COMPARISON OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO
DIFFERENT SMALL-SIDED GAMES IN ELITE YOUNG
SOCCER PLAYERS
YUSUF KÖKLÜ,1 ALPER ASx Cx I,2 FATMA ÜNVER KOCxAK,1 UTKU ALEMDAROĞLU,1
AND
UĞUR DÜNDAR1
1
Pamukkale University Schools of Sport Sciences and Technology, Denizli, Turkey; and 2Hacettepe University Schools of Sport
Sciences and Technology, Ankara, Turkey
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Köklü, Y, Asxc
xi, A, Koc
xak, FÜ, Alemdaroğlu, U, and Dündar, U.
Comparison of the physiological responses to different small-sided
games in elite young soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 25(6):
1522–1528, 2011—The purpose of this study was to compare the
blood lactate (La2), heart rate (HR) and percentage of maximum
HR (%HRmax) responses among the small-sided games (SSGs)
in elite young soccer players. Sixteen players (average age 15.7 6
0.4 years; height 176.8 6 4.6 cm; body mass 65.5 6 5.6 kg;
V_ O2max 53.1 6 5.9 mlkg21min21; HRmax 195.9 6 7.4 bmin21)
volunteered to perform the YoYo intermittent recovery test and
6 bouts of soccer drills including 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and
4-a-side games without a goalkeeper in random order at 2-day
intervals. The differences in La2, HR and %HRmax either among the
SSGs or among the bouts were identified using 4 3 6 (games 3
exercise bouts) 2-way analysis of variance with repeated measures.
Significant differences were found on La2, HR, and %HRmax
among the bouts (p # 0.05). The 3-a-side and 4-a-side games were
significantly higher than 1-a-side and 2-a-side games on HR and
%HRmax (p # 0.05), whereas the 1-a-side game significantly
resulted in higher La2 responses compared to other SSGs.
This study demonstrated that physiological responses during the
1-a-side and 2-a-side games were different compared to 3-a-side
and 4-a-side games. Therefore, it can be concluded that a
decreased number of players results in increased intensity during
SSGs including 6 bouts. These results suggest that coaches
should pay attention on choosing the SSG type and the number of
bouts to improve desired physical conditioning of elite young soccer
players in soccer training.
S
KEY WORDS aerobic fitness, high-intensity activity, heart rate,
relative maximum heart rate, blood lactate
Address correspondence to Yusuf Köklü, [email protected], yusufkoklu@
hotmail.com.
25(6)/1522–1528
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Ó 2011 National Strength and Conditioning Association
1522
the
occer, which requires jumping, shooting, challenges, turns, dribbles, sprints, controlling the ball
under pressure, running at different speeds, and
sliding tackles, is an aerobic-based anaerobic sport
(2,28). Because various movements are involved in this sport,
a number of factors such as technical ability and
endurance capacity are thought to affect the performance
on the pitch. Traditionally, most coaches have used
running drills without the ball to develop soccer players’
physical endurance (22). The justification for this is that
small-sided games (SSGs) have not been thought to
provide efficiently intensity of exercise to be able to
sufficiently develop the physiological mechanisms that
are important for endurance (10,15,21). However, it is
now thought that one can develop technical ability and
endurance in the same training period by using SSGs,
which both contribute to the level of physical exertion
and ensure a more efficient use of the training time
available (21). Field dimensions, the number of players,
game rules, and coach encouragement lead to changes in
time spent in high-intensity exercise, the distance
covered, and the reproducibility of SSGs (11,13,14,23).
Therefore, it is thought that these factors results in
different heart rates (HRs), percentage of maximum
HR (HRmax), and blood lactate (La2) responses during
SSGs (3,23).
In recent years, several studies have been carried out on
subjects to determine whether traditional running drills or
training adapted more specifically to soccer has positive
effects on endurance performance (15,25). In one of these
studies, Reilly and White (25) revealed that a 6-week
aerobic interval training and SSGs have a similar enhancement on anaerobic and aerobic endurance in junior
soccer players. Furthermore, Impellizzeri et al. (16)
showed that either SSGs or interval running drills
increases the match performance in junior soccer players.
