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Factor and Causal Structures of Counter Attack Skill in Soccer [Received February 2, 2022; Accepted June 28, 2022] This study aimed to investigate the factor and causal structures of counter attack skills in soccer. The research procedure comprised three steps: 1) qualitative analysis to construct a qualitative causal structure and criterion-referenced measurement items of counter attack skills, 2) confirmatory factor analysis of counter attack skills in soccer, and 3) causal structure analysis using structural equation modelling (SEM). Counter attacks from 275 plays were collected through video files. Qualitative analysis led to the construction of the causal structure of counter attack skills in soccer, consisting of penetrative dribble, lay off, penetrative pass, pushing down the opponent’s DFL (Defence line), and disrupting the opponent’s defence, along with 17 criterion-referenced measurement items for these skills. The model fit indices of the confirmatory factor structure and the causal structure model were found to be acceptable, thus establishing the validity of the models. The causal structure model revealed significant causal relationships (p < 0.05) between penetrative dribble skill and pushing down the opponent’s DFL skill (0.555), lay off skill and penetrative pass skill (0.588), and penetrative pass skill and disrupting the opponent’s defence skill (0.653). The findings thus reveal the factor structure and the causal relationships among counter attack skills in soccer. Keywords: football analytics, hand notational analysis, counter play, structural equation modelling |