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Small-sided games for young athletes: is game specificity influential?
Craig B Harrison1, Andrew E Kilding, Nicholas D Gill
1a Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand , AUT University , Auckland , New Zealand.
Journal of Sports Sciences
|September 11, 2013
Summary
Young athletes experienced higher physical and physiological demands during non-sport-specific small-sided games (SSGs) compared to soccer SSGs. This indicates that modified games may offer greater training intensity for developing athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Pediatric Sports Performance
Background:
- Small-sided games (SSGs) are widely used in youth sports training.
- Understanding the physiological and physical demands of different SSG formats is crucial for optimizing training.
- Comparing sport-specific and non-sport-specific SSGs can reveal differences in training load for young athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify and compare the physiological, physical, and technical demands of sport-specific (soccer) and non-sport-specific (bucketball) small-sided games (SSGs) in young male athletes.
- To evaluate the impact of game format (3 vs. 3 and 6 vs. 6) on these demands.
Main Methods:
- Ten male soccer players (13.0 ± 0.3 years) participated in 3 vs. 3 and 6 vs. 6 soccer and bucketball SSGs.
- Movement patterns and heart rate were measured using global positioning systems.
- Technical skill execution and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed via video analysis and the Borg scale.
Main Results:
- Non-sport-specific bucketball SSGs resulted in higher total distance, greater distance covered at higher speeds (7-17.9 km/h), and more successful technical executions compared to soccer SSGs.
- Physiological demands, including percentage of maximal heart rate (%HRpeak) and time spent above 90% HRpeak, were significantly higher during bucketball SSGs.
- The 6 vs. 6 bucketball format showed higher total distance at high speeds compared to the 3 vs. 3 format.
Conclusions:
- Young athletes experience greater physical and physiological workloads during non-sport-specific SSGs compared to sport-specific soccer SSGs.
- Modified, non-sport-specific SSGs may provide a more intense training stimulus for developing athletes.
- These findings have implications for designing effective training programs that manipulate SSG characteristics to target specific physiological and physical outcomes.
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