European International Journal of Pedagogics
31
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
31-36
DOI
3
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
13 May 2025
ACCEPTED
09 June 2025
PUBLISHED
11 July 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue07 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Characteristics of Physical
and Technical Preparation
of Highly Skilled Visually
Impaired 5-A-Side Football
Players
Uzokov Abdulxay Xoshimovich
“Institute for retraining and professional development of specialists in
adaptive physical education and sports” H
ead of the department of theory
and methodology of adaptive physical education and sports”
, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article presents the results of a study on
the physical and technical preparation of visually
impaired football players during the special training
stage of the preparatory period in the training
macrocycle. The Uzbekistan national 5x5 football team
for visually impaired athletes was selected as the object
of study. They are athletes who participate in
Uzbekistan and international competitions in the
Paralympic sport of 5x5 football (B1, B2, B3) (sport for
the visually impaired).
Keywords:
Visually impaired football players, 5x5
football, Paralympic competition, physical and technical
preparation.
Introduction:
Today, one of the most severe health
conditions is blindness. This subsequently creates
significant difficulties in adapting to life and the
development of the organism. The surrounding
environment becomes less perceptible, as 90% of the
information received from the external world is
acquired through the visual system.
Currently, it has been established that the main causes
of decreased vision, poor vision, and blindness are
congenital pathologies. This situation was observed in
91% of students examined in special schools of the
Republic of Uzbekistan. The main causes include:
congenital pathology of the lens (primarily cataracts),
optic nerve atrophy, retinal pathology, congenital
glaucoma, and high-degree myopia.
Today, according to the World Health Organization,
there are approximately 45-50 million blind people
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European International Journal of Pedagogics
worldwide [5]. Over the past 30 years, this figure has
increased by 12 million people.
Many people don't believe that visually impaired
individuals can play football or score goals against
goalkeepers with low vision, but fans who watch these
games develop a deep sense of respect for these
athletes. For some, witnessing visually impaired
people become champions of national, Asian, world,
and Paralympic competitions - through daily training,
constant victories over their own limitations and
societal barriers, and within the bounds of their
physical and mental capabilities - leads to a profound
reassessment of their own life values and principles.
Nevertheless, football for the visually impaired is no
longer a mere fantasy; it is being implemented as a
Paralympic sport in the form of 5-a-side football (B1,
B2, B3) (sport for the visually impaired). This is a widely
practiced sport on the world sports stage.
Despite the players being 100 percent blind or visually
impaired, a plaster is applied to their eyes and black
glasses are worn over them before the start of the
game. This process does not apply to goalkeepers; in
this type of football, goalkeepers are athletes of class
B2 or B3. The rules of the game are based on mini-
football, which is played by athletes without health
impairments. The field measures 40x20 meters, with
barrier walls 100-120 centimeters high along its
sidelines. Consequently, there is no out-of-bounds
along the sidelines; it only counts when the ball goes
beyond the goal line. If the ball leaves the field during
play, the referee throws the ball in from the sideline.
Additionally, the barrier serves to mark the boundary
of the field.
In this sport, it is permitted to have a guide (assistant)
as a helper. They are positioned behind the opponent's
goal. Their task is to instruct their team's players in
attacking movements. The guide's influence on the
game situation ends when the ball enters the middle
zone of the field. Here, the assistant standing behind
the sideline wall has the right to guide the players. In
the defensive zone, the goalkeeper controls the game
and organizes the actions of their defenders.
All zones (defensive, midfield, and offensive) are
separated by lines. Referees have the right to penalize
assistant referees and goalkeepers if they give advice
outside their area of authority. The game ball is
equipped with a rattle to make a sound as it moves. It
is heavier than a regular futsal ball and barely bounces
off the ground. The dimensions of the goals differ from
those in futsal: the length is 3.66 m, the height is 2.14
m. Another feature is that players who don't have the
ball must always make their presence known vocally.
Usually, they say "to me" or simply "me," indicating
which position they occupy. For non-compliance with
these rules of the game, the referees have the right to
penalize the athlete with a team and individual foul and
award the opposing team a penalty kick.
