Jou nal o Human Kine ics olume 78/2021, 187-196 DOI: 10.2478/hukin-2021-0037 187
Sec ion III – Spo s T aining
1 - Facul y o Heal h Sciences, Uni e sidad Isabel I, Bu gos, Spain.
2 - Socie y, Spo s and Physical Exe cise Resea ch G oup (GIKAFIT), Physical Educa ion and Spo Depa men , Facul y o
Educa ion and Spo , Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV/EHU), Vi o ia-Gas eiz, Spain.
3 - Escola Supe io Despo o e Laze , Ins i u o Poli écnico de Viana do Cas elo, Rua Escola Indus ial e Come cial de Nun’Ál a es,
Viana do Cas elo, Po ugal.
.
Au ho s submi ed hei con ibu ion o he a icle o he edi o ial boa d.
Accep ed o p in ing in he Jou nal o Human Kine ics ol. 78/2021 in Ap il 2021.
In luence o Pi ch Size on Sho -Te m High In ensi y Ac ions
and Body Impac s in Socce Sided Games
by
Daniel Cas illo1, Ja ie Raya-González1, Ja ie Yanci2, Filipe Manuel Clemen e3
The aim o his s udy was o compa e ex e nal aining loads be ween small-sided games (SSGs) and la ge-
sided games (LSGs) in socce playe s. Twen y ou ield socce playe s (14.8 ± 0.6 yea s old) who compe ed in he
Spanish U16 P o incial Di ision and belonged o he same eam pa icipa ed in he s udy. The socce sided games we e
played a di e en indi idual in e ac ion space (IIS) pe playe (i.e., SSG = 100 m2 and LSG = 200 m2) and we e
dispu ed in he same o ma ( i e-a-side plus goalkeepe s) on wo di e en pi ch sizes (i.e., 38 x 26 s. 53 x 37 m)
de ending an o icial socce -goal. The sided games’ du a ion was 4 bou s o 6 min wi h 2 min es in e als be ween
bou s. The esul s o his s udy showed no meaning ul di e ences in he o al dis ance and in ensi y o accele a ions and
decele a ions be ween SSGs and LSGs excep o he lowe dis ance co e ed a medium in ensi y (2.5 - 4 m·s-2) obse ed
du ing LSGs (-10.2%; ES (e ec size): -0.51). Playe s egis e ed g ea e sp in s, maximum eloci y (Velmax) and body
impac s a di e en in ensi ies (i.e., I5-6g, I6-6.5g, I6.5-7g, I7-8g, I8-10g,) in LSGs in compa ison o SSGs. These
indings sugges ha an inc ease in he pi ch size (i.e., IIS pe playe ) can induce highe ex e nal loads o socce
playe s.
Key wo ds: socce , quan i ica ion, ex e nal loads, indi idual in e ac ion space, neu omuscula .
In oduc ion
Socce coaches usually use sided socce
games o pe iodize he weekly mic ocycle
(Bujalance-Mo eno e al., 2018) because hese
aining d ills can esemble he speci ic s imulus
simila o eal ma ch-play in e ms o he p esence
o eamma es and opposi ion, ules, goalkeepe s,
sco e and limi ed du a ion (Cas illo, Raya-
Gonzalez, Wes on e al., 2019). In addi ion,
p e ious li e a u e has demons a ed ha he use
o hese aining d ills imp o es physical i ness
o playe s (Bujalance-Mo eno e al., 2018; Owen e
al., 2012) as well as hei echnical and ac ical
abili ies (Hammami e al., 2018). Conside ing ha
sided socce games induce di e en physical
esponses, i could be ele an o quan i y he
ex e nal aining loads o acili a e he
de elopmen o speci ic aining p ocesses aimed
a maximizing on- ield pe o mance (Mujika,
2013).
