The influence of number of floater players on internal and external load in small-sided games
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v68.112986Keywords:
Soccer training, small-sided games, training load, heart rate, locomotor activitiesAbstract
Introduction: Small-sided games (SSGs) have become increasingly popular in soccer training, with the manipulation of floater players emerging as a key variable in training design.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate how different numbers of floater players (no floater, one floater, two floaters) influence physiological responses and locomotor activities during soccer SSGs.
Methodology: Twenty male professional soccer players (age: 21.4 ± 1.82 years) participated in three SSG formats (4v4, 4v4+1, 4v4+2) on a 40×30m pitch. Each format consisted of 4×4-minute bouts with 4-minute rest intervals. Internal load (heart rate) and external load (total distance, high-intensity runs, sprints, accelerations, and decelerations) were monitored using the Polar Pro system.
Results: The 4v4 format elicited higher heart rate responses (HR max: 182.15 ± 8.27 bpm) compared to formats with floaters, though not statistically significant. The 4v4+1 format produced significantly higher values in high-intensity running (236.30 ± 55.00m), sprint distance (10.15 ± 9.51m), accelerations (27.95 ± 5.82), and decelerations (36.00 ± 7.40) compared to other formats.
Discussion: Adding floaters influenced both physiological and physical demands, with one floater optimizing high-intensity actions while two floaters reduced overall movement demands.
Conclusions: The number of floaters significantly impacts training intensity and movement patterns in SSGs, providing coaches with evidence-based guidelines for manipulating training stimuli according to specific objectives.
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