Currently, 5-a-side football is popular in more than 70
countries.
In 1986, Spain hosted the first national championship
for blind footballers. This country is rightfully
considered the founder of this sport. In 1997, the first
continental championships - European and American
competitions - took place, and in 1998, the inaugural
World Championship was organized, with Brazil
emerging victorious. Brazil also claimed the world
championship title in 2010, 2014, and 2018. Another
South American country, Argentina, is also considered
one of the leaders in world blind football. They were
world champions in 2002 and 2006. The inclusion of
blind football in the program of the 2004 Summer
Paralympic Games in Athens marked a significant step
in the development of the sport among blind athletes
worldwide. From the first high-level competitions
through all subsequent Paralympic Games, Brazilian
teams have consistently stood atop the victory podium.
At the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, the
French national team clinched the gold medal.
It should be emphasized that today our country's
national team has all the necessary conditions for high-
quality
preparation
for
major
international
competitions: a staff of highly qualified specialists, the
required number of training camps and control
matches, regular comprehensive medical examinations
of athletes, full equipment of the team, and provision of
necessary tools and inventory. This high level has been
achieved due to the fact that our state has identified the
development of Paralympic sports as one of its priority
tasks. However, in most regions of Uzbekistan, this pace
of development is slowing down due to a number of
problems. The study of these problems was the subject
of our previous research [4]. Below are the main ones:
- Lack or insufficiency of specially trained coaches for 5-
a-side football;
- High requirements for the competencies of 5-a-side
football coaches;
- The absence of a specific methodology for training
athletes in 5-a-side football, taking into account
individual disease pathologies;
- Insufficient scientific and methodological literature on
5-a-side football;
- Insufficient organization of 5-a-side football
competitions at the city and regional levels.
As a result of the aforementioned problems, the
athletes' preparation for the Uzbekistan Championship
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competitions remains at a low level. In this article, we
present the results of a study conducted using the
example of members of the Uzbekistan 5x5 football
team for the visually impaired (under the National
Paralympic Committee). This study was carried out
during the special preparatory stage of the training
macrocycle's preparatory period, in which the physical
and technical readiness of blind football players was
examined.
The Uzbekistan visually impaired team was formed in
September 2018 and represents the capital region in
the championships, leagues, and cups of Uzbekistan, as
well as in international tournaments. Currently, the
team is preparing for the Asian Championship. The
study was conducted at sports facilities. The age of the
blind athletes ranged from 18 to 25 years. A total of 8
participants were examined. Their average age was
20±2.5 years. The observation was carried out from
January 13 to March 24, 2025. Training sessions were
held 1-2 times a day, each lasting 90 minutes.
The group conducted training sessions based on a
program developed by us. This program included
teaching 5-a-side football (B1, B2, B3) technical skills
(passing the ball, shooting at the goal, dribbling, etc.)
as well as interaction with team members. During the
experiment, the heart rate (HR) response to physical
load was studied in completely blind athletes. These
loads were aimed at developing speed-strength
exercises, as well as speed, agility, and coordination
abilities. General physical training sessions using
exercise equipment and special devices were
developed taking into account the individual
characteristics of each athlete. For the development of
general and special endurance, repeated and variable
running methods were used, respectively.
To assess the functional state of football players on the
1st and 60th days of the study, the heart rate response
to a standard load was examined (variable running, in
which athletes performed work covering a distance of
2000 meters: 20 repetitions of 100 meters). The main
principle of interval training is sufficiently intense
running without full recovery before each new distance
(100 meters). Therefore, the first analysis of the
functional readiness indicators of the studied athletes
was carried out not in the initial days of the experiment,
but on the 15th day of training.
Due to the insufficient level of functional preparedness
of these football players' bodies, it was not considered
expedient or appropriate to check their heart rate after
a medium-intensity load. On the first day of the study,
resting heart rate (HR) and arterial blood pressure (BP)
indicators were measured, and these values were taken
as baseline measurements relative to the data from
designated training days. On the 15th and 60th days of
our study group, these indicators were measured at rest
before the standard load, immediately after its
completion, and after 15 minutes. The difference
between resting and post-exercise HR, as well as BP, is
considered a characteristic that describes the functional
state of the cardiovascular system, i.e., its ability to
recover.
