Effects of a small‑sided games training program in youth male soccer players: variations of the locomotor profile while interacting with baseline level and with the accumulated load
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
BMC
Materia
Football Drill-based games Heart rate Global positioning systems Athletic performance Physical fitness
Date
2022-11-23Referencia bibliográfica
Silva, A.F... [et al.]. Effects of a small-sided games training program in youth male soccer players: variations of the locomotor profile while interacting with baseline level and with the accumulated load. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 14, 198 (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00595-y]
Sponsorship
Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology; EU funds UIDB/50008/2020Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to (1) analyze the impact of a small-sided game training program in the locomotor profile
of youth male soccer players (while interacting with the baseline level – higher and lower level); and (2) test the
relationships between variation in locomotor profile and the accumulated demands in 3v3, 5v5 and match over the
period of observation.
Methods: The cohort lasted 3-weeks. Twenty under-17 male amateur soccer players (16.8 ± 0.41 years; experience:
6.35 ± 0.67 years) were assessed twice for their final velocity at 30−15 intermittent fitness test (VIFT), peak speed at
30-m sprint test (PSS) and anaerobic speed reserve (ASR). The PSS was estimated using a Global Positioning System,
while the VIFT was estimated using the maximum level attained by the players during the test. Based on the baseline
levels, the scores were standardized using the Z-score. The total score of athleticism (TSA) was calculated per player to
organize the players into two groups: lower TSA and higher TSA. Over the three weeks of observation, the small-sided
games of 3v3 and 5v5 and match demands were monitored using polar team pro. The heart rate responses (mean
and peak), distance covered (overall and split by speed thresholds), and peak speed in these games were obtained
and summed over the weeks. The repeated measures ANCOVA tested the variations (time) of the locomotor profile of
players while considering the baseline as covariable and the group as a factor. The Pearson-product correlation test
analyzed the relationships between variations in locomotor profile (Δ, post-baseline) and the accumulated demands
in 3v3, 5v5, and match.
Results: Between-groups analysis (lower TSA vs. higher TSA) revealed no significant differences on VIFT (p = 0.915),
PSS (p = 0.269), ASR (p = 0.258) and TSA score (p = 0.138). Within-group (baseline vs. post-observation) analysis
revealed significant difference on VIFT (p < 0.001), PSS (p = 0.008), while no significant differences were found on ASR
(p = 0.949) and TSA score (p = 0.619). Significant correlations were found between ΔPSS and match total distance (r = 0.444; p = 0.050), match Z2 (r = 0.481; p = 0.032) and match Z3 (r = 0.454; p = 0.044). Significant correlations
were found between ΔTSA and match total distance (r = 0.457; p = 0.043), match Z1 (r = 0.451; p = 0.046), match Z2
(r = 0.500; p = 0.025) and match Z3 (r = 0.468; p = 0.037).
Conclusion: Significant improvements were observed after the period of observation. However, the fitness baseline
level and the accumulated training load in the small-sided games seem to have no significant impact on the
observed improvements.