One o he main a iables ha in luence
ex e nal aining loads du ing he de elopmen o
sided socce games is pi ch size in e ms o pi ch
p opo ions and goal objec i es (Casamichana
and Cas ellano, 2010; Kelly and D us , 2009;
López-Fe nández e al., 2017). In his line, i is
necessa y o unde s and he indi idual in e ac ion
space (IIS), calcula ed by di iding he o al pi ch
a ea by he numbe o playe s, conside ing ha an
ISS o app oxima ely 300 m2 co esponds o each
playe du ing socce ma ch-play (Ca o e al.,
2019). Likewise, i is necessa y o conside ha he
188 In luence o pi ch size on sho - e m high in ensi y ac ions and body impac s in socce sided games
Jou nal o Human Kine ics - olume 78/2021 h p://www.johk.pl
dynamics o he collec i e o ganiza ion is
conduci e o smalle indi idual playing a eas (82-
94 m2) pe playe i one only conside s he
ec angle co e ing all ou ield playe s du ing
o icial ma ches (F adua e al., 2013). Possibly
because o his concep , p e ious s udies ha e
es ablished ha an IIS o a ound 100 m2
co esponds o small-sided games (SSGs), while
an IIS o 200 m2 co esponds o la ge-sided games
(LSGs) (Clemen e e al., 2019; Owen e al., 2014;
Sanchez-Sanchez e al., 2019). These
a o emen ioned di e ences, ocused on IIS, show
a highe o al unning dis ance, high-in ensi y
unning and numbe o sp in s du ing LSGs in
compa ison o SSGs (Casamichana and
Cas ellano, 2010).
The abili y o a playe o pe o m high-
in ensi y ac ions o e sho dis ances (i.e.,
accele a ions, decele a ions and sp in s) can be
linked o common socce -speci ic equi emen s
such as ackling, playe s when in de ense o o
c ea e space du ing possession, wi h sp in s being
he mos equen ac ion p eceding a goal
(Buchhei e al., 2014; Coch ane and Monaghan,
2018; Ma a e al., 2017). Resea che s ha e shown
ha sided socce games unde s imula e sp in ing
ac ions (Casamichana e al., 2012; Owen e al.,
2014) and o e s imula e sho - e m and high-
in ensi y ac ions (i.e., accele a ions, decele a ions,
changes o di ec ion) in compa ison o ma ch-play
(Beenham e al., 2017; Casamichana e al., 2012;
Clemen e e al., 2019). O he wise, esea ch is
inconclusi e ega ding he e ec on he numbe
and in ensi y o accele a ions and decele a ions
when a ying he pi ch size du ing sided socce
games (Sanchez-Sanchez e al., 2019). While some
au ho s ha e obse ed a highe numbe o
accele a ions and decele a ions when a smalle IIS
is implemen ed (Clemen e e al., 2019), o he
esea che s ha e shown g ea e accele a ions and
decele a ions in sided socce games con es ed in
la ge pi ch sizes a he han smalle ones
(Hodgson e al., 2014). The in o ma ion is no only
inconclusi e ega ding accele a ions and
decele a ions when he IIS is a ied, as no s udies
ha e analyzed how a ying he pi ch size a ec s
he accele a ion and decele a ion in ensi ies.
Ano he in e es ing a iable o quan i y
du ing aining sessions is body impac , which
could p o ide ele an in o ma ion ega ding he
mechanical s esses a ising om he kine ic
demands o all o ces imposed on playe s du ing
accele a ion/decele a ion, ela ed changes o
di ec ion and impac s om bo h he playe - o-
playe collision and con ac wi h he g ound
(Cummins e al., 2013; McLean e al., 2010;
Van en e ghem e al., 2017). In ac , body impac s
ha e been demons a ed o be a use ul a iable o
assess ma ch- ela ed a igue (Russell e al., 2016),
o unde s and aining and ma ch loads a he
han o he ex e nal loads (Abade e al., 2014;
A uda e al., 2015), o p edic he aining load
measu ed by he a ing o pe cei ed mode a e
exe ion (Gaudino e al., 2015), o p o ide speci ic
socce posi ion p o iles (Wellman e al., 2016) and
o quan i y he ex e nal load du ing sided socce
games. Thus, using body impac s as an ex e nal
load a iable would be in e es ing o coaches in
o de o widely unde s and he physical demands
o he di e en socce sided games.