Small-sided games are thought to be more suitable than
traditional interval training to develop the particular
physical characteristics required for matches because they
involve various movement types and patterns similar to
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METHODS
Experimental Approach to the Problem
Figure 1. YoYo intermittent recovery test.
those used in soccer (20). Gabbet and Mulvey (8) stated
that 3-a-side and 5-a-side SSGs simulate the highintensity activities and game-specific skill involvement
demands of international competition. Video analyses
indicate that a reduction in the number of players in SSGs
increases the amount of time spent during high-intensity
activities such as sprinting (10). Thus, Little and Williams
(22) stated that SSGs that involve more players such as 5-,
6-, 7-, and 8-a-side games can be used to develop the
anaerobic threshold (85–90% of HRmax), whereas 3-aside and 4-a-side games can be used to improve maximum
oxygen consumption (20).
Few studies compared the physiological responses in 1-aside, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-SSGs (3,18,19,26). Rampinini
et al. (23) revealed that increased pitch size during 3 bouts of
3-a-side, 4-a-side, 5-a-side, and 6-a-side games resulted in
increased HR and La2 responses in amateur soccer players.
Furthermore, Aroso et al. (3) found that as the number of
players on the same pitch size increased, La2 levels decreased
in 3 bouts of 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games, whereas
HR response in 3-a-side game was lower than 2-a-side and
4-a-side games. On the other hand, Kelly and Drust (19)
reported that changes in pitch size did not alter the HR
responses during the SSGs with 4 bouts including the same
number of players.
The number of exercise bouts in previous studies could be
other factor like the pitch size and the number of players on
HR and La2 responses. Therefore, the purpose of this study
was to investigate the HR and La2 responses during 1-a-side,
2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-SSGs including a large number of
exercise bouts.
Young soccer players participated in the anthropometric tests
(height, body mass, skinfold thickness, circumference measurements) followed by YoYo intermittent recovery test. Then,
6 bouts of 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side soccerspecific SSGs for each were performed in random order with
2 days interval. Each SSG was performed after a 20-minute
warm-up session, which consisted of low-intensity running,
striding, and stretching. The HRmax was determined during
the YoYo intermittent recovery test, whereas La2 concentrations and HRs were measured during each bouts of SSGs.
The YoYo intermittent recovery test and SSGs were carried
out on a synthetic grass pitch between the 4 and 6 PM. The
differences in La2, HRs, and percent of HRmaxs among the
SSGs and among the bouts were compared with 4 3 6 (SSGs
3 exercise bouts) 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with
repeated measures.
Subjects
Sixteen elite young soccer players volunteered (average age
15.7 6 0.4 years; height 176.8 6 4.6 cm; body mass 65.5 6 5.6
kg; V_ O2max 53.1 6 5.9 mlkg21min21; HRmax 195.9 6 7.4
bmin21) to participate in this study. All players with
minimum 6 years of training experience were the members
of the same young team competing in the first domestic
league. This study was approved by the Research Ethics
Committee of Pamukkale University, and was consistent with
the institutional ethical requirements for human experimentation in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The
subjects were fully informed about the procedures to be used
and the experimental risk. Written informed consent was
obtained from all the subjects and their parents or guardians.
Procedures
Anthropometric Measurements. The height of the soccer players
was measured by using a stadiometer with an accuracy of 61 cm
(SECA, Hamburg, Germany), and electronic scales (SECA) with
an accuracy of 60.1 kg was used to measure the body mass.
Skinfold thickness was measured with a Holtain skinfold
calipers (Hotain, Crymych, United Kingdom) which apply
a pressure of 10 gmm22 with
an accuracy of 62 mm. Gulick
anthropometric tape (Holtain)
with an accuracy of 61 mm
TABLE 1. Small-sided games’ bout duration, number of bouts, rest between bouts,
was used to measure the cirand pitch size.
cumference of the extremities.