As can be seen from the presented results of the
dynamics of changes in arterial pressure (AP) in football
players of the studied group (Table 1), pre-load systolic
blood pressure (SBP) did not undergo any changes at all
stages of the study group (start - January 13; 60th day -
March 13). However, diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
showed a downward trend on the 15th day of the study
and significantly decreased by the 60th day compared
to the baseline value (P<0.05).
Table 1
Influence of physical activity on the dynamics of blood pressure indicators (mm
Hg) in visually impaired football players over two months
(n = 8)
Observation
periods
BP indicators
Systolic blood pressure (SBP)
Diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
Before standard load
Immediately after
standard load
15 minutes after
standard load
SBP
DBP
SBP
DBP
SBP
DBP
Beginning
of study
130.65±7.4
75.39±4.8 149.15±8.7 71.31±2.9 129.41±5.7 71.61±4.2
End of
study
128.17±10.6
P<0.05
69.50±3.1
141.41±9.5
P<0.05
65.33±3.8
121.12±4.9
P
<0.05
66.53±3.9
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Physical activity over 60 days influenced the heart rate
recovery processes in the athletes' bodies. Thus, 15
minutes after the standard load, by the end of our
experiment, there was a tendency towards a decrease
in SBP values relative to the initial values. In this case,
DBP decreased slightly by the 15th day, and by the 60th
day, it significantly decreased compared to the
baseline (P<0.05).
HR showed a tendency to decrease before the
standard load, immediately after the load, and after 15
minutes (Table 2) at all stages of the experiment. As can
be seen, by the end of the experiment, the HR
decreased by 6.3% immediately after the standard load
and by 7.1% 15 minutes after the standard load.
The dynamics of the studied BP and HR indicators show
a decrease in the CVS response to the standard load
during chronic physical activity and characterize its long-
term adaptation processes.
Table 2.
Effect of physical activity
on the dynamics of heart rate indicators (beats/min) in visually impaired
football players (n = 8)
Observation
periods (in days)
Heart rate indicators
Before load
Immediately after
load
15 minutes after load
Beginning of
study
65.83±4.3
105.50±6.8
65.59±4.6
End of study
63.91±2.9
101.39±6.6
62.87±2.9
During our observation, we also tested the speed and
speed-strength capabilities of visually impaired
football players. Unlike the indicators of functional
preparedness, these data were obtained on the 1st
and 60th days of training (Tables 3 and 4) and reflect
the dynamics of the results obtained during the
experiment. Thus, the speed of the 25-meter run and
the 4x9 meter shuttle run remained significantly
unchanged at all stages of our study. As for the 4x9
meter shuttle run with the ball, we can see that by the
end of the experiment, the time to cover the distance
decreased by 10.21%. This indicates an increase in the
speed of covering the distance in the athletes we are
observing.
Table 3
Dynamics of speed-strength indicators and speed development in blind
football players (seconds) (n=8)
Observation
periods (days)
25m run
4×9 m shuttle
run
4×9 m shuttle
run with a ball
Beginning of
research
4.24 ± 0.21
10.96 ± 0.87
15.58 ± 1.03
Day 15
4.17 ± 0.18
10.43 ± 0.93
14.75 ± 1.17
End of research
4.28 ± 0.35
10.18 ± 0.81
13.99 ± 0.97
The presented research results (Table 4) show the
dynamics of standing long jump indicators in blind
football players. As can be seen, by the end of our study,
there was a tendency for the studied values to increase
by 4.56 percent.
Table 4
Dynamics of standing long jump indicators in visually impaired football
players (n=8)
Observation periods (days)
Standing long jump
Beginning of research
233.27 ± 15.69
End of research
243.92 ± 14.93
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In our study, we will examine the characteristics of
test performance, taking into account the nosology of
the athletes.