The unde s anding o how sided games
may be ela ed o he condi ions o physical
impac , measu ed in he o m o
accele a ion/decele a ion in ensi ies and body
impac s, is a equi emen o iden i y he bes
adjus men s o make in o de o s anda dize he
s imulus o he playe ’s needs. In ac , his is he
necessa y app oach needed o quali y he physical
demands, beyond jus quan i ying he ex en o
unning by he playe s. The e o e, he aim o his
s udy was o compa e ex e nal aining loads
be ween small-sided games (SSGs) and la ge-
sided games (LSGs) in socce playe s. We
hypo hesized ha LSGs would induce g ea e
ex e nal loads, caused by he pi ch size, han
SSGs.
Me hods
Pa icipan s
Twen y ou ield socce playe s (age = 14.8
± 0.6 yea s; body heigh = 173 ± 7 cm; body mass =
60.6 ± 8.1 kg; aining expe ience in he club = 3.8 ±
2.6 yea s) who compe ed in he Spanish U16
P o incial Di ision and belonged o he same
eam pa icipa ed in he s udy. A ypical aining
session included a wa m-up (gene al mobili y
games, echnical- ac ical d ills), p ac ice o speci ic
game si ua ions, small-sided games and p ac ice
o o mal game si ua ions (Sanchez-Sanchez e al.,
2017). Each playe was moni o ed ou imes in
di e en sided games, hus a o al o 80
obse a ions we e eco ded o u he analysis.
by Daniel Cas illo e al. 189
© Edi o ial Commi ee o Jou nal o Human Kine ics
All pa icipan s (i.e., 2 cen al de ende s, 4
winge s, 2 mid ielde s and 2 o wa ds) ained o
wo hou s, h ee days pe week and we e
in ol ed in o icial ma ches once pe week,
esul ing in a o al socce p ac ice ime o 7.5 h pe
week. Playe s o he eam wi h he mos minu es
played du ing ma ches and wi hou inju y in he
mon h p io o he in es iga ion we e selec ed o
pa icipa e. Coaches, playe s and pa en s o u o s
we e in o med o he esea ch p ocedu es,
equi emen s, bene i s and po en ial isks be o e
p o iding w i en in o med consen . The s udy
was pe o med in acco dance wi h he
Decla a ion o Helsinki (2013), app o ed by E hics
Commi ee unde he code M10/2016/079.
P ocedu es
The s udy was conduc ed o e a 2-week
pe iod a he middle o he compe i i e season. A
p e ious week was used o amilia iza ion wi h
he s udy p o ocol including he use o Global
Posi ional Sys em (GPS) uni s and he same sided
socce games pe o med du ing he in es iga ion
pe iod. The sided socce games we e played a
di e en IIS: SSG = 100 m2 pe playe and LSG =
200 m2 pe playe (Cas ellano e al., 2016). Each
sided socce game was pe o med wice wi h all
games played wi hin a pe iod o 4 days, wi h an
in e al o 48 h a e he las high load aining
session and/o o icial ma ch, unde simila
wea he condi ions (18-22 C°, 70-75% humidi y),
on he same hi d-gene a ion a i icial pi ch and
wi h playe s wea ing hei no mal socce boo s.
P io o he sided socce games, playe s
unde ook a 20 min s anda dized wa m-up,
consis ing o 7 min o slow jogging and s olling
locomo ion ollowed by 10 min o speci ic socce
d ills, inishing wi h 3 min o p og essi e sp in s
and accele a ions. Du ing he s udy, playe s and
hei pa en s we e ins uc ed o main ain hei
usual habi s, which included 8 h o nigh - ime
sleep be o e each da a collec ion session, and
adequa e hyd a ion and ca bohyd a e in ake o e
he 24 h p io o each expe imen al sided game
(Sanchez-Sanchez e al., 2018).