Duration
Number of
Rest between
Pitch size (width
Diametric measurements were
(min)
bouts
bouts (min)
3 length) (m 3 m)
determined by using Harpenden calipers (Holtain) with an
1-a-Side
1
6
2
6 3 18
2-a-Side
2
6
2
12 3 24
accuracy of 6 1 mm. The
3-a-Side
3
6
2
18 3 30
soccer players’ somatotypes
4-a-Side
4
6
2
24 3 36
were then calculated using the
Heath–Carter formula, (7) and
the percentage of body fat was
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Physiological Responses
TABLE 3. The average La2, HR, and %HRmax for the
small-sided games.*†
TABLE 2. Soccer players’ physical and physiological
features.*
La2
(mmolL21)
Variable
Age (y)
15.7 6 0.4
Height (cm)
176.8 6 4.6
Body mass (kg)
65.5 6 5.6
Endomorphy
3.9 6 0.7
Mesomorphy
2.5 6 0.8
Ectomorphy
3.6 6 0.8
Percentage of body fat (%)
6.5 6 1.6
Maximal oxygen uptake (mlkg21min21) 53.1 6 5.9
Maximum heart rate (bmin21)
195.9 6 7.4
HR
(bmin21)
1-a-side 9.4 6 2.9‡ 168.6 6 8.8§
2-a-side 8.0 6 2.8 172.3 6
10.0§
3-a-side 7.5 6 2.5 181.7 6 6.9
4-a-side 7.2 6 2.7 179.3 6 8.4
%HRmax
86.1 6 4.2§
88.0 6 4.9§
92.8 6 4.1
91.5 6 3.6
*La2 = blood lactate; HR = heart rate; %HRmax =
percentage of maximum heart rate.
†Values are mean 6 SD.
‡Significant difference from the 3-a-side game, p ,
0.05.
§Significant difference from the 3-a-side and 4-a-side
games, p , 0.05.
*Values are given as mean 6 SD.
determined by the formula as suggested by Acxıkada et al. (1).
(formula 1).
Percentage of body fat : 14:2262 þ ð0:45118
triceps skinfold thicknessÞ
ð0:73706
suprailliac skinfold thickness 2Þ
þ ð0:42423
abdominal skinfold thicknessÞ
þ ð0:99375
wrist circumferenceÞ:
ð1Þ
YoYo Intermittent Recovery Test. The Yo-Yo intermittent
recovery test, level 1, consists of 20-m runs repeated twice,
which are back and forward between the starting, turning, and
finishing lines, and progressively increased speed is controlled
by audio bleeps from a tape recorder. The test was performed
on a synthetic grass field (Figure 1) in groups including 6
players in each group as suggested by Bangsbo et al. (4). The
HR was measured and stored using Polar S810 HR monitors
(Polar Electro OY, Kempele, Finland) throughout the test.
Stored data were transferred to the computer and filtered by
Polar Precision Performance SoftwareTM (PPP4, Finland). The
highest HR measurement was recorded as YoYo HRmax. The
V_ O2max value of the players was estimated from the YoYo
intermittent recovery test using formula 2 (5).
_ 2 max ¼ 24:8 þ ð0:014 maximum running
YoYoVo
distance in YoYo test ½mÞ:
ð2Þ
Small-Sided Games. Table 1 shows the pitch dimensions (23)
and the durations (22) of 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and
4-a-side games.
The soccer players were asked to put in the maximum effort
during the games. However, they were not informed how many
bouts they would be playing. Extra balls were placed in the goals
and along the boundary line surrounding the entire pitch to start
the game immediately after the ball was kicked out of the game
and the game started where the ball was out of the game.
TABLE 4. Heart rate values for the small-sided games in each bout.*
1-a-Side
Bout-1
Bout-2
Bout-3
Bout-4
Bout-5
Bout-6
159.6
167.9
171.6
170.7
170.7
171.3
6 13.6†
6 10.5
6 7.5
6 7.3
6 6.4
6 7.7
2-a-Side
158.4
171.8
172.3
178.5
175.6
177.3
6 14.8†
6 6.7
6 9.7
6 6.5
6 11.3
6 10.8
3-a-Side
177.0 6
183.1 6
182.8 6
179.3 6
182.8 6
185.3 6
6.4†
6.1
6.0
7.9
7.9
6.6
4-a-Side
171.6 6 7.4†
179.0 6 8.2
180.6 6 8.6
181.1 6 8.9
182.4 6 8.8
181.1 6 8.3
*Values are given as mean 6 SD.
†Significant difference from the other 5 bouts, p , 0.05.
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Moreover, verbal encouragement was given by the coaches
throughout the games. Twominute rest periods were given
between the bouts and during
the first minute of these periods
blood samples were taken from
the players’ earlobes (22).
