No abstract

Small-sided games (SSGs) are frequently used in football training programs and their design has been analyzed in scientific literature. The aim of this study was to analyze differences in the mechanical and physiological demands of football SSGs with various configurations over an effective time of 6 min through the application of GPS/GNSS technology, heart rate monitoring, and player self-perceived effort. Thirty football players (21.59 ± 4.35 years, 72.74 ± 9.01 kg, and 178.16 ± 0.93 cm) completed 138 recordings during MD-3 sessions (matchday-3, 76 h pre-match) using Catapult OptimEye S5 devices, synchronized with the Polar system. The training structure was similar for all measurements. Analyses and comparisons were made using a total of ten training tasks and six study variables (dimensions, orientation, number of players, directionality, time distribution, and coaches’ feedback). SSGs played as 3 versus 3 showed higher mechanical responses with greater pitch sizes ( p  < 0.001) and without the presence of goalkeepers ( p < 0.032). SSGs with a 6 versus 6 format showed higher velocities were attained when the pitch was long ( p = 0.021) and when the duration of the set was shorter (i.e., 2 min; p < 0.015). SSGs arranged as 3 versus 3, showed superior results for internal and external variables in comparison with 6 versus 6 ( p < 0.025). The application of new technology is necessary to understand internal and external workload responses to the multiple possible variations of the elements of SSGs. The understanding of these resources will contribute to the development of training tasks based on the complexity of football itself, considering the wide possibilities offered to coaches.

COVID-19 has produced an exceptional situation for sport due to confinement and restrictions. The usual training programs and competition have been interrupted in world football, requiring an adaptation of training to the new situation. Objectives: To describe and analyze the training programs carried out during the COVID-19 forced confinement in men´s professional football in Spain. Methods: Observational Study based on a telematic ad-hoc questionnaire developed to meet the objective of the study. The sample consisted of thirty-six coaches representing thirty-six professional men's soccer teams in the Spanish first and second division. Results: Training programs developed during confinement prioritized conditioning and functional emphasis, in addition to general and nonspecific resistance training, due to contextual limitations. Conclusion: The structure of training during the COVID-19 confinement was limited by contextual circumstances. This study has made possible to record the training and strategies used in professional football during a confinement due to a worldwide state of alarm, with the aim of resuming competitive activity in the best possible conditions.

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented situation, forcing governments to take urgent measures and confine the population. These measures have also affected sports. Soccer competitions and training sessions were interrupted worldwide, causing the need to adapt training sessions to the new situation. The objective of this study is to observe and analyse training habits carried out during the COVID-19 confinement by Spanish professional soccer players of both sexes. An o bservational study was based on an ad-hoc telematic questionnaire during the COVID-19 state of alarm in Spain. The results showed that strength and conditioning training was of great importance in the training habits developed during the COVID-19 confinement, fundamentally that of strength and endurance capacities. Specificity was low as conditional capabilities were affected by contextual limitations. The findings of this study yielded very useful information related to the training habits of professional soccer players of both sexes and offered an unpublished reference database that could be used to address training planning at specific periods of the year (transition, vacations, emergencies, ...), with the aim of resuming competitive activity in the best conditions.

El dolor inguinal referido al deporte es una patología muy compleja, por ello es fundamental conocer la lesión en profundidad para poder realizar una intervención adecuada, determinando los elementos necesarios para desarrollar un plan preventivo o recuperación / readaptación físico-deportiva, teniendo en cuenta la complejidad y la individualización de la patología. En este estudio se realiza una revisión de los diferentes factores de riesgo de dolor inguinal en fútbol y de las propuestas metodológicas de intervención en prevención, recuperación y readaptación físico-deportiva, determinando unas bases fundamentales en el abordaje del dolor inguinal referido al deporte en fútbol.