Use of the polar coordinates technique to study interactions among professional soccer players

Abstract

This paper studies the process of interaction among the mem- bers of a soccer team using observational methodology. Data were collected from six matches played by Deportivo La Coruña during the 2000-01 season, using the polar coordinates technique to establish the activation or inhibition relationships among team members. This analysis allows the reduction of data from the value Zsum, introduced by Cochran [1] and applied by Sackett [1]. Polar coordinates analysis allows the combination of diachronic and synchronic perspectives through the representation of the values obtained as vector modules and angles (polar coordinates). The nature of the interactive relationship, depending on the quadrant in which it is located is represented by the angle, while the degree of significance depends on the vector module (>1.96 at a level of significance of 5%).