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Variation of Activity Demands in Small-Sided

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Article in International Journal of Sports Medicine February 2012
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370 Training & Testing

Variation of Activity Demands in Small-Sided

Soccer Games

Authors
Aliations

Key words
fitness training

physical profile

heart rate

technical actions

time-motion characteristics

inter-periods

A. Dellal1, 2, 3, B. Drust4, C. Lago-Penas5

1

Olympique Lyonnais FC (soccer), Lyon, France

Tunisian Research Laboratory Sport Performance Optimisation National Centre of Medicine and Science in Sport
(CNMSS) El Menzah, Tunisia
3
Santy Orthopedicae Clinical, Sport Science and Research Department, Lyon, France
4
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
5
Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences, University of Vigo, Spain
2

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the

physical and technical activity during dierent
periods within small-sided soccer games (SSGs).
20 elite players completed 3 dierent SSGs
(2-a-side, 3-a-side and 4-a-side games) in which
the number of ball touches per individual possession was fixed at a maximum of 2. The duration and the pitch size of each SSG were strictly
controlled (2 min, 3 min, 4 min, respectively;
1:75 m2) with each period repeated 4 times (P1,
P2, P3, P4). The physical and technical activities,
heart rate responses, blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were
analysed. The results showed a decrease of high

Introduction

accepted after revision

November 03, 2011
Bibliography
DOI http://dx.doi.org/
10.1055/s-0031-1295476
Published online:
February 8, 2012
Int J Sports Med 2012; 33:
370375 Georg Thieme
Verlag KG Stuttgart New York
ISSN 0172-4622
Correspondence
Dr. Alexandre Dellal
Olympique Lyonnais
350 avenue Jean Jaurs
69007 Lyon
France
Tel.: +33/609/872 954
Fax: +33/388/203 390
alexandredellal@gmail.com

Successful soccer performance is dependent on

the interaction of a number of factors. The technical skill, physical capabilities and tactical
knowledge of players constitute the main performance determinants irrespective of playing
level [20]. The principle of specificity makes it
important for coaches to develop methods of
training that recreate these match-play requirements. In this context, the use of small-sided
games (SSGs) is common due to their ability to
concomitantly train the technical and physical
aspects [13]. SSGs include a high proportion of
high-intensity actions [7] and elicit heart rate
responses similar to those found in match-play or
in high-intensity interval training [8, 26]. The
chronic exposure to these drills can enhance the
endurance capabilities of players [23]. Modifications of the rules in a SSG do, however, influence
the physical activity, the physiological responses
and the technical actions that are completed by
players. More specifically changes in the number
of ball touches authorized per individual posses-

Dellal A et al. Variation of Activity Demands Int J Sports Med 2012; 33: 370375

and very high-intensity activities (from 26.2 %

to 37.7 %, P < 0.001), an increase of blood lactate concentration (from + 28.0 % to + 76.9 %),
RPE (from + 29.0 % to + 32.8 %), and heart rate
responses (~ 6.6 %), and a significant alteration
of technical activities from P1 to P4 in each SSG.
The greatest dierences from P1 and P4 were
observed for the 2-a-side game when compared
to the 3-a-side and 4-a-side games (P < 0.05) for
each variable analysed . In conclusion, the variation of the players activity throughout the periods indicates that the duration and number of
exercise periods used within SSGs is an important variable in determining the training stimulus in soccer-specific training.

sion [4, 5], the pitch size [18, 21], the number of
players [24], the duration of the exercise [16], the
presence of goalkeepers [23] and/or the balance
of the opposition [13] are all important mediators of the physical and technical demands
within a SSG. It has been previously demonstrated that a reduction in the number of ball
touches authorized per individual possession (1
or 2 touches) results in simultaneously greater
total distances covered in sprinting and placed
the players in a technical situation more dicult
than SSGs with a free play rule [4, 5].
However, there is still a lack of studies that
attempt to analyze the influence of the number
of ball touches in each individual possession on
both the physical and technical performance of
soccer players during SSGs. This is especially the
case for SSG training sessions that are divided
into a number of discrete exercise bouts in an
attempt to maintain the physiological load across
the entire session. In this context, Kelly and Drust
[18] revealed that the number of technical
actions decreased from the initial period to the
third and the fourth bouts within a training ses-

