Influence of floaters and positional status on players’ tactical, physical, and physiological responses in soccer small-sided games

Abstract

Purpose. small-sided games (ssG) with floaters are frequently adopted during the training process of soccer players. However, no study has previously investigated how the rules imposed to these additional players impact the physical, tactical, and physiological responses of the regular players. this study aimed to analyse the influence of the number of floaters on players' tactical behaviour, physical demands, and physiological responses in soccer ssGs and to compare these variables between players with different positional statuses. Methods. Overall, 32 U-13 (n = 16) and U-14 (n = 16) players participated in this study, performing four 4-minute 3 vs. 3 ssGs in both 1-floater and 2-floater formats. the frequency of core tactical principles, time-motion variables, and heart rate were used to describe the game multifactorial phenomenon. Results. results showed an increased number of tactical actions of delays, defensive coverage, and width and length without ball actions in the 2-floater ssG without differences in physical demands or physiological response. Midfielders presented higher frequencies of penetration and offensive coverage, and lower frequencies of actions of width and length without the ball. there were also higher physical and physiological responses in midfielders. Conclusions. In conclusion, the 2-floater 3 vs. 3 format may be an important pedagogical strategy to promote a higher ball circulation pattern during ssGs. Midfielders are the most demanded players tactically, physically, and physiologically in 3 vs. 3 ssGs with floaters.

Influence of non-scorer floater and numerical superiority on novices’ tactical behaviour and skill efficacy during basketball small-sided games

“…In addition, Praça et al. 17 showed a decrease in players’ physical and physiological responses in SSGs with non-scorer floaters. Non-scorer floaters can also facilitate individual and group tactical actions, as they work as supporting players to offence when there is high defensive pressure.…”

“…5 , 15 In addition to numerical superiority, the floater may also be forbidden to score points (non-scorer floater), acting only as an offensive support player, as investigated in soccer. 16 , 17 The results obtained by Padilha et al. 16 show that non-scorer floaters facilitate offensive actions such as ball circulation.…”

Small-Sided Soccer Games with Larger Relative Areas Result in Higher Physical and Physiological Responses: A Systematic and Meta-Analytical Review

“…Coaches and physical trainers can achieve specific training goals by modifying SSG configurations such as rules, the number of players per team, pitch size (length x width), and the playing area, according to the expected responses from each SSG format. For example, the use of floaters has been reported to increase a team’s ability to improve ball possession ( Praça et al, 2020 ) and the 2-touch rule increased the team’s cooperation ( Sousa et al, 2019 ). From a physical point of view, the reduction in the number of players per team results in higher exercise intensity with accompanying increases in blood lactate concentration ( Köklü et al, 2011 ).…”

How modifications in goals in small-sided and conditioned games in soccer influence the tactical actions of young soccer players

“…the manipulation of the task constraints can pro-voke the emergence of individual [8,9] and collective behaviour patterns [10]. Accordingly, SSCGs offer different possibilities to change the objective of training exercise by manipulating task constraints [11,12]. Amongst these constraints, modifying targets has been a widely utilized solution for coaches to develop inherent aspects to the game [3].…”