What’s the benefit of small-sided game on youth soccer athletes?

Introduction

The aerobic system is no doubt one of the main factors that could affect the performance of soccer games. A well-developed aerobic fitness could help soccer players to maintain their capacity to perform high-intensity actions [1]. Also, one of the functions of the aerobic system was the recovery of fatigue [1]. Thus, it is safe to say that aerobic fitness is truly important for soccer athletes.

Interval training was one of the methods that have been backed up by research that could significantly increase VO2max [2]. Small-sided games (SSG) is another method that was shown to be equally effective in developing endurance capacity. In addition, due to the involvement of ball movement, technique and tactic, it was suggested that training with SSG could facilitate in improving soccer-related performance. This article will focus on studies that compare the effectiveness of SSG and other training methods on youth soccer players.

Review

7 studies meet the criteria of this review (Table 1). 6 studies have measured the effect of SSG on endurance performance, 5 out of 6 showed that SSG was as effective as running and interval training [3–7]. The only study demonstrated SSG was less effective is done by Eniseler et al, which found that training with repeated-sprint training could improve Yo-Yo IR1 more than SSG. Such a contradiction of finding with other studies can be explained by the fact that the repeated-sprint training used in this study involved changes of direction in 45° and 90°, which could affect the performance of the Yo-Yo test.

In terms of soccer-related tests, half of the studies demonstrated that SSG could induce greater improvement in soccer-related technique [3,6–8]. Radziminski et al and Eniseler et al showed that SSG group demonstrated improvement in rotation pass from the corner of penalty are and short passing. On the contrary, Jastrzebski et al have found that SSG group did not show significant superior improvement in the DFB test. The author suggested that the reason why no difference was found is due to the fact that the experiment was conducted right after a 5-week preparatory period when players developed their skills and technique. Impellizeri et al [3] found that no group x time effect was found in time-motion analysis of soccer match and soccer-related skill [3]. Yet, it should be noted that the soccer-specific test used in this study was Ekbolm’s circuit, which did not involve moving with a ball. Potentially this could be the reason why no group x time effect in the soccer-specific test was found in this study.

The review also found that training with SSG would not elicit superior results compared to other training methods regarding sprints and jump performance. 3 studies have compared SSG with interval running program and found no group x time effect [4,6,8]. The other study compared with pre-planned change of direction (COD) training and showed that COD training is more effective in inducing improvement in sprinting [9]. Chaouachi et al [9] also demonstrated that COD training can elicit greater improvement in jump and pre-planned COD. On the other hand, training with SSG can induce better positive effect in tests involved ball movement (COD with ball and reactive agility test with ball).

Table 1. Review of literatures

Before concluding which one is better, few things should be considered…

- All of the studies reviewed did not mention the training load of daily soccer practice, which could certainly affect soccer-specific skills and endurance performance.

- The setting of SSG varies among studies, the size of the court, players involved, work: rest ratio and rules could all affect the outcome.

- The studies did not quantify and compare the working load of SSG and other training methods with a unified method (e.g. training impulse), thus hard to tell would the outcome change if the training load remains the same.

Take home message from Sheng

SSG and interval training seems to be equally effective in improving aerobic capacity. An additional benefit of SSG would be the improvement of soccer-specific skills. SSG could be an effective method for youth athletes when considering both physical and psychological aspects since Los Arcos et al [5] did suggest that SSG is more enjoyable. Yet, it should be noted that Faude et al [4] did point out that high-intensity interval training requires only 63% of the duration of SSG. SSG has limited effects on improving sprint, jump, and pre-planned COD. Coaches should consider implementing other training methods to focus on these fitness characteristics.

Reference

1 Di Salvo V, Baron R, Tschan H, et al. Performance characteristics according to playing position in elite soccer. Int J Sports Med 2007;28:222–7. doi:10.1055/s-2006-924294

2 Orange S, Smith A. Evidence-based strength and conditioning in soccer. Heal Fit J Canada 2016;9:21–37.

3 Impellizzeri FM, Marcora SM, Castagna C, et al. Physiological and performance effects of generic versus specific aerobic training in soccer players. Int J Sports Med 2006;27:483–92. doi:10.1055/s-2005-865839

4 Faude O, Steffen A, Kellmann M, et al. The effect of short-term interval training during the competitive season on physical fitness and signs of fatigue: A crossover trial in high-level youth football players. Int. J. Sports Physiol. Perform. 2014;9:936–44. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2013-0429

5 Los Arcos A, Vázquez JS, Martín J, et al. Effects of small-sided games vs. interval training in aerobic fitness and physical enjoyment in young elite soccer players. PLoS One 2015;10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0137224

6 Radziminski L, Rompa P, Barnat W, et al. A comparison of the physiological and technical effects of high-intensity running and small-sided games in young soccer players. Int J Sport Sci Coach 2013;8:455–65. doi:10.1260/1747-9541.8.3.455

7 Eniseler N, Şahan Ç, Özcan I, et al. High-Intensity Small-Sided Games versus Repeated Sprint Training in Junior Soccer Players. J Hum Kinet 2017;60:101–11. doi:10.1515/hukin-2017-0104

8 Jastrzebski Z, Barnat W, Dargiewicz R, et al. Effect of in-season generic and soccer-specific high-intensity interval training in young soccer players. Int J Sport Sci Coach 2014;9:1169–79. doi:10.1260/1747-9541.9.5.1169

9 Chaouachi A, Chtara M, Hammami R, et al. Multidirectional sprints and small-sided games training effect on agility and change of direction abilities in youth soccer. J Strength Cond Res 2014;28:3121–7. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000505