Training & Testing 371

sion. These changes were not, however, observed for the physiological responses associated with the exercise as heart rate
increased across a similar time-scale.
Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to examine the physiological responses (heart rate and blood lactate concentration),
the physical activity profile and the technical requirements
associated with dierent periods of exercise across a range of
SSGs commonly used in elite soccer (i. e. 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 and 4
vs. 4). It was hypothesized that the very high-intensity running
(VHIR) including sprinting, the high-intensity running (HIR), and
the technical performance of players would decrease from the
first to the last bout of the SSGs whereas the physiological
responses would significantly increase across a similar timescale. It was also hypothesized that these dierences between
the first and the last bout of the SSGs would be greater for SSGs
with a smaller number of players (i. e. 2 vs. 2 compared to 3 vs. 3
and 4 vs. 4; and 3 vs. 3 compared to 4 vs. 4). This information will
be of value in developing eective prescriptions within SSG for
soccer specific training.

Materials and Methods

Participants
20 international soccer players from a national team who qualified for the World Cup in 2010 took part in the study (age 27 2
years, height 180.6 2.3 cm, weight 79.2 4.2 kg, maximal heart
rate 200 4 beat.min 1, body fat 12.7 1.2 % [9]). The study was
conducted according to the ethical standards in sport and exercise science research [12] and the protocol was fully approved by
the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the local Federation
before the commencement of the assessments. Written informed
consent was received from all players after a detailed explanation about the aims of the study.

Procedures
Maximal heart rate and resting heart rate were determined for
each player using Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test [19] and
according to Dellal et al. [8]. From 7 to 10 days after the midseason break of the dierent domestic league, all players of the
national team had been gathered in order to prepare for the
Nations African Cup 2010 in Angola (from January to February).
During the preparation of this competition and during this competition, all the players performed the 3 dierent SSGs formats:
2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4. All players were fully familiarised with
the SSGs formats and regimes during the first period of in-season training. Prior to each dierent SSG, a 20-min standardized
warm-up was carried out. Each specific game format restricted
the number of ball touches to maximal 2 touches. This frequency
of ball touches was selected on the basis of data determined in
match-play [7]. The duration and the pitch size of each SSG were
strictly controlled (2 vs. 2: 2 min and 20 15 m; 3 vs. 3: 3 min and
25 18 m; 4 vs. 4: 4 min and 30 20 m). Each exercise period was
separated by 3 min of passive recovery. The relative pitch size
per player stayed constant for all SSGs at 1:75 m2. 4 bouts of
exercise were completed for each SSG (P1, P2, P3, P4). All the
SSGs were performed with 4 supporting players stationed
around the playing area. The instructions to all players during all
SSGs were to keep possession of the ball. Several balls were
placed around the playing area and consequently, they were
immediately available to return into play. This enabled the game

to be continued thereby ensuring that the total duration of the

SSGs closely represented an eective exercise time.
The coaches verbally encouraged all the players throughout the
dierent SSGs in order to keep up a high work-rate. Players were
allowed to consume available drinks ad libitum during the
recovery periods. All sessions were separated by at least 2 days
and were performed at the same time of the day in order to limit
the eects of the circadian variations on the measured variables
[10].

