What do the Albatros looking for food, the Stockball fluctuations and the Movement of football teams? It might seem like a bizarre combination, yet it exists A mathematical element that binds these phenomena: the so -called Lévy Walka model of movement that combines Short and frequent movements with occasional longer leaps. A recent study conducted by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) revealed that the football teams move following this dynamic, as if they were a single coordinated body.
From fluids to playing fields: Lévy Walk’s path
The concept of Lévy Walk originates from mathematics and from the physics. It was the French mathematician Paul Lévy who first described this model, which was then applied in Numerous scientific areasfrom the dynamics of the fluids to the behavior of animals in near Of food. Scientists have discovered that this movement strategy is optimal to balance the exploration of new areas and the exploitation of the resources already known.
For example, an albatros in flight does not move randomly, But alternate shorter flights of flight with long journeys in which he looks for new sources of food. A similar principle applies to Particles behavior in turbulent fluids And even to investment choices in the stock market.
Footballers as balloons hunters
The innovative discovery of the Orist has shown that even i Professional footballers follow a Lévy Walk scheme. Analyzing a game of the J-leaguethe highest Japanese championship, the researchers have traced with millimeter precision i movements of the players and of the ball. Thus observed that i playerswhen I’m at search for ball possession, adopt a behavior similar to that of animals looking for food: They move with rapid movements to an area, and then launch in longer sudden shots.
Once obtained the balltheirs movement changes radicallyabandoning the Lévy Walk model e adapting to game dynamics and at needs tactics. But the most surprising discovery is that this same dynamic is observed not only in individual players, but in the entire team. The centeridor the Average point among all the players of the teamfollows the same scheme, suggesting that the team moves as a single coordinated entity.
This behavior suggests that the teams are not simply the sum of individual players, but act as a single body.
This phenomenon could be explained with the Inter-cerebral synchronizationa mechanism already observed in couples of individuals who cooperate strictly: when two people collaborate, their brain waves tend to synchronize, creating a mental connection that facilitates joint action.
The idea that a team can work as a collective brain It opens new perspectives on the study of human cognition and cooperation. It is possible that the players, even without realizing it, synchronize each other at the neural level, making their action on the pitch more fluid and harmonious.
Is it therefore for this reason that team sports are so passionate about it?
This discovery could also explain why team sports, and in particular the soccerarouse a universal charm. The ability of players to adapt and move as a unique entity could recall behavior patterns Atavicirooted in our evolution.
In fact, the Lévy Walk model has been observed in prehistoric and even in sea urchin fossils dating back to 50 million years ago. Maybe ours Attraction for football is linked to a primordial instinct: We see in the players the reflection of ancient survival and cooperation strategies.
This research not only throws new light on football dynamics, but also opens new horizons in the study of Collective behavior: We could apply these discoveries to sectors such as robotics, resource management and even the design of Artificial intelligences capable of advanced cooperation.
