https://goodwoodpub.com/index.php/MSSJ <p style="text-align: justify;">Metabolic and Sport Science Journal is an international scholarly journal containing original research papers, reviews, and clinical studies that discuss various essential topics related to metabolic and sport science. Metabolic and Sport Science Journal welcomes well-written manuscripts to be blind-peer reviewed and published periodically. This journal is aimed at contributing theoretical and practical development of metabolic and sport science. In addition, Metabolic and Sport Science Journal is published by Goodwood Publishing.</p> en-US <p>Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:</p> <ol> <li class="show">Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0)</a>&nbsp;that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.</li> <li class="show">Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.</li> <li class="show">Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.</li> </ol> admin@goodwoodpub.com (Goodwood Publishing) Mon, 16 Feb 2026 15:03:40 +0700 OJS 3.3.0.10 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 https://goodwoodpub.com/index.php/MSSJ/article/view/3958 <p><strong>Purpose:</strong> This study examined whether an 8-week mindfulness training program could enhance the technical, tactical, physical, and cognitive performance of young football players, addressing the common issue of mental deficits contributing to performance errors in youth academies.</p> <p><strong>Research Methodology:</strong> A randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 88 Iraqi football players aged 12–18 years. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving regular physical training plus three weekly mindfulness meditation and performance-testing sessions, and a control group receiving only physical training. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and four weeks after completion. Performance indicators included passing accuracy, dribbling success, sprint speed, endurance, decision error rate, tactical awareness, reaction time, focus duration, and overall performance. Mixed-variance ANOVA was applied at a 0.05 significance level.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Baseline equivalence was confirmed (p &gt; 0.70). The experimental group showed significant improvements compared to the control group, including higher gains in passing accuracy (7.4% vs. 1.7%), dribbling (3.9% vs. 1.0%), sprint speed (5.5% vs. 0.7%), endurance (7.8% vs. 0.1%), and overall performance (7.0% vs. 1.2%). Effects persisted at follow-up, with 85% participant retention. Younger players (12–14 years) demonstrated the greatest benefits.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Mindfulness training significantly enhances multiple dimensions of youth football performance, with sustained effects beyond the intervention period.</p> <p><strong>Limitations:</strong> The study was limited to male Iraqi players from a single setting.</p> <p><strong>Contributions:</strong> The findings support integrating cognitive training into youth football programs to optimize performance during critical stages of brain development.</p> Hussein Ali Abdyasir Copyright (c) 2026 Hussein Ali Abdyasir https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://goodwoodpub.com/index.php/MSSJ/article/view/3958 Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700