Physiological, physical and technical analysis

Heart rate responses were continuously recorded at 5 s intervals
throughout all SSGs using heart rate monitors (Polar S-810,
Polar-Electro OY, Kempele, Finland). Individual mean heart rate
during the dierent exercise periods within each SSG was determined to provide an indication of the overall intensity. Heart
rate data was also expressed both as percentage of maximal
heart rate and as percentage of heart rate reserve according to
the formula suggested by Karvonen et al. [17]. Post-exercise
blood lactate samples were collected at the 3rd min post-exercise
from each player using several portable analyzers (Lactate Pro,
Arkray, Japan). This piece of equipment has been shown to provide valid indications of blood lactate concentration [25]. The
use of this portable analyzer in the field presented high correlation (r = 0.99) with the values found in the laboratory, and consequently, this analyzer can be used interchangeably within the
field and laboratory in collective sport due to the high reliability
and validity [22]. The rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was
used to subjectively determine the players feelings of the exercise intensity. Players provided an overall rating of their intensity of eort at the end of each SSG. The RPE scale proposed by
Foster et al. [11] was employed as this provides an accurate indication of the global internal training load in soccer [14].
The physical activity profiles of the players were analysed using
a portable global positioning satellite system (GPS) (GPSports
SPI Elite System, Canberra, Australia) in which the distance travelled was recorded at 5 Hz. This technology has been previously
determined as reliable and validated for monitoring the players
high-intensity and sprinting activities in soccer [3, 15] especially
during exercises including repeated sprints [1]. The total distance covered, and the total distances covered in HIR and VHIR
were measured according to the previous time-motion analysis
criteria used [46, 13]. The threshold running speeds used to
evaluate the distances run in each of these categories were:
1317 kmh 1 (HIR) and > 17 kmh 1 (VHIR).
4 fixed digital video cameras were positioned 10 m behind each
corner of the SSG area to capture the players technical actions.
The videos tapes were formatted onto DVD and replayed on a
standardized computer for analysis. Duels (defined as the opposition of 2 players to gain control of the ball), percentage of successful passes, total number of balls lost and total number of
individual ball possessions were evaluated by a hand notation
system. The reliability of this system was assessed by the reanalysis of one designated SSG by the investigator. The number
of exact agreements observed between each of the 2 analyses
was used to provide the level of agreement [18]. This method
was then supplemented by the calculation of kappa statistics to
enable a comparison with the number of agreements observed
that could be expected by chance. The reliability values were
89 % (k = 0.89) for the successful passes, 92 % (k = 0.92) for the
total number of balls lost, 87 % (k = 0.87) for duels, and 92 %
(k = 0.92) for the total number of ball possessions. This data
Dellal A et al. Variation of Activity Demands Int J Sports Med 2012; 33: 370375

372 Training & Testing

would seem to indicate that the system provides a suitable level

of agreement for this type of research.

Statistical analysis
Data are presented as means and standard deviations
(means S.D.). Before using parametric statistical test procedures, the normality of data was verified. A two-way analysis of
variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was used to test for
dierences in performance measures (dependent variable)
between the dierent periods within each SSG (2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 or
4 vs. 4, independent variable). Follow-up univariate analyses
using Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons were used
where appropriate. All statistical analyses were performed using
SPSS for Windows, version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). The
level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Confidence intervals (CI)
for significant dierences in means were also determined. Eect
size (ES) values of 00.19, 0.200.49, 0.500.79, and 0.8 were
considered to represent trivial, small, medium, and large dierences, respectively [2].

Results

The analysis of the physiological responses revealed significant

increases from P1 to P4 for all the dierent SSGs analysed
Table 1). Specifically, results of the present study showed
(
that a decrease of number of players induced greater dierences
of physiological responses between P1 and P4 (2 vs. 2 as compared to 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4). Moreover, although results of heart
rate responses expressed as a percentage of maximal heart rate
indicated a significant increase from P1 to P4 (P < 0.05 and
ES = 1.67), the heart rate responses expressed as a percentage of
reserve heart rate indicated lower values within P1 and P2 periods as compared to P3 and P4.
The dierent SSGs (2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4) led to significant
greater total distances covered in both VHIR and HIR during P1
Table 1,
and P2 as compared to P3 and P4 (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01,
ES = 0.89). The proportion of HIR and VHIR also diered between
the dierent SSGs tested. The analysis of SSGs indicated that the
percentage of VHIR in the total distance covered decreased from P1
to P4 (from 17.7 % to 13.4 % with P < 0.01 and ES = 1.12 for 2 vs. 2;
from 17.1 % to 15.7 % with P < 0.01 and ES = 1.34 for 3 vs. 3; and from
Fig. 1).
14.6 % to 12.6 % with P < 0.01 and ES = 1.19 for 4 vs. 4) (
In the same way, the percentage of the total distance covered in
HIR decreased from P1 to P4 during the 2 vs. 2 (from 23.6 % to
20.1 % with P < 0.01 and ES = 1.42), the 3 vs. 3 (from 24.8 % to
21.6 % with P < 0.01 and ES = 2.25) and the 4 vs. 4 (from 23.9 % to
Fig. 1).
17.8 % with P < 0.001 and ES = 2.11) (
The analysis of the technical actions showed that the number of
duels and the percentage of successful passes were significantly
Table 1). The
greater in P1 and P2 compared to P4 (CI = 2.25.6,
Table 1
frequency of balls lost increased from P1 to P4 (
Fig. 2, CI = 0.6 to 1.5). The total numbers of ball possesand
sions were similar irrespective of the period within the SSGs.

