Physiological Response of the Performance of Young Football Players During Small-Sided Games

The main aim of the present study was to examine the cardiovascular response, time-motion characteristics, game performance and rated of perceived exertion (RPE) during small-sided games (SSGs) with different number of players. The research group consisted of elite youth male soccer players (n = 18) (aged 16.5 ±0.71 years, maximum heart rate (HR_max) 196.42 ±5.31 beats.min⁻¹) from the FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda U17 soccer club. Cardiovascular response measurements included heart rate (HR) expressed in minimum, mean and maximum values and time spent in different intensity zones. Total distance covered, high intensity running and the number of accelerations and decelerations were captured by GPS. Individual game performance and the number of technical-tactical actions were recorded during every SSGs. After the game time we collected the ratings of perceived exertion scores from each player. Results showed that SSG with small number of players (3 vs. 3) triggered the highest HR response with mean value 168.00 ±8.48 beats.min⁻¹, players spent the most time in maximal intensity zone 0:09:06 minutes, of SSG duration. This format of SSG was the mostintense for the players´ cardiovascular system, but we can’t find statistically significant differences between the HR values in SSGs. External load was the most demanding in SSG1 too, like in internal load. The highest scores in individual game performance were recorded in SSG2. In RPE scores SSG1 was the most difficult from the players point of view. In conclusion, the present research demonstrates the effectiveness of SSG1 in training sessions. Therefore, the coaching staff has the possibility to choose between SSGs during training sessions according to their physical, technical, tactical and psychological objectives.