Abstract

To determine the effect of small-sided games (SSG) on the repeated sprint ability (RSA) in male soccer players. A meta-analysis was conducted in which studies were selected from the electronic databases Medline, SPORTDiscus, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Results: Six studies were included and 44 effect sizes (ES) were computed from 116 men (age = 18.0 ± 2.8 yr., height = 175.8 ± 3.3 cm, weight = 68.6 ± 5.6 kg, body mass index [BMI] = 22.3 ± 1.1 kgm2, VO2max = 56.9 ± 2.1 mlkg-1min-1). The SSG training improved the overall RSA performance (ES = -.54, 95%CI = -.89, -.20, p < .05), reduced RSA total time (ES = -.41, 95%CI = -.81, -.01, p < .05), and fatigue index (ES = -.83, 95%CI = -1.65, -.02, p < 0.05). Moderator analysis showed that the fatigue index is impaired when several sessions/week are performed (β = .69, 95%CI = .29, 1.10, R2 = 82.9, p = .001) and is enhanced when the duration of the intervention is extended over several weeks (β = -.25, 95%CI = -.47, -.03, R2 = 56.6, p = .05). The methodological use of SSG enhances the capacity of repeated sprints, while technical and tactical elements are worked concomitantly.

Keywords

Soccer, Game, Training, Sprint, Performance,

References

  1. P. Bujalance-Moreno, F. García-Pinillos, P. Latorre-Román, Effects of a small-sided game-based training program on repeated sprint and change of direction abilities in recreationally-trained soccer players, Journa of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 58(7-8) (2018) 1021-1028.
  2. O. Girard, A. Mendez-Villanueva, D. Bishop, Repeated-sprint ability - part I: factors contributing to fatigue, Sports Medicine, 41(8) (2011) 673-694.
  3. D. Bishop, O. Girard, A. Mendez-Villanueva, Repeated-sprint ability - part II: recommendations for training. Sports Medicine, 41(9) (2011) 741-756.
  4. Ermanno Rampinini, Aldo Sassi, Andrea Morelli, Stefano Mazzoni, Maurizio Fanchini, Aaron J Coutts, Repeated-sprint ability in professional and amateur soccer players, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 34(6) (2009) 1048-1054.
  5. Matt Spencer, David Bishop, Brian Dawson, Carmel Goodman, Physiological and metabolic responses of repeated-sprint activities:specific to field-based team sports, Sports Medicine, 35(12) (2005) 1025-1044.
  6. E. Rampinini, F.M. Impellizzeri, C. Castagna, G. Abt, K. Chamari, A. Sassi, S.M. Marcora, Factors influencing physiological responses to small-sided soccer games, Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(6) (2007) 659-666.
  7. Miguel A Campos-Vazquez, Sergio Romero-Boza, Francisco J Toscano-Bendala, Juan A Leon-Prados, Luis J Suarez-Arrones, Jose A Gonzalez-Jurado, Comparison of the effect of repeated-sprint training combined with two different methods of strength training on young soccer players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(3) (2015):744-751.
  8. D. Ferrari Bravo, F.M. Impellizzeri, E. Rampinini, C. Castagna, D. Bishop, U. Wisloff, Sprint vs. interval training in football, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 29(8) (2008) 668-674.
  9. J. Halouani, H. Chtourou, T. Gabbett, A. Chaouachi, K. Chamari, Small-sided games in team sports training: a brief review, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(12) (2014) 3594-3618.
  10. J. Sanchez-Sanchez, D. Hernández, D. Casamichana, C. Martínez-Salazar, R. Ramirez-Campillo, J. Sampaio, Heart Rate, Technical Performance, and Session-RPE in Elite Youth Soccer Small-Sided Games Played With Wildcard Players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(10) (2017) 2678-2685.
  11. P. Bujalance-Moreno, P. Latorre-Román, F. García-Pinillos, A systematic review on small-sided games in football players: Acute and chronic adaptations, Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(8) (2019) 921-949.