Discussion

The aim of this investigation was to examine the variation in the

physiological responses, the physical performance and the technical activity across dierent periods of SSG exercise play in a
variety of SSG formats. The findings of the present study demonDellal A et al. Variation of Activity Demands Int J Sports Med 2012; 33: 370375

strated a decrease in high-intensity activities completed, an

increase in the physiological stress and changes in the frequency
of technical actions from P1 to P4. This data would seem to suggest that the organisation and the number of periods used
within soccer-specific training is an important factor to be considered in the planning of training sessions.
Although previous studies have shown that the physical performance of players is influenced by changes in the rules that are
used to control SSGs, such as the pitch size [21], the number of
players [24] or the duration of the exercise [16], few, if any, of
these studies have evaluated the changes in important performance parameters in discrete periods of game play across dierent game formats. The present study revealed that the timemotion characteristics were modified from the first to the last
game periods (from P1 to P4) with a significant decrease in VHIR
and in HIR occurring independently of the SSGs tested. The proportion of the VHIR and HIR activities did not dier when we
compared the dierent SSGs. In the same context, the proportion of the total distance covered in low or moderate intensity
showed the highest values in P4 during all the SSGs (from 58.7 %
to 66.4 % for 2 vs. 2; from 58.1 % to 62.7 % for 3 vs. 3; and from
61.6 % to 69.5 % for 4 vs. 4). These similarities of physical activities within the SSGs could be explained by the constant relative
pitch size per player (1:75 m2) according to the findings of HillHaas et al. [13] who suggested this method in order to improve
the control of the player activities. The results of Owen et al. [24]
relating that the number of players aects the physical actions
during SSGs, is also confirmed within the dierent intra-periods
of SSGs with dierent number of players. Indeed, the proportion
of VHIR and HIR decreased from P1 to P4 during all the SSGs,
especially the 2 vs. 2. To explain this results, Dellal et al. [6]
stated that the number of ball possessions, technical actions and
physical demands were greater in 2 vs. 2 as compared to a 3 vs.
3 or 4 vs. 4 both in amateur and professional soccer players. It is
also suggested that the physical activity could be more aected
during the 2 vs. 2 due to a lower number of recovery periods and
a shorter duration of these recovery times between the high
intensity eorts, whereas these periods of recovery should be
longer and more numerous during SSGs with a greater number
of players. However, no study has revealed which work/rest
ratios are the best for dierent type of SSGs.
The present study confirmed the findings of Kelly and Drust
[18]. The heart rate responses were observed to increase from P1
to P4. This would suggest that the cardiovascular load is elevated
when exercise bouts are repeated. The dierences across the 4
game periods were, however, greater if the heart rate data was
expressed as a percentage of the reserve heart rate. This last
result confirms that the heart rate responses dier according to
the method of heart rate analysis used, and therefore, the use of
reserve heart rate has to be favoured in order to well define the
heart rate responses in training soccer as it is previously recommended [8]. Other indicators of physiological stress that were
measured in the investigation (blood lactate concentration and
RPE) also increased from P1 to P4. Concerning the same physiological values, Hill-Haas et al. [13] found that the blood lactate
concentration, RPE and heart rate responses could be altered by
the number of players. The results of the present study confirmed these findings within the SSGs and their intra-periods
but with dierences between the dierent SSGs formats. Indeed,
it is suggested that a lower number of players (2 vs. 2) induced
the greatest dierences in physiological responses (blood lactate
concentration, RPE and heart rate) from the first period (P1) to