Twenty-five microliters of blood
samples was kept in YSI Preservative Kits (Code 2315, YSI
Incorporated Life Sciences, Yellow Springs, OH, USA) during
the games. Once the games were
finished, lactic acid analyses were
carried out by YSI 1500 SPORT
lactate analyzer (YSI Incorporated Life Sciences). The calibration of the analyzer was done
according to the manufacturer’s
instructions (17). The HR was
stored by Polar S810 HR monitors (Polar Electro OY)
throughout the games and transferred to the computer and
filtered by Polar Precision Performance SoftwareTM (PPP4,
Finland). The average HRs during the game period were calculated by this software for each
bout. The mean HR for the SSG
was calculated by taking the
means of the 6 bouts played
(HRbout). The %HRmax was
then calculated by formula 3
for each bout of SSGs.
Figure 2. Heart rate responses of the soccer players for the 6 bouts played in the 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and
4-a-side games.
Figure 3. Percentage of maximum heart rate responses of the soccer players for the 6 bouts played in the 1-a-side,
2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games.
TABLE 5. Percentage of maximum heart rate values for the small-sided games in each bout.*
1-a-Side
Bout-1
Bout-2
Bout-3
Bout-4
Bout-5
Bout-6
81.4
85.7
87.6
87.2
87.2
87.5
6 6.3†
6 4.5
6 4.0
6 3.5
6 2.6
6 4.2
2-a-Side
80.9
87.7
87.9
91.2
89.7
90.5
6 7.5†
6 3.4
6 4.3
6 3.5
6 5.2
6 5.3
3-a-Side
90.4
93.5
93.4
91.7
93.4
94.6
6 3.0†
6 4.0
6 4.2
6 6.0
6 4.0
6 3.2
4-a-Side
87.6
91.4
92.2
92.4
93.1
92.4
6 4.3†
6 4.0
6 3.1
6 2.9
6 3.6
6 3.4
*Values are given as mean 6 SD.
†Significant difference from the other 5 bouts, p , 0.05.
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Physiological Responses
TABLE 6. Blood lactate values for the small-sided games in each bout.*
1-a-Side
Bout-1
Bout-2
Bout-3
Bout-4
Bout-5
Bout-6
5.9 6
8.8 6
9.7 6
10.6 6
11.0 6
10.5 6
2-a-Side
1.4†
2.4
3.0
3.2
3.6
3.5
6.3 6
7.3 6
7.3 6
8.7 6
9.5 6
9.2 6
2.8†
2.9
3.0
3.2
2.4
2.5
3-a-Side
5.3 6
7.4 6
8.3 6
7.6 6
8.0 6
8.4 6
1.4†
2.5
2.4
2.6
2.8
3.1
4-a-Side
5.0 6 1.3†
7.2 6 2.5
8.2 6 3.2
7.6 6 3.0
8.1 6 3.4
7.8 6 2.7
*Values are given as mean 6 SD.
†Significant difference from the other 5 bouts, p , 0.05.
The average of La2, HR, and %HRmax of the soccer
%HRmax : ðHRbout=YoYo HRmaxÞ3100:
ð3Þ
players in the 6 bouts of each SSG are shown in Table 3. The
lowest HR and %HRmax responses (168.6 6 8.8 bmin21,
Statistical Analyses
86.1 6 4.2%, respectively) were found in 1-a-side game,
All statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS Statistical
whereas the 3-a-side game results in the highest HR and
Analysis Software (SPSS Version 15.0 for Windows, SPSS
%HRmax responses (181.7 6 6.9 bmin21, 92.8 6 4.1%,
2
Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The HR, %HRmax and La means
respectively). The lowest La2 response (7.2 6 2.7 mmolL21)
over the 6 bouts for the 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4was found in 4-a-side game, whereas the highest one
a-side SSGs were calculated. The differences among the
(9.4 6 2.9 mmolL21) was found 1-a-side game.
