Investigation of time-motion characteristics of work load and physiological load in different regimes of small-sided games in soccer

The aim of this study was to examine the work-load and physiological-load on the players of continuous and intermittent small-sided games (SSGs) in terms of time-motion. Twelve soccer players (age: 20.75 +/- 1.60 years; body mass: 72.17 +/- 5.20 kg; height: 179.42 +/- 5.96 cm) participated in the research voluntarily. SSGs were played in two regimens, continuous (SSGc) and intermittent (SSGi). Wearable GPS device was used to measure the work-load and physiological-load of the players during the SSGs. Five different intensity zones were determined according to the maximal heart rate (HRmax) percentage of the players. Time, HR, running distance and running speed of the players were recorded separately for five zones during SSGs. Comparative analysis was performed between both SSGs. Players' average HR (p = .002) and player load (p = .037) indicators were significantly higher in SSGi than SSGc during the game. There was no significant difference between SSGi and SSGc in total running distance, sprint distance and maximal speed (p > .05). The most crucial finding of the study is that zone-5 activity duration was found to be significantly higher than SSGc in SSGi (p = .023). During SSGc, it was observed that the physiological responses of the players spent time in zone-4, which is the submaximal level, rather than in zone-5, which is the high-intensity activity level. As a result, a higher physiological load at maximal intensity occurred in SSGi compared to SSGc on players. SSGi created a more fluctuating heart rate. While both methods created a physiological load at a sub-maximal density on players, SSGi created a more intense anaerobic load level.