  12. J. Muñoz, D. Castillo, J. Yanci, Análisis de la percepción subjetiva del esfuerzo diferenciado y de la fatiga en distintos formatos de juegos reducidos en fútbol. Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte, 7(2) (2018) 14-28
  13. D. Casamichana, J. Castellano, J. Calleja-Gonzalez, J. San Román, C. Castagna, Relationship between indicators of training load in soccer players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(2) (2013) 369-374.
  14. M. Brandes, A. Heitmann, L. Müller, Physical responses of different small-sided game formats in elite youth soccer players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(5) (2012) 1353-1360.
  15. A. Dellal, S. Hill-Haas, C. Lago-Penas, K. Chamari, Small-sided games in soccer: amateur vs. professional players' physiological responses, physical, and technical activities, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(9) (2011) 2371-81.
  16. J. Batista, B. Goncalves, J. Sampaio, J. Castro, E.Abade, B. Travassos, The influence of coaches’ instruction on technical actions, tactical behaviour, and external workload in football small-sided games, Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 8(1) (2019) 29-36.
  17. J. Christopher, M. Beato, A.T. Hulton, Manipulation of exercise to rest ratio within set duration on physical and technical outcomes during small-sided games in elite youth soccer players, Human Movement Science, 48 (2016) 1-6.
  18. A.M. Safania, R. Alizadeh, M. Nourshahi, A comparison of small-side games and interval training on same selected physical fitness factors in amateur soccer players. Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3) (2011) 349-353.
  19. D. Fransson, T. Schmidt Nielsen, K. Olsson, T. Christensson, P.S. Bradley, I.G. Fatouros, P. Krustrup, N. Baastrup Nordsborg, M. Mohr, Skeletal muscle and performance adaptations to high-intensity training in elite male soccer players: speed endurance runs versus small-sided game training, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(1) (2018) 111-121.
  20. J. Moran, R.C. Blagrove, B. Drury, J.F.T. Fernandes, K. Paxton, H. Chaabene, R. Ramirez-Campillo, Effects of Small-Sided Games vs. Conventional Endurance Training on Endurance Performance in Male Youth Soccer Players: A Meta-Analytical Comparison, Sports Medicine, 49(5) (2019) 731-742.
  21. M. Glaister, G. Howatson, J.R. Pattison, G. McInnes, The reliability and validity of fatigue measures during multiple-sprint work: an issue revisited, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(5) (2008) 1597-1601.
  22. J.L. Oliver, Is a fatigue index a worthwhile measure of repeated sprint ability?, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 12(1) (2009) 20-23.
  23. J. Bangsbo, (1994), Fitness Training in Football, A Scientific Approach, Copenhagen: Bagsvared.
  24. C.B. Wragg, N.S. Maxwell, J.H. Doust, Evaluation of the reliability and validity of a soccer-specific field test of repeated sprint ability, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 83(1) (2000) 77-83.
  25. M. Fitzsimons, B. Dawson, D. WARD, A.W. Wilkinson, B. DAWSON-HUGHES, D Ware, M.A. Fitzsimons, M FitzSimons, B. DAWSON, A. Wilkinson, M. Fitzsimons, D. WARE, A. WILKINSON, M. Fitzsimmons, D Ward, B Dawson-Hughes, A. Wilkinson, Cycling and running tests of repeated sprint ability, Australian Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport, 25(1993) 82-87.
  26. N. Eniseler, Çağatay Şahan, Ilker Özcan, and Kıvanç Dinler, High-Intensity Small-Sided Games versus Repeated Sprint Training in Junior Soccer Players, Journal of Human Kinetics, 60 (2017) 101-111.
  27. David Moher, Larissa Shamseer, Mike Clarke, Davina Ghersi, Alessandro Liberati, Mark Petticrew, Paul Shekelle, Lesley A Stewart & PRISMA-P Group, Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement, Systematic Reviews, 4(1) (2015) 1.
  28. C.G. Maher, C. Sherrington, R.D. Herbert, A.M. Moseley, M. Elkins, Reliability of the PEDro Scale for Rating Quality of Randomized Controlled Trials. Physical Therapy, 83(8) (2003) 713-721.