SSGs and among the bouts were compared with 4 3 6 (SSGs
The comparison of the SSGs and the bouts played in terms
3 exercise bouts) 2-way ANOVA with repeated measures.
of HR are shown in Table 4. There was a significant interaction
Bonferroni Post Hoc test was applied to make a pairwise
effect on HR (F(3,45): 3.063; p # 0.05 and h2 = 0.170), main
comparison among the different levels of within subjects
effect for the SSGs (F(3,45): 24.759; p # 0.05 and h2 = 0.623)
factor (SSGs and exercise bout). The level of statistical
and main effect for the bouts (F(5,75): 34.199; p # 0.05 and h2
significance was set at p # 0.05.
= 0.695). Post hoc analysis showed that HR during 1-a-side
and 2-a-side games was higher than that during the 3-a-side
RESULTS
and 4-a-side games. In addition, the HR response during the
first bout was significantly lower compared to the other 5
The participants’ physical and physiological data are set out in
bouts as shown in Figure 2.
Table 2.
Table 5 shows the comparison of the SSGs and the bouts
in terms of %HRmax. There
was a significant interaction
effect on %HRmax F(3,45):
3.046 p # 0.05 and h2
= 0.169), main effect for the
SSGs (F(3,45): 24.929; p # 0.05
and h2 = 0.624) and main effect
for the bouts (F(5,75): 34.139;
p # 0.05 and h2 = 0.695). Post
hoc analysis showed that the 1a-side and 2-a-side games result
in a higher %HRmax compared
to the 3-a-side and 4-a-side
games. In addition, %HRmax
response during the first bout
was significantly lower than
Figure 4. Blood lactate responses of the soccer players for the 6 bouts played in the 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side,
that during the other 5 bouts
and 4-a-side games.
as shown in Figure 3.
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The comparison of the SSGs and the bouts played in terms
of La2 is shown in Table 6. There were a significant
interaction effect on La2 (F(3,45): 2.554; p # 0.05 and h2 =
0.145), main effect for the SSGs (F(3,45): 4.915; p # 0.05 and
h2 = 0.247) and main effect for the bouts (F(5,75): 31.613; p #
0.05 and h2 = 0.678). Post hoc analysis showed that La2
during the 1-a-side game was higher than that during the 2-aside, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games; however, lactate responses
in the 1-a-side game was significantly different compared to
the 3-a-side game. Figure 3 shows the La2 responses in 6
bouts during SSGs. The first bout was significantly lower
compared to the other 5 bouts as shown in Figure 4.
DISCUSSION
Many soccer teams use running drills without the ball to
develop players’ endurance performance. However, studies
carried out in recent years have indicated that using SSGs that
are specifically adapted to soccer can also help the
improvement in endurance capacity (21). Small-sided games,
which are generally used with soccer players under the age of
15 with the aim of improving technique and tactics, are also
used with those over 15 to develop high-intensity aerobic
endurance performance. These games are played on different
pitch sizes, with different number of players and periods of
time. Factors such as enlarging or decreasing the playing area,
increasing or reducing the number of players, changing the
rules (e.g., one touch play, controlled passing, etc.), and the
coach encouragement are thought to affect the number of
contact with the ball and the exercise intensity (23). On the
other hand, other factors such as the inability to concentrate
on the game, inactivity of the players who are in any position
far from the ball, discontinuity of the game because of leaving
the ball outside the pitch area and insufficient tackling may
lead to a lower level of intensity than planned during the
game. Hoff et al. (15) found that HR and %HRmax are
reliable ways of establishing the exercise intensity carried out
on SSGs. In this study, exercise intensity is determined by
HR, percent of HRmax, and La2 level during the 6 bouts of
the 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games. The
results demonstrated that the 3-a-side and 4-a-side games
were significantly higher than the 1-a-side and 2-a-side
games in HR and %HRmax, whereas the 1-a-side game
resulted in significantly higher La2 responses compared to
that in other SSGs. Furthermore, significant differences were
also found in La2, HR, and %HRmax among the bouts.