Sided socce games
Each SSG and LSG was con es ed in he
same o ma ( i e-a-side plus goalkeepe s) on wo
di e en pi ch sizes (i.e., IIS o 100 m2 pe playe =
38 x 26 m s. IIS o 200 m2 pe playe = 53 x 37 m)
playing wi h di ec ionali y and wi h he
implica ions o he socce ules. The sided socce
games’ du a ion was 4 bou s o 6 min each wi h a
2 min es in e al be ween bou s. Al hough sided
socce games we e played on di e en IIS (i.e., 100
s. 200 m2 pe playe ), he ela i e pi ch
p opo ions we e held cons an wi h he same
a io (i.e., leng h/wid h = 1.46) as a socce ma ch.
The eams we e o ganized acco ding o playing
posi ions (i.e., one goalkeepe , one cen al
de ende , wo winge s, one mid ielde and one
o wa d), echnical- ac ical le els, compe i i e
expe ience, ae obic i ness and coach quali a i e
e alua ion and hey we e aced all imes
(Casamichana and Cas ellano, 2010). The eams
we e he same (including he same playe s)
du ing each expe imen al p o ocol. Coaches did
no p o ide any s a egic o ac ical eedback
du ing he p ocess. Only e bal encou agemen
was p o ided o ensu e a high commi men le el
o playe s du ing he ma ches. Goalkeepe s we e
no included in u he analyses due o hei
speci ic ole. In addi ion, mino ule modi ica ions
we e applied, such as es a ing he game a e a
goal by he goalkeepe and kick-ins awa ded o
he opposing side om ha o he playe who las
ouched he ball (Rebelo e al., 2016). When he
ball le he playing ield, he coach always e-
in oduced balls immedia ely du ing all he sided
socce games (Owen e al., 2012). We espec ed
he o -side ule wi h he aim o no changing he
eal s uc u e o he game.
Measu es
Measu es we e assessed wi h GPS de ices
(WIMU PROTM, RealT ack Sys ems, Alme ía,
Spain) ope a ing a a sampling equency o 10 Hz
(Muñoz-Lopez e al., 2017). Mic osenso uni s
we e ha nessed wi hin a igh - i ing es ha was
wo n by socce playe s du ing he s udy. The
mic osenso de ices we e ac i a ed 15 min be o e
he s a o each es ing session, in acco dance
wi h he manu ac u e ’s ecommenda ions. Da a
we e downloaded pos -in e en ion p o ocol o a
compu e and analyzed using a cus omized
so wa e package (WIMU SPRO, Alme ía, Spain).
The o al dis ance co e ed while accele a ing
(Acc) and decele a ing (Dec) was aken as a key
ou come measu es wi h u he dis ance measu es
de i ed o di e en in ensi y ca ego ies (Cas illo,
Rod iguez-Fe nandez e al., 2019): low-in ensi y
accele a ion (LAcc; 1-2.5 m·s-2), medium-in ensi y
accele a ion (MAcc; 2.5-4 m·s-2), high-in ensi y
accele a ion (HAcc; >4 m·s-2), low-in ensi y
190 In luence o pi ch size on sho - e m high in ensi y ac ions and body impac s in socce sided games
Jou nal o Human Kine ics - olume 78/2021 h p://www.johk.pl
decele a ion (LDec; -1/-2.5 m·s-2), medium-
in ensi y decele a ion (MDec; -2.5/-4 m·s-2), and
high-in ensi y decele a ion (HDec; <-4 m·s-2). The
numbe o sp in s (>21 km·h-1) and he maximum
eloci y (Velmax) achie ed we e egis e ed as
indica o s o he ex e nal load (Cas illo e al.,
2016). In addi ion, he GPS de ices we e coupled
wi h a 100 Hz iaxial accele ome e ha allowed
o he es ima ion o body impac da a p o ided
in "g" o ce. An impac was coun ed by he sys em
i he o ce applied was mo e han i e g o ce
uni s (5 g). The so wa e displayed he o al
impac coun s om collisions, he in ensi y, as
well as he ime du ing he game o aining d ill
whe e he impac occu ed. A scaling sys em
be ween 5-10+g o g ading he impac s (I) was
used: I5-6g: ligh impac , ha d
accele a ion/decele a ion/change o di ec ion; I6-
6.5g: ligh o mode a e impac (playe collision,
con ac wi h he g ound); I6.5-7g: mode a e o
hea y impac ; I7-8g: hea y impac ; I8-10g: e y
hea y impac (sc um engagemen ); and I10+g:
se e e impac / ackle/collision. Impac s abo e 10g
we e used o epo on he numbe o se e e
impac s ha he playe s ecei ed du ing games
(Wellman e al., 2016). The equipmen p esen ed
good le els o alidi y and eliabili y in linea ,
ci cula and zig-zag cou ses (Bas ida-Cas illo e
al., 2018; Muñoz-Lopez e al., 2017). Da a we e
collec ed du ing wha we e conside ed o be good
wea he and sa elli e condi ions o he GPS
(numbe o sa elli es = 10.1 ± 0.2).