  29. E. Lee, M. Dobbins, K. Decorby, L. McRae, D. Tirilis, H. Husson, An optimal search filter for retrieving systematic reviews and meta-analyses, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 12(1) (2012) 51.
  30. M. Borenstein, L.V. Hedges, J. Higgins, H. Rothstein, Introduction to meta-analysis2009, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
  31. J. Cohen, A power primer, Psychological bulletin, 112(1) (1992) 155-159.
  32. R. DerSimonian, N. Laird, Meta-analysis in clinical trials, Controlled clinical trials, 7(3) (1986) 177-188.
  33. L. Furuya-Kanamori, J.J. Barendregt, S.A.R. Doi, A new improved graphical and quantitative method for detecting bias in meta-analysis, International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 16(4) (2018) 195-203.
  34. J.A. C Sterne, A.J. Sutton, J.P.A. Ioannidis, N. Terrin, D.R. Jones, J. Lau, J. Carpenter, G. Rücker, R.M. Harbord, C.H. Schmid, J. Tetzlaff, J.J. Deeks, J. Peters, P. Macaskill, G. Schwarzer, S. Duval, D.G. Altman, D. Moher, J.P.T. Higgins, Recommendations for examining and interpreting funnel plot asymmetry in meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials, BMJ, 343 (2011) d4002.
  35. W.G. Cochran, The combination of estimates from different experiments, Biometrics, 10(1) (1954) 101-129.
  36. J.P. Higgins, S.G. Thompson, J.J. Deeks, D.G. Altman, Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses, BMJ, 327(7414) (2003) 557-560.
  37. G.A. Kelley, K.S. Kelley, Systematic reviews and meta-analysis in nutrition research, British Journal of Nutrition, 122(11) (2019) 1279-1294.
  38. L. Furuya-Kanamori, S.A. Doi. LFK: Stata module to compute LFK index and Doi plot for detection of publication bias in meta-analysis, Statistical Software Components S458762. 2020; Available from: https://ideas.repec.org/c/boc/bocode/s458762.html
  39. B.C. Wallace, M.J. Lajeunesse, G. Dietz, I.J. Dahabreh, T.A. Trikalinos, C.H. Schmid, J. Gurevitch, OpenMEE: Intuitive, open-source software for meta-analysis in ecology and evolutionary biology, Society Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 8 (2017) 941-947.
  40. M. Buchheit, P.B. Laursen, J. Kuhnle, D. Ruch, C. Renaud, S. Ahmaidi, Game-based training in young elite handball players, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 30(4) (2009) 251-258.
  41. S.V. Hill-Haas, B.T. Dawson, A.J. Coutts, G.J. Rowsell, Physiological responses and time-motion characteristics of various small-sided soccer games in youth players, Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(1) (2009) 1-8.
  42. F.M. Impellizzeri, E. Rampinini, C. Castagna, D. Bishop, D. Ferrari Bravo, A. Tibaudi, U. Wisloff, Validity of a repeated-sprint test for football, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 29(11) (2008) 899-905.
  43. M. Buchheit, A. Mendez-villanueva, B.M. Simpson, P.C. Bourdon, Repeated-sprint sequences during youth soccer matches, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 31(10) (2010) 709-716.
  44. D.B. Pyne, P.U. Saunders, P.G. Montgomery, A.J. Hewitt, K. Sheehan, Relationships between repeated sprint testing, speed, and endurance, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(5) (2008) 1633-1637.
  45. S. Ratel, C.A. Williams, J. Oliver, N. Armstrong, Effects of age and recovery duration on performance during multiple treadmill sprints, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(1) (2006) 1-8.
  46. D. Casamichana, J. Castellano, C. Castagna, Comparing the physical demands of friendly matches and small-sided games in semiprofessional soccer players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(3) (2012) 837-843.
  47. T. Gabbett, D. Jenkins, B. Abernethy, Game-based training for improving skill and physical fitness in team sport athletes, International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 4(2) (2009) 273-283.
  48. A.L. Owen, D.P. Wong, D. Paul, A. Dellal, Physical and technical comparisons between various-sided games within professional soccer, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(4) (2014) 286-292.