4x9 m shuttle run
. A visually impaired athlete starts
running in response to the coach's voice and command
"Here, here, here..." while standing 9 meters from the
starting line. At the same coach's command "Up," the
athlete turns around and runs towards the starting
line, listening to the voice and command of another
coach standing at the starting line. In this way, 4 runs
of 9 meters are completed.
4x9 m shuttle run with a ball
. A visually impaired
athlete carries the ball according to the coach's
command "Here, here, here..." at a distance of 9
meters from the starting line. At the same coach's
command "Up," they turn around and dribble the ball
back to the starting line, listening to the voice and
command of another coach standing at the starting
line. Thus, 4 runs with a ball are performed over 9
meters.
The standing long jump
was conducted according to
internationally accepted rules.
Assessment of technical readiness
. One of the most
important components in training visually impaired
football players is technical preparation. Therefore, at
each stage of the study, we tested our athletes. They
performed 3 "Wing Lane" passes and 3 "Long Diagonal"
passes. As can be seen from the presented results (Table
5), at the beginning of the experiment, the average
indicator of correct execution of the "Wing Lane" pass
was only 0.61±0.03. By the 10th day, it gradually
increased to 0.95±0.05, and by the 60th day, it
significantly increased (P<0.05) compared to the initial
indicator.
The results obtained from the study of the "Long
Diagonal" pass remained practically unchanged at all
stages of our observations.
Table 5
Dynamics of passing indicators in blind football players
Beginning of research
"Wing Lane" pass
"Long Diagonal" pass
Beginning of research
0.61 ± 0.03
1.2 ± 0.06
End of research
0.95 ± 0.05
1.19 ± 0.07
Beginning of research
P<0.01 1.87±0.15
1.17 ± 0.05
The tests used to determine the technical
preparedness of visually impaired athletes are simple,
but we will consider in detail the technical
characteristics of their performance under the
conditions of the athletes' nosology.
"Pass along the wing corridor"
drill. The technical
execution of medium-distance passes is practiced. In
this type of football, balls are often passed along the
side wall (board). It's important that the ball moves in
a straight direction without touching the side wall. In
this case, the pass reaches the receiver. If the ball
touches the side wall and goes out of the designated
corridor, the visually impaired athlete tries to catch it
after the ricochet. In this situation: time is lost and the
risk of losing the ball increases. The "Pass along the
wing corridor" test is performed as follows. A
designated goal with a width of 1 meter is set up at a
distance of 10 meters. This is considered the end of the
corridor. The boundaries of this goal can be marked by
colored cones, markers, or balls. At the end of the
corridor, in the center of this goal, the coach positions
himself and indicates his presence by saying "Here."
Upon this command, the athlete passes the ball. Three
attempts are given. Two out of three successful
attempts are considered a positive result.
"Long diagonal" pass
. For a visually impaired athlete,
the ability to perform long diagonal passes of 25-30
meters is also of great importance. Often, the
goalkeeper initiates an attack from their own goal and
passes the ball to the defender along the line. The
defender must assess the situation by listening to their
teammates positioned near the opponent's goal or
along the line. A precise diagonal pass to the attacking
zone contributes to an effective and logical conclusion
of the attack. "Long diagonal" passes are executed in
this manner. The athlete passes the ball 25 meters
diagonally from their line in response to the coach's
command "Here." The task is to score into a conditional
goal. The distance between the posts of this conditional
goal is 1.5 meters. If two out of three attempts are
successful, the result is considered positive.
CONCLUSION
In Uzbekistan, a phased system has been recommended
to develop Paralympic sports, strengthen public health,
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and engage people in mass sports. In the social sphere,
for blind and visually impaired individuals, the 5x5
football sport is specifically intended to increase their
motor activity and develop physical qualities. It is also
expected to improve spatial perception, sensory
analyzers, and muscle movement in these individuals.
Thus, the studies conducted on the 60th day of the
special preparatory stage of the training macrocycle's
preparatory period showed that planned physical
loads contribute to improving the functional state of
completely blind football players' bodies and
increasing their physical fitness. Exercises aimed at
developing technical skills serve to improve technical
preparedness.
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