S a is ical analysis
Resul s a e p esen ed as mean ± s anda d
de ia ions (SD). No mal dis ibu ion and
homogenei y o a iances we e es ed using he
Shapi o-Wilk and Le ene es s. All analyzed
a iables had a no mal dis ibu ion, and
pa ame ic echniques we e applied. A - es o
pai ed samples was used o analyze he
di e ences in ex e nal esponses be ween SSGs
and LSGs. S a is ical signi icance was se a p <
0.05. Da a analysis was pe o med using he
S a is ical Package o Social Sciences ( e sion 21.0
o Windows, SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). We
elec ed o use e ec sizes (ES), wi h unce ain y o
he es ima es shown as 90% con idence limi s
(CL), o quan i y he magni ude o he di e ences
be ween playing in SSGs (i.e., 100 m2 pe playe )
and LSGs (i.e., 200 m2 pe playe ) in ex e nal load
a iables (i.e., Acc, Dec, LAcc, MAcc, HAcc, LDec,
MDec, HDec, Velmax, sp in s and numbe and
in ensi ies o body impac s). The ES was classi ied
as i ial (<0.2), small (0.2–0.6), mode a e (0.6–1.2),
la ge (1.2-2.0), e y la ge (2.0-4.0) and ex emely
la ge (>4.0) (Hopkins e al., 2009). A h eshold
alue o 0.2 be ween-subjec s anda d de ia ions
was se as he smalles wo hwhile change, and
in e ence was hen based on he disposi ion o he
CL o he mean di e ence o his smalles
wo hwhile e ec ; he p obabili y (pe cen age
chances) ha he ue di e ence be ween es s is
subs an ial (bene icial/de imen al) o i ial was
calcula ed as pe he magni ude-based in e ence
(MBI) app oach (Ba e ham and Hopkins, 2006).
The pe cen age chances we e hen quali ied ia
p obabilis ic e ms and assigned using he
ollowing scale: 25–75%, possibly; 75–95%, likely;
95–99.5%, e y likely; >99.5%, mos likely
(Hopkins e al., 2009). In e ence was classi ied as
unclea i he 90% CL o e lapped he h esholds
o he smalles wo hwhile posi i e and nega i e
e ec s (Hopkins e al., 2009). Gi en he ela i ely
small size o ou s udy, in bo h he numbe o
playe s and he numbe o sessions, we employed
a conse a i e app oach o in e ence whe eby
only ES ≥ mode a e was deemed meaning ul.
Resul s
No signi ican di e ences (p > 0.05;
unclea o possibly small) we e ound in he o al
dis ance and in ensi ies o accele a ing and
decele a ing be ween SSGs and LSGs (Table 1).
Playe s comple ed a g ea e numbe o
sp in s (p < 0.001; mos likely e y la ge) and
achie ed highe Velmax (p < 0.001; mos likely
la ge) in LSGs in compa ison wi h SSGs (Figu e
1).