  49. S.V. Hill-Haas, A.J. Coutts, G.J. Rowsell, B.T. Dawson, Generic versus small-sided game training in soccer, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 30(9) (2009) 636-642.
  50. L. Radziminski, P. Rompa, W. Barnat, R. Dargiewicz, Z. Jastrzebski, A comparison of the physiological and technical effects of high-intensity running and small-sided games in young soccer players, International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 8(3) (2013) 455-466
  51. A. Rodríguez-Fernández, J. Sánchez Sánchez , J.A. Rodríguez-Marroyo, D. Casamichana, J.G. Villa, Effects of 5-week pre-season small-sided-game-based training on repeat sprint ability, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 57(5) (2017) 529-536.
  52. K. Chamari, Y. Hachana, F. Kaouech, R. Jeddi, I. Moussa-Chamari, U. Wisløff, Endurance training and testing with the ball in young elite soccer players, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(1) (2005) 24-28.
  53. M. Mohr, P. Krustrup, J. Jung Nielsen, L. Nybo, M. Krøyer Rasmussen, C. Juel, J. Bangsbo, Effect of two different intense training regimens on skeletal muscle ion transport proteins and fatigue development, American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 292(4) (2007) R1594-R1602.
  54. S. Racinais, S. Perrey, R. Denis, D. Bishop, Maximal power, but not fatigability, is greater during repeated sprints performed in the afternoon, Chronobiology International, 27(4) (2010) 855-864.
  55. J.M. Jensen, M.B. Randers, P. Krustrup and J. Bangsbo, Effect of additional in-season aerobic high-intensity drills on physical fitness of elite football players, Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 6(10) (2007) 79. DOI | PubMed https://www.jssm.org/volumesuppls/iss1/cap/jssm-suppls-10.pdf
  56. A.L. Owen, D.P. Wong, D. Paul, A. Dellal, Effects of a periodized small-sided game training intervention on physical performance in elite professional soccer, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(10) (2012) 2748-54.
  57. K.A. Burgomaster, S.C. Hughes, G.J.F. Heigenhauser, S.N. Bradwell, M.J. Gibala, Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans, Journal of Applied Physiology, (1985), 98(6) (2005) 1985-1990.
  58. F. Clemente, H. Sarmento, The effects of small-sided soccer games on technical actions and skills: A systematic review, Human Movement, 21(3) (2020) 100-119.
  59. D. Casamichana,J. Castellano, Time-motion, heart rate, perceptual and motor behaviour demands in small-sides soccer games: effects of pitch size, Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(14) (2010) 1615-1623.
  60. F.M. Clemente, Associations between wellness and internal and external load variables in two intermittent small-sided soccer games, Physiology and Behavior, 197(2018) 9-14.
  61. D. Coutinho, B. Gonçalves, B. Figueira, E. Abade, R. Marcelino, J. Sampaio, Typical weekly workload of under 15, under 17, and under 19 elite Portuguese football players, Journal of Sports Sciences, 33(12) (2015) 1229-1237.
  62. H. Folgado, J. Bravo, P. Pereira, J. Sampaio, Towards the use of multidimensional performance indicators in football small-sided games: the effects of pitch orientation, Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(9) (2019) 1064-1071.
  63. D.J. Bishop, J. Botella, A.J. Genders, M.J-C. Lee, N.J. Saner, J. Kuang, X. Yan, C. Granata, High-Intensity Exercise and Mitochondrial Biogenesis: Current Controversies and Future Research Directions, Physiology (Bethesda), 34(1) (2019) 56-70.
  64. D.J. Bishop, J. Botella, C. Granata, Rebuttal from David J. Bishop, Javier Botella and Cesare Granata, Journal of Physiology, 597(16) (2019) 4121-4122.
  65. M.J. MacInnis, L.E. Skelly, M.J. Gibala, CrossTalk proposal: Exercise training intensity is more important than volume to promote increases in human skeletal muscle mitochondrial content, Journal of Physiology, 597(16) (2019) 4111-4113.
  66. A. Dello Iacono, M. Beato, V. Unnithan, Comparative Effects of Game Profile-Based Training and Small-Sided Games on Physical Performance of Elite Young Soccer Players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, (2019).