How and why do soccer coaches use small-sided games in the training process?

Abstract

Purpose. The small-sided games (SSGs) allow to work in specificity, in accordance with the characteristics of the soccer game, the physical, technical, tactical, and psychological aspects. This study intends to understand how and why coaches use the SSGs in the training process. Methods. For this purpose, we applied a semi-structured interview. Two coaches were interviewed owing to their vast experience in high-performance training and youth training. The analysis was carried out through content analysis. We used categorization to group data with common characteristics. The category system was defined later. Results. The results demonstrate that SSGs are an integral part of the training process, allowing work in the physical, technical, and tactical aspects. The coaches interviewed argue that SSGs are an important work strategy for the articulation of the players in the sector and inter-sector of the team, on the basis of the tactical principles that they see reproduced in the competition. Conclusions. According to the interviewed coaches, SSGs are relevant as they may develop both tactical principles and physical capabilities. Applying such games during all the season allows to establish a direct relationship with specific moments that occur in official competitions.

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

“…In practice, coaches manipulate constraints in SSCGs to achieve specific levels of exercise intensity or to develop specific technical or tactical skills in learners (Alves, Clemente, Malico Sousa, Pinheiro, & dos Santos, 2017;Dellal, Jannault, Lopez-Segovia, & Pialoux, 2011). Additionally, the selection of task constraints to be manipulated must reflect the level and competence of the players (Clemente, Martins, & Mendes, 2014).…”

Perceptual-Motor and Perceptual-Cognitive Skill Acquisition in Soccer: A Systematic Review on the Influence of Practice Design and Coaching Behavior

“…These may include, for example, coaches' reflections on which competencies they aim to improve in their players (i.e., the practice objectives) as well as the situative circumstances in which practice is conducted (e.g., age groups or sport facilities). Within coaches' daily work, but beyond the scope of the present review, these considerations cannot be limited to perceptual-motor and perceptual-cognitive skills, but need to go further (see, for example, Alves et al, 2017 for reasons on the use of SSGs in soccer practice).…”

Space configuration and numerical relationship during professional soccer matches: a proposal for small-sided games design

“…Small-sided games (SSGs) are constantly used by coaches as part of a regular training program during the season, and are characterized by a reproduction of a soccer match but with a lower number of players, smaller effective space, and often different rules [1]. SSGs improve the physical, technical, and tactical dimension simultaneously [2]. Recently, studies have focused on the effects of different SGG formats and task conditions on changes in the physiological [1,[3][4][5], technical [3,4,6], physical [7,8], and tactical performance [4,6,9,10], on manipulating the space, the number of players, the number of ball touches per player [1,[4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12], and on the impact of training programs involving SSGs [5,12].…”