Playe s we e exposed o g ea e (p < 0.001;
e y likely mode a e) body impac s in LSGs
compa ed o SSGs. Also, playe s egis e ed mo e
body impac s a I5-6g in ensi y in LSGs han in
SSGs (p < 0.001; mos likely mode a e o likely
small). Howe e , no signi ican di e ences (p >
0.05) we e ound a I6-6.5g, I-6.7g, I7-8g, 8-10g and
I>10+g be ween he men ioned pi ch sizes.
by Daniel Cas illo e al. 191
© Edi o ial Commi ee o Jou nal o Human Kine ics
Table 1
Resul s (mean di e ences ± SD) o he numbe and in ensi y o accele a ions
and decele a ions be ween small-sided games (SSGs) and la ge-sided games (LSGs) along
wi h e ec sizes (ES) and quali a i e in e ences
Va iables SSG LSG
Mean
di e ence;
±90% CL
p ES; ±90% CL Quali a i e
In e ence Ra ing
Acc (m) 409.40 ± 47.11 402.70 ± 57.12 -2.0; ±4.7 0.56 -0.17; ±0.41 Unclea 7/47/46
Dec (m) 352.55 ± 51.63 360.70 ± 53.13 2.4; ±4.7 0.38 0.15; ±0.29 Possibly T i ial 39/59/3
LAcc (m) 307.25 ± 41.71 310.10 ± 50.64 0.4; ±5.1 0.75 0.03; ±0.37 Unclea 22/63/15
MAcc (m) 88.10 ± 18.32 79.35 ± 15.35 -10.2; ±8.4 0.06 -0.51; ±0.44 Likely Small 1/11/88
HAcc (m) 14.05 ± 6.81 13.25 ± 6.86 -4.6; ±21.4 0.54 -0.08; ±0.40 Unclea 12/57/31
LDec (m) 266.90 ± 40.31 277.05 ± 47.13 3.4; ±5.2 0.20 0.21; ±0.31 Possibly Small 52/46/2
MDec (m) 70.30 ± 13.07 66.75 ±12.73 -4.8; ±7.7 0.22 -0.25; ±0.41 Possibly Small 4/38/58
HDec (m) 15.35 ± 5.91 16.90 ± 5.87 11.0; ±19.3 0.29 0.27; ±0.45 Possibly Small 61/35/4
CL = con iden limi s; SD = s anda d de ia ion; Acc = o al dis ance co e ed accele a ing; Dec = o al dis ance
co e ed decele a ing; LAcc = dis ance co e ed accele a ing be ween 1 and 2.5 m·s-2; MAcc = dis ance co e ed
accele a ing be ween 2.5 and 4 m·s-2; HAcc = dis ance co e ed accele a ing a abo e 4 m·s-2; LDec = dis ance
co e ed decele a ing be ween -2.5 and -1 m·s-2; MDec = dis ance co e ed decele a ing be ween -4 and -2.5 m·s-
2; HDec = dis ance co e ed decele a ing a less han -4 m·s-2
** Signi ican le el se a p < 0.001
Figu e 1
P ac ical di e ences in sp in s numbe (A) and maximum speed (B) be ween
small-sided game (SSG) and la ge-sided game (LSG).
192 In luence o pi ch size on sho - e m high in ensi y ac ions and body impac s in socce sided games
Jou nal o Human Kine ics - olume 78/2021 h p://www.johk.pl
Figu e 2
P ac ical di e ences be ween small-sided game (SSG) and la ge-sided game (LSG) in impac a iables.
Impac s = o al impac s; I5-6g = ligh impac , ha d accele a ion/decele a ion/ change o di ec ion; I6-
6.5g = ligh o mode a e impac (playe collision, con ac wi h he g ound); I6.5-7g = mode a e o hea y
impac ; I7-8g = hea y impac ; I8-10g = e y hea y impac (sc um engagemen ); >I10g = se e e impac /
ackle/ collision.
** Signi ican le el se a p < 0.001
Discussion
The aim o his s udy was o compa e
ex e nal aining loads be ween SSGs and LSGs in
socce playe s. This is he i s s udy which has
p o ided in o ma ion abou anges o sho - e m
and high-in ensi y ac ions depending on he pi ch
size in sided socce games. The esul s o his
in es iga ion showed ha al hough no subs an ial
di e ences we e p esen in o al dis ance and
in ensi ies o accele a ing and decele a ing
be ween SSGs and LSGs, playe s egis e ed a
g ea e numbe o sp in s, highe Velmax and a
g ea e numbe o body impac s and body
impac s a I5-6g in ensi y du ing LSGs in
compa ison o SSGs.
