traditional, Ecological Dynamics Approach, and Hybrid eSport-Based Protocol

Modern football requires athletes to make rapid and effective decisions in highly dynamic environments. Although ecological dynamic approaches based on small-sided games have shown advantages over traditional training for decision-making development, the potential contribution of football eSports within integrated training protocols remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to examine the effects of three training approaches—traditional training, ecological dynamic training with small-sided games, and a hybrid eSport-based protocol—on decision-making and reaction time in youth football players. Sixty-nine youth footballers (47 males and 22 females, mean age = 15.1 ± 0.9 years) were assigned to three groups and completed a 24-week intervention with pre-, mid-, and post-intervention assessments. General, offensive, and defensive decision-making were evaluated using the TacticUP Video Test, while reaction time was assessed through frame-by-frame video analysis. Data were analysed using mixed-design ANOVA (Group × Time) with Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons. Significant Group × Time interactions were observed for all variables, suggesting non-uniform longitudinal performance trends across the three training approaches, including a distinct pattern of change in the hybrid eSport-based group. In contrast, minimal changes were found in the traditional group, while moderate improvements were observed in the ecological dynamic group. Overall, the findings indicate that innovative training approaches are more effective than traditional training in enhancing decision-making and response speed in young footballers, with the hybrid eSport-based protocol showing the most pronounced effects.