Aroso et al. (3) reported that as the number of players
increases in the unaltered pitch size, HR and %HRmax
responses among the SSGs are statistically different. Similar
to Aroso et al.’s results, Sampaio et al (26) concluded that HR
responses are different in the unaltered pitch size during
SSGs including a different number of players and game
durations. In contrast to these studies, Little and Williams
(21) found that as the pitch size and the number of players
increase, HR and %HRmax responses decrease during SSGs
in English professional soccer players. This study
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demonstrates that HR and %HRmax responses are significantly different among the 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and
4-a-side games. One of the critical reasons is that an increased
number of players might cause insufficient involvement in the
game played with and without the ball. Furthermore, relative
pitch size may be another reason on HR and %HRmax
responses. When the pitch size per player is increased, the
intensity and the involvement into the game might be
decreased. This study also demonstrated that HR and
%HRmax during the first bout were lower compared to the
other 5 bouts in all SSGs. This finding is similar to the results
of the study of Kelly and Drust (19). They revealed that HR
responses to the first bout in all 4-a-side games played on
different pitch sizes were lower than those of subsequent
bouts. Moreover, Rampinini et al. (24) also found that the
lowest HR response during the 4 bouts of the 4-a-side games
was given to the first bouts in young soccer players.
Small-sided game training that plans to achieve 90–95% of
HRmax is intended to work on the anaerobic threshold. It is
not possible to do this kind of work for long periods without
breaks because lactate build up increases in the muscles and
especially in the blood (12,15). Small-sided games involve
a great deal of high-intensity bouts of a short duration such as
short sprints, tackling, and sliding. In this type of exercises,
the anaerobic metabolism is known to meet the energy
demands of the muscle more intensely. The number of
contacts with the ball, the number of tackles, and the La2
responses increase especially in SSGs including fewer
players. Aroso et al. (3) found that La2 decreases as the
number of players increases at unaltered pitch size during
SSGs. In the other study including different methodology,
Rampinini et al. (23) reported that an increase in pitch size
entails an increase in La2 as parallel with the results of Aroso
et al.’s (3) study. This study demonstrates that the 1-a-side,
2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games are significantly
different in La2 responses as shown in the above studies.
Furthermore, the 1-a-side game results in significantly higher
La2 responses compared to those in other games. Therefore,
it can be concluded that the 1-a-side game is more anaerobic
than the 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games. This study
also demonstrated that the La2 response during the first bout
was significantly higher than that in the other 5 bouts in all
SSGs. This result indicates that physiological impact is
increased because of a large number of bouts especially in
1-a-side and 2-a-side games. It is thought that the highintensity–repeated activities, which do not allow for the
complete recovery, results in a decreased level of creatine–
phosphate store in working muscle and increased La2
concentration in subsequent bouts than in the first bout
(9). Seiler and Hetlelid (27) showed that La2 concentration
reached 4 mmolL21 immediately after the first bout and
continued to rise slowly to an average of 6–7 mmolL21 at the
end of the sixth bout during high-intensity interval running.
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that 1-a-side and
2-a-side games bring about different physiological responses
VOLUME 25 | NUMBER 6 | JUNE 2011 |
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Physiological Responses
from 3-a-side and 4-a-side games. Therefore, it can be
concluded that a decreased number of players results in
increased intensity during SSGs. Furthermore, the physiological impact increases because of a large number of bouts
during SSGs including a decreased number of players in elite
young soccer players.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The results of this study show that physiological responses are
different during 6 bouts of SSGs. Higher HR and lower La2
concentration are found in 3-a-side and 4-a-side games rather
than in 1-a-side and 2-a-side games. This indicates that
especially the 1-a-side game has higher lactic anaerobic
characteristics compared to other SSGs, whereas 3-a-side
and 4-a-side games have greater aerobic characteristics.
Therefore, it can be concluded that 3-a-side and 4-a-side
games could be more effective in improving high-intensity
aerobic performance than 1-a-side and 2-a-side games, which
could be more appropriate in developing anaerobic performance. Furthermore, the 1-a-side game could be frequently
used to improve lactate tolerance compared to the 2-a-side
game. In addition to this, the physiological impact increases
because of a large number of bouts during SSGs. For
example, HRs during the sixth bouts of 1-a-side and 2-a-side
games are similar within the first bouts of 3-a-side and
4-a-side games. On the other hand, La2 concentrations
during the second bouts of 1-a-side and 2-a-side games are
similar within the sixth bouts of 3-a-side and 4-a-side games.
Therefore, the results of this study suggest that coaches
should pay attention to choosing the SSG type and the
number of bouts to improve desired physical conditioning of
elite young soccer players in soccer training.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was supported by Pamukkale University Scientific
Research Projects Unit.
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