Sho - e m and high-in ensi y ac ions
ha e been demons a ed o be decisi e in socce ,
as hese ac ions may ha e a speci ic impac on he
ou come o he ma ches and physical pe o mance
o playe s (Coch ane and Monaghan, 2018). The
li e a u e has shown con adic o y esul s
ega ding he numbe o accele a ions and
decele a ions when coaches use di e en pi ch
sizes. On he one hand, highe accele a ion sums
we e epo ed in SSGs (i.e., IIS = 120 m2 pe
playe ) as compa ed o LSGs (i.e., 194 m2 pe
playe ) (Clemen e e al., 2019). On he o he hand,
Hodgson e al. (2014) obse ed g ea e dis ances
o accele a ions (SSGs = 230 111 s. LSGs = 327
70 m) and decele a ions (SSGs = 198 89 s.
LSGs = 298 68 m) in LSGs (i.e., IIS = 200 m2) han
in SSGs (i.e., IIS = 60 m2). In addi ion, hese
au ho s also epo ed g ea e dis ances o
by Daniel Cas illo e al. 193
© Edi o ial Commi ee o Jou nal o Human Kine ics
accele a ing and decele a ing a low, mode a e
and high in ensi ies (Hodgson e al., 2014).
Howe e , ou esul s do no coincide wi h any o
hese p e ious s udies as no signi ican
di e ences we e ound in he dis ance co e ed a
di e en in ensi ies o accele a ions and
decele a ions be ween SSGs and LSGs. These
di e ences could be due o he cha ac e is ics o
sided games in e ms o du a ion, he o -side
ule, p esence o goalkeepe s, he numbe o
playe s and IIS. The e o e, u he s udies ocused
on he in luence o pi ch size on accele a ions and
decele a ions should be de eloped o cla i y he
a o emen ioned con o e sy.
In addi ion o he accele a ions and
decele a ions co e ed a di e en in ensi ies, i
has been demons a ed ha he analysis o
sp in ing ac ions in socce is c ucial o op imize
pe o mance, mainly due o he ac ha sp in ing
is he mos equen ac ion p eceding a goal
(Faude e al., 2012). Thus, unde s anding he
sp in ing demands o each aining d ill in o de
o eplica e hem du ing aining pe iodiza ion is
an impo an challenge o socce coaches. In his
sense, ou esul s a e consis en wi h p e ious
s udies which showed ha a g ea e numbe o
sp in s and Velmax alues a e achie ed du ing
LSGs han du ing SSGs (Casamichana and
Cas ellano, 2010; Clemen e e al., 2019; Hodgson
e al., 2014). In his sense, i seems ha an inc ease
o he pi ch size, holding cons an he ela i e
pi ch p opo ions wi h he same a io (i.e.,
leng h/wid h = 1.46) as a socce ma ch, would be a
use ul s a egy o enhance he numbe o sp in s
and he Velmax achie ed by young socce playe s.
Howe e , he numbe o sp in s egis e ed in he
p esen s udy in sided socce games played wi h a
highe IIS pe playe (i.e., LSGs) was lowe (4 s.
10 sp in s) han obse ed in o he s udies
(Clemen e e al., 2019; Hodgson e al., 2014),
mainly due o he inclusion o he o -side ule
and he age-g oup e ec . Conside ing hese
di e ences, i seems ha sp in ing ac ions and
Velmax may no be in luenced only by he ISS pe
playe , bu also by o he decisi e ac o s such as
he pi ch p opo ions, he numbe o playe s
and/o he modi ica ion o some ules o he game
(i.e., o side). The acqui ed knowledge o he
ex e nal loads imposed upon playe s du ing sided
socce games in ela ion o pi ch size could be
in e es ing
o coaches in o de o unde s and he impac o
sided socce games.
Despi e he sca ce li e a u e ocused on
body impac s in socce , i seems ha he
quan i ica ion o his a iable could be in e es ing
in o de o implemen app op ia e aining
s a egies (Abade e al., 2014; A uda e al., 2015).
