Introdução: Pequenos jogos são utilizados no treinamento de jogadores de futebol porque replicam as demandas técnicas, táticas, físicas e fisiológicas num contexto semelhante ao do jogo. Contudo, não se sabe se esse modo de treinamento é suficiente para demandar as especificidades observadas no jogo com relação ao estatuto posicional. Objetivo: Comparar a demanda física de defensores, meio-campistas e atacantes durante a realização de pequenos jogos de futebol. Métodos: Dezoito jovens jogadores de futebol (16,4 anos) participaram do estudo, divididos em seis equipes compostas por um defensor, um meio-campista e um atacante. Realizaram-se seis sessões de coleta de dados constituídas por duas séries de quatro minutos com quatro minutos de pausa passiva. Utilizou-se equipamento de GPS de 15 Hz para coleta das informações. Os dados foram analisados por meio da ANOVA One-way e teste de Kruskal-Wallis, com nível de significância em 5%. Resultados: Observou-se diferença significativa na demanda física de jogadores de diferentes estatutos posicionais. Meio-campistas percorreram maior percentual da distância em velocidades superiores, enquanto defensores apresentaram distância total reduzida, aumento da distância na velocidade inferior e redução na realização de ações de aceleração. Conclusão: Demandas físicas variam durante a realização de pequenos jogos em função do estatuto posicional.Descritores: futebol; desempenho atlético; educação física e treinamento. ABSTRACT Introduction: Small-sided games are used during soccer players' training because they replicate the technical, tactical, physical, and physiological demands in a context similar to the game. However, it is not known if this training method is sufficient to demand the specificities observed in the game in relation to

-This study aimed to compare the tactical behavior of U-15 soccer players over a season. Sixteen high-level athletes (mean age 14.5 years) from the city of Belo Horizonte participated in the study. Athletes were monthly evaluated by means of the field test using the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer -FUTSAT, which allowed the characterization of the incidence of tactical principles and place of action in the game field, as well as the percentage of positive offensive and defensive tactical principles. Data were analyzed by Friedman's test (incidence of tactical principles and place of the action) and one-way ANOVA for repeated measures (percentage of positive tactical principles), adopting significance level of p<0.05. Results showed differences in the incidence of offensive and defensive units tactical principle, as well as the place of actions in the game field. An improvement in offensive and defensive tactical behavior was also observed throughout the season.

Purpose. the study analysed the responses from different training load monitoring tools in the elite U-20 soccer category and checked the level of association between these responses. Methods. the participants were 10 elite male soccer players (age, 18.61 ± 0.95 years; height, 176.81 ± 5.03 cm; body mass, 70.32 ± 8.41 kg). the progressive test to exhaustion assessed maximum oxygen consumption and maximum heart rate. the athletes were monitored over 15 training sessions with a heart-rate-based method (Edwards) and mechanical load indicators obtained from GPS devices (15 Hz). Results. Individual training load was calculated with the Foster's session rating of perceived exertion (session-rPE) procedure. A significant correlation was found between session-rPE and Edwards (0.564, p < 0.05). there were no significant correlations between session-rPE and average speed (-0.161), average heart rate of the training session (-0.187), distance over 20 km/h (0.006), or number of accelerations performed in different zones (-0.194,-0.178,-0.171,-0.236). the Edwards method showed significant correlations with the total distance (0.642, p < 0.01), average heart rate (0.333, p < 0.01), and distances covered at 0-20 km/h (0.634, p < 0.01; 0.568, p < 0.01; 0.424, p < 0.01; 0.289, p < 0.01; 0.201, p < 0.015). there were no significant correlations between Edwards and average speed (0.158), distance over 20 km/h (0.014), number of accelerations performed in different zones (-0.194,-0.178,-0.171,-0.236), or number of normalized accelerations (-0.118,-0.038,-0.058,-0.035). Conclusions. the Edwards method and session-rPE are limited load monitoring tools to indicate the reality of training situations (high-intensity action with recovery intervals).

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-Small-sided games are used for the training of soccer athletes because they replicate the physical and technical demands in a game-related context. Different game configurations are possible, such as differences in the number of players, i.e., 3vs.3 or 4vs.4. However, unbalanced situations are common during a competition, but have been little studied in small-sided games. This study compared the physical demands of 3vs.3, 4vs.3 (additional player in the attacking team) and 3vs.3+2 (two supporting players around the field). Eighteen young male soccer players participated in the study. Data were obtained with a 15-Hz GPS unit equipped with a 100-Hz triaxial accelerometer. Thirty-six smallsided games were observed and each session consisted of two 4-minute small-sided games and 4 minutes of passive rest. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test, one-way ANOVA for repeated measures and paired t-test were used to analyze the data. A reduction in physical demands was observed for small-sided games performed in unbalanced situations (4vs.3), including a shorter total distance covered, distance covered at higher intensities, and acceleration demands. Similar results were observed for additional players compared to regular players. In conclusion, the presence of additional players changed the physical demands of soccer players. This result permits coaches to adjust training configurations to their intentions during each session.

This study aimed to analyze the intersession reliability of global positioning system (GPS-based) distances and accelerometer-based (acceleration) variables in small-sided soccer games (SSG) with and without the offside rule, as well as compare variables between the tasks. Twenty-four high-level U-17 soccer athletes played 3 versus 3 (plus goalkeepers) SSG in two formats (with and without the offside rule). SSG were performed on eight consecutive weeks (4 weeks for each group), twice a week. The physical demands were recorded using a GPS with an embedded triaxial accelerometer. GPS-based variables (total distance, average speed, and distances covered at different speeds) and accelerometer-based variables (Player Load™, root mean square of the acceleration recorded in each movement axis, and the root mean square of resultant acceleration) were calculated. Results showed that the inclusion of the offside rule reduced the total distance covered (large effect) and the distances covered at moderate speed zones (7–12.9 km/h – moderate effect; 13–17.9 km/h – large effect). In both SSG formats, GPS-based variables presented good to excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients – ICC > 0.62) and accelerometer-based variables presented excellent reliability (ICC values > 0.89). Based on the results of this study, the offside rule decreases the physical demand of 3 versus 3 SSG and the physical demands required in these SSG present high intersession reliability.