How manipulation of playing area dimensions in ball possession games constrains physical effort and technical actions in under-11, under-15 and under-23 soccer players. Research in Sports Medicine, 1-15.

The aim of this investigation was to analyse the external workload, tactical individual actions of passing, and perceived internal load during unbalanced small-sided games. Ball possession formats (4v3, 4v4 and 4v5) were played in three different playing area dimensions (20 × 15m, 25 × 20m and 30 × 25m) by under-23 football players. Data were analysed under opposition-based perspective, by fixing one team (4vX), and by cooperation-based perspective according to teammates (4v2+X) for each playing area condition. GPS monitors were used to collect and compute external workloads (distance covered while walking, running, sprinting, and maximal speed) and tactical individual actions (passing with dominant and non-dominant foot, and maximum passing speed), and Borg Scale CR10 to evaluate rating of perceived exertion (RPE). On both opposition- and cooperation-based perspectives, significant differences were found on external workload variables for all game formats, with smaller areas associated with more distances covered while walking and larger areas with running and sprinting. Likewise, 4v3, 4v4 and 4v2 + 3 revealed significant differences for tactical individual actions, where a larger area was associated with an increase in repetitions. Medium playing area, for both perspectives, was associated with a higher RPE. Overall, larger playing areas with higher number of players involved promoted more high-intensity running, while the same area with fewer number of players fostered tactical individual actions. Smaller areas allowed to reduce game pace, especially in formats with fewer players. Different unbalance scenarios under dissimilar playing area dimensions promote diverse performance outcomes on player’s action capabilities.

This study aimed to explore the effects of playing different unbalanced ball possession small-sided games on external workload (distance covered while walking, running, and sprinting, and max speed), tactical individual actions (number of passes with dominant and non-dominant foot), and internal load (rating of perceived exertion, RPE) in under-23 soccer players. Participants played 4v2, 4v3, 4v4, 4v5, and 4v6 small-sided games (SSGs) on a 30 × 25 m playing area. Data were analyzed under an opponent-based perspective, by fixing one team (4vX), and by cooperation-based perspective according to teammates (4v2+X). Global Position System (GPS) monitors were used to collect and compute external workloads and individual tactical actions, and Borg Scale CR10 was used to evaluate RPE. High-Superiority (4v2), Superiority (4v3), and Very Low-Cooperation (4v2+0) formats allow players in balanced teams to cover more distance while walking; on the other side, Inferiority (4v5), High-Inferiority (4v6), and Very High-Cooperation (4v2+4) allow players to sprint more and practice more tactical individual actions as a resultant emergent behavior; all players in SSG conditions with a lower number of conditions, perceived the exercise as more intense, especially in situations with less than two players. Overall, playing in high inferiority situations (4v2 and 4v6) may be used to increase physical demand for the outnumbered team, while coaches may use low superiority situations to adjust the task complexity when developing the players’ tactical individual actions.

This study aimed to examine the effects of age group (under-11, under-15, and under-23) on the external, internal workloads, and tactical individual actions when playing 4v2, 4v4, and 4v6 ball possession small-sided soccer games. Data were analysed separately under the opponent perspective (4vX) and by the cooperation perspective, according to teammates (4v2+X). For all opponent formats, statistical differences were found for walking, with older age groups covering longer distances. Higher running distances were found in 4v4 game format for U11s, while U23s reported higher RPE scores in 4v4 and 4v6 formats. More passes were performed in 4v2 and 4v4 game formats for U11s and a higher maximum passing speed in 4v6 format for U15s and U23s. In the cooperation perspective, statistical differences were found for all external workload variables: U11s covered more distances while sprinting, whereas U23s walked more, perceiving the task as more intense. Similarly, U11s performed a higher amount of tactical individual actions also in every format. Younger players seem to benefit from a lower level of opposition to mature tactical individual actions, while older players can develop fast ball circulation in numerical inferiority.

Small-sided games have been adopted as an integral part of soccer training, however, the use of task constraints by the coach and the action capabilities of both players and teams require further investigation. The aim of this investigation was to explore the age-category effects (under-11: U11, under-15: U15 and under-23: U23) on external training workloads (total distance covered, distance covered while walking, running and sprinting, number of sprints and maximum sprint speed), internal training load metrics (rate of perceived exertion, RPE) and tactical individual actions (passing number with dominant and non-dominant foot, and max passing speed) during 4 vs. 4 ball possession small-sided game constrained within three different playing areas (small: 20 x 15 m, medium: 25 x 20 m, and large: 30 x 25 m). Results revealed substantial differences (all p < .001) for each specific playing area observed across many of the external workload measures. For every area analysed, U23 players covered more distance walking, whereas U11 and U15 players covered more distances at higher intensities. Additionally, significant differences were found for the RPE (small playing area: p = .001; large playing area: p < .001) with U23 and U15 players showing higher scores compared with U11 ones. It can be concluded that a 4 vs. 4 ball possession small-sided game can provide different performance related stimuli to players, depending on age category and the playing surface area. Therefore, coaches and individuals involved with training and development of soccer players across all age groups should be aware of the key variables highlighted in this study before planning training drills.