To da e, al hough some au ho s ha e epo ed
in o ma ion abou he numbe and in ensi ies o
body impac s du ing o icial socce games
(Russell e al., 2016; Wellman e al., 2016), only
one s udy has p o ided da a du ing aining d ills
(Cas illo, Raya-Gonzalez, Clemen e e al., 2019). In
line wi h his in es iga ion, he esul s o ou
s udy showed ha g ea e body impac s we e
egis e ed in LSGs compa ed o SSGs. In addi ion,
playe s egis e ed highe body impac s a I5-6g
in ensi y in LSGs a he han SSGs. Thus, i seems
ha playing a a highe ISS pe playe induces
g ea e body impac s. In his sense, i would be
ad isable o quan i y he physiological and
neu omuscula e ec s caused by he body
impac s expe ienced by playe s du ing sided
socce games (A uda e al., 2015; Wellman e al.,
2016). Fu he esea ch should in es iga e
whe he highe body impac s du ing aining
d ills can induce aining- ela ed neu omuscula
a igue o isk o inju y, o on he con a y,
whe he his a iable can be bene icial o enhance
ch onic adap a ions o maximizing he playe s’
physical pe o mance. Gi en ha di e ences ha e
been ound in body impac s, bu no di e ences
we e epo ed ega ding accele a ions and
decele a ions, i would be con enien o quan i y
bo h a iables du ing speci ic aining d ills in
o de o acqui e g ea e knowledge o he sided
socce game demands. Fu he esea ch could
in es iga e he associa ion o body impac s wi h
o he ex e nal loads. These indings p o ide no el
quan i ica ion o sided socce games and may
indica e ha body impac s can be used o inc ease
he speci ici y o aining p og ams.
This s udy is no wi hou limi a ions, wi h
he main one being a small sample size. Besides,
unde s anding he socce games- ela ed a igue as
p e ious s udies ha e analyzed (Cas illo,
Rod iguez-Fe nandez e al., 2019; Rebelo e al.,
2016), i would be in e es ing o u he
in es iga ions o ex end he knowledge o he
aining p ocess including his in o ma ion. In
addi ion, conside ing he inclusion o he o side
194 In luence o pi ch size on sho - e m high in ensi y ac ions and body impac s in socce sided games
Jou nal o Human Kine ics - olume 78/2021 h p://www.johk.pl
ule du ing he socce sided games, his ac could
in luence he dynamics o he game, so i would
be ad isable o eplica e his s udy wi hou he
applica ion o he o side. Finally, o u u e
in es iga ions, i would be in e es ing o
de e mine he cha ac e is ics o body impac s
encoun e ed du ing ma ch-play in o de o
o ganize he weekly loads and o inspec he
ela ionships be ween ac ical beha io s and
collec i e pa e ns o play bo h in you h and
senio socce playe s.
Conclusions
While no meaning ul di e ences we e
ound in he o al dis ance and in ensi ies du ing
accele a ions and decele a ions be ween SSGs and
LSGs, a g ea e numbe o sp in s, Velmax and
body impac s we e pe o med du ing LSGs in
compa ison wi h SSGs. These esul s sugges ha
an inc ease in he pi ch size (i.e., IIS pe playe )
can induce highe ex e nal loads o he socce
playe . These indings p o ide insigh ul
knowledge ha can be used o design speci ic
aining d ills in socce , and ha he
quan i ica ion o body impac s could be used o
inc ease he speci ici y o aining p og ams.
Acknowledgmen s
The au ho s g a e ully acknowledge he suppo o a Spanish go e nmen subp ojec Mixed me hod
app oach on pe o mance analysis (in aining and compe i ion) in eli e and academy spo [PGC2018-
098742-B-C33] (2019-2021), om Minis e io de Ciencia, Inno ación y Uni e sidades (MCIU), Agencia Es a al
de In es igación (AEI), and Fondo Eu opeo de Desa ollo Regional (FEDER), ha is pa o he coo dina ed
p ojec New app oach o esea ch in physical ac i i y and spo om mixed me hods pe spec i e
(NARPAS_MM) [SPGC201800X098742CV0].
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