Between-format differences and variability of technical actions during small-sided soccer games played by young players

Abstract

Purpose. This study purposes were: (i) to analyse variations of individual frequencies of technical actions between two small-sided game (SSG) formats (3 × 3 and 6 × 6) in under-8 soccer players; (ii) to test the variability of technical actions executed by very young players during 3 × 3 and 6 × 6 SSG formats. Methods. Overall, 12 young male football players (age: 7.58 ± 0.5 years; practice: 2.5 ± 0.5 years) from the same Portuguese team voluntarily participated in the study. both 3 × 3 and 6 × 6 formats were played twice, interspaced by one week, to test the variability of technical actions. Codification of actions involved conquered balls (Cb), received balls (Rb), lost balls (Lb), attacking balls (Ab), neutral balls (Nb), not-succeeded shots (NSS), and succeeded shots (SS). Results. The magnitudes of technical actions variability were small, with the exception of shots, which were moderately-tolargely variable. between-formats analyses revealed almost certain very large decreases from 6 × 6 to 3 × 3 in the individual frequencies of Rb (-45.7% [-51.0;-39.9],

The effects of small-sided soccer games on technical actions and skills: A systematic review

“…An interesting finding is related to the variability associated with technical actions across games (6.8-19.3% coefficient of variation) [19]. This is one of the concerns related to SSGs in youth, considering that recent studies have also revealed similarly considerable inter-and intra-session variability among youth players [5,54]. Also, in studies conducted in under-10 players [22] and professional players [21], small SSGs were associated with meaningful changes in determinant actions, such as passes, receptions, and possessions.…”

“…The inclusion criteria for the articles were: (1) relevant data concerning technical actions; (2) participants included any age group or competitive level; (3) only men were included; (4) only studies conducted in soccer players; (5) only studies published in English; and (6) only full articles. The following exclusion criteria were applied: (1) studies in women; (2) studies conducted in physical education contexts; (3) non-English articles; (4) conference abstracts, letters to the editor, errata, narrative reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or invited commentaries; (5) studies that did not include relevant data for this study or aroused serious concerns about the methodology; and (6) studies without analysis of technical actions.…”

“…Moreover, it is also possible at the same time to develop tactical behaviours and technical actions, providing consequences in psychobiological responses during games [4]. Such multidimen-sional effects of SSGs on players' acute responses make these games highly popular and often used by coaches for players of different age groups, experience levels, and competitive levels [5,6].…”

“…That is, players are exposed to given task conditions that augment their perceptions of specific behaviours without having to repeat mechanical actions, which is often the case in analytical training (i.e., skill-based drills) [8]. Naturally, because the dynamics of the game is maintained during SSGs, the games influence the emergence of different adaptive behaviours during the game, thus leading to a low-to-moderate reproducibility of the technical actions performed during SSGs [5]. Nevertheless, it is expected that changes in different task conditions may have different effects on players' technical performance.…”

“…However, conditions should be manipulated carefully. In research on SSGs, the following variables are commonly manipulated [1]: (1) format of play (i.e., the number of players involved and the numerical relationship between teams); (2) pitch size (i.e., the width and length of the pitch and their relationship, the relative mean area per player, and the restrictions or configurations of the pitch); (3) goal characteristics (i.e., the use of either formal or smaller goals with or without goalkeepers and the use of different scoring methods); (4) rule modifications (e.g., limiting the number of consecutive touches on the ball allowed; using or not using the offside rule; the use of different types of defensive markings); (5) training regimen (i.e., the work-to-rest relationship); and (6) coach encouragement (i.e., the verbal stimulation of coaches during SSGs). However, other possible task constraints have also been researched during SSGs, namely the influences of age, skill level, tactical knowledge, physical status, or mental fatigue on players [9][10][11].…”