Abstract
Tactical aspects play a significant role in soccer, as a team sport, considering the
inherent unpredictability of the actions during a game. Therefore, measuring tactical variables
is essential for training planning in soccer and other team sports. However, previous studies
have interchangeably used the terms “tactical behavior” and “tactical performance” to refer to
the collected variables, which has become a source of questioning in recent literature. In this
point-of-view article, the tactical behavior and tactical performance concepts are defined,
discussed, and exemplified based on previous studies. While tactical behavior measures are
associated with descriptions of the actions, tactical performance variables are assumed to classify
and interpret such behaviors considering reference values. Finally, examples of instruments
for collecting each data are provided.
Key words: Soccer; Team sports; Tactics; Match analysis; Performance analysis.