Pacing behaviour of players in team sports: Influence of match status manipulation and task duration knowledge

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the influence of prior knowledge of exercise duration associated with initial information about momentary match status (losing or winning) on the pacing behaviour displayed during soccer game-based activities. Twenty semi-professional male players participated in four game scenarios divided in two sessions. In the first game scenario, players were not informed about the time duration or initial match status. In the second, players were only informed they would be required to play a small-sided game for 12 minutes. In the third, players were told they would play a small-sided game for 12 minutes and that one of the teams was winning 2 to 0. Finally, in the fourth game scenario, players were instructed they would play a small-sided game for 12 minutes and the score lines used at the start of the previous game scenario were reversed. The results showed a tendency for the unknown task duration to elicit greater physical responses in all studied variables, compared with knowing the task duration. Knowing the task duration and starting the game winning or losing did not affect the players’ activity profile between the two conditions. Thus, during small-sided soccer games, knowledge (or not) about the exercise duration alters the pacing behaviour of the players. Moreover, short and undisclosed-length exercise durations resulted in the adoption of more aggressive pacing strategies, characterised by higher initial exercise intensities. Furthermore, previous information on match status does not seem to interfere with pacing patterns if the players are aware of the exercise duration. Coaches may use knowledge of exercise duration to manipulate the small-sided games’ demands.

Effects of Knowing the Task’s Duration on Soccer Players’ Positioning and Pacing Behaviour during Small-Sided Games

“…Furthermore, as pointed out in some similar studies, the differences between the first 10 min and the last 10 min tend to decrease when the knowledge of the task duration increases. This means that most of the variables have a tendency to be higher in the initial period of the task but there is a better balance in the regulation of effort when the knowledge is greater [1,2]. Likewise, the results may confirm the possibility of the changes in the pacing patterns of the players due to the effect of the knowledge of the task duration that leads to the possibility of the non-linearity of the fatigue effect already pointed out in some studies [33,34].…”

“…According to the results, it can also be suggested that players seem to adopt a "slow positive" pacing profile characterised by a gradual decline in the total and high-intensity running between the initial and the second exercise period [1,2,32]. Furthermore, as pointed out in some similar studies, the differences between the first 10 min and the last 10 min tend to decrease when the knowledge of the task duration increases.…”

“…In team sports, like soccer, the analysis of pacing and tactical behaviour is a key issue to understand players' and team's performances [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Due to the need to constantly forge couplings with teammates and break couplings with opponents in space and time to ensure numerical or spatial-temporal advantages [7], the soccer game is characterized by players' constant positional adjustments at different speeds that create a specific intermittent behaviour with certain pacing [1,2,8]. Notably, the phenomenon of pacing is regarded as the resource of the spreading of energy for the optimization of performance related to match or exercise running requirements.…”

“…Notably, the phenomenon of pacing is regarded as the resource of the spreading of energy for the optimization of performance related to match or exercise running requirements. In the past, the variations on running performances in soccer were sustained by the classical theory of fatigue [1,2,9]. However, recent studies have argued that the ability of a player to efficiently manage their effort during competition or training sessions is rather affected by the constant adaptation of players to the changes on the information that sustain their individual and collective behaviour according to their general capabilities, to ensure functional performances [10].…”

Effects of the pitch configuration design on players’ physical performance and movement behaviour during soccer small-sided games

“…The total distance covered was used and three distance ratios were processed to relate the distance covered at high to very high (Higher Ratio: above 16 km/h), moderate (Moderate Ratio: 10.0-15.9 km/h) and low intensity (Lower Ratio: 7.0-9.9 km/h) with distance covered at very low intensities (0.0-6.9 km/h) normalized for each 100 m to allow comparisons (Abade et al, 2014). These type of work ratios have been used by the available literature to compare and describe the activity demands between different conditions (Casamichana, Castellano, & Castagna, 2012;Coutinho et al, 2018b;Ferraz et al, 2018). From a practical application point of view, this variable allows understanding how much distance the players cover at the different speeds taking into consideration 100 m while walking.…”