313.7 16.2*

53.4 5.1***

71.8 12.7**

8.1 1.4***

62.5 4.6**

3.0 0.8***

10.5 0.3

3.2 0.0***

7.2 0.2***
88.7 0.7

85.6 2.9**

332.3 22.1***

58.9 5.3***

78.5 9.1***

8.7 1.4***

64.2 4.9***

2.4 0.6***

10.7 0.3

2.6 0.0***

6.7 0.2***
86.6 0.6

80.0 3.2**

(P2)

(P1)

91.3 2.6

7.8 0.2
91.1 0.5

3.8 0.1

10.4 0.3

3.5 0.7

60.0 4.3

7.4 0.9

66.0 10.3

46.1 6.4

297.8 18.6

(P3)

Period 3

2 vs. 2 SSG

Period 2

Period 1

95.1 3.3

8.9 0.1
93.4 0.4

4.6 0.1

10.5 0.3

5.1 1.2

55.5 4.1

4.2 1.2

54.9 11.6

36.7 6.5

273.0 30.8

(P4)

Period 4

79.8 3.9***

6.8 0.7***
86.9 2.6

2.8 0.2**

10.7 1.4

2.5 0.7***

72.4 2.2**

8.4 1.0***

144.9 20.9***

100.2 12.3***

584.4 56.2**

(P1)

Period 1

VHIR : Very high-intensity running ; HIR : High-intensity running ; RPE : Rating of perceived exertion

*Significantly dierent between periods 1 and 2, and periods 3 and 4; with *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001

total distance
covered (m)
total distance covered in VHIR (m)
total distance covered in HIR (m)
total number of
duels
successful passes
( %)
total number of lost
balls
total number of ball
possessions
blood lactate
concentration
(mmol.l 1)
RPE (CR-10)
% of maximal heart
rate
% of reserve heart
rate

Variables

84.7 3.6**

7.5 0.9**
88.6 2.7

3.2 0.2*

10.6 1.4

3.3 0.6**

71.6 2.7*

7.8 1.2*

120.5 13.8***

92.6 12.6**

557.3 53.1**

(P2)

Period 2

91.9 3.3

7.9 0.7
90.1 2.7

3.5 0.2

11.1 1.6

3.8 0.7

69.6 2.1

7.2 1.2

108.6 11.2

85.4 12.7

521.6 43.9

(P3)

Period 3

3 vs. 3 SSG

Table 1 Physical demands, technical actions and physiological responses during small-sided games according to the dierent SSG bouts.

92.5 3.8

8.9 0.7
91.9 3.0

3.9 0.2

11.2 1.2

5.4 1.5

65.8 2.2

4.7 1.1

99.7 6.9

72.6 12.9

461.8 30.3

(P4)

Period 4

77.6 4.3**

6.9 0.7***
83.4 2.8

2.5 0.2*

8.3 1.2

2.6 0.9***

70.8 5.1***

5.7 1.1***

169.8 20.5***

103.6 14.6***

711.9 65.5***

(P1)

Period 1

78.7 3.9*

7.7 1.0**
84.7 2.9

2.7 0.1*

8.4 1.3

3.7 1.1**

69.3 4.9**

4.6 1.0**

144.8 17.1**

95.5 12.4***

689.2 71.1**

(P2)

82.4 3.8

8.1 0.7
86.1 3.1

2.9 0.3

8.7 1.6

4.2 1.2

67.0 5.1

4.1 0.9

130.5 16.6

89.3 12.7

667.8 74.0

(P3)

Period 3

4 vs. 4 SSG
Period 2

88.5 4.4

8.9 0.8
87.9 3.2

3.2 0.2

8.7 1.2

6.0 1.7

63.5 5.6

3.1 0.8

107.7 13.2

76.5 13.4

604.9 55.2

(P4)

Period 4

Training & Testing 373

Dellal A et al. Variation of Activity Demands Int J Sports Med 2012; 33: 370375

374 Training & Testing

Fig. 1 Variation of the proportion of the total distance covered in VHIR and in HIR within all bouts
of each small-sided game tested.

30
25
20

**

**
**

***

**

**

15
10
05
00

P1

P2

P3

P4

P1

2 vs. 2

P2

P3

P4

P1

P2

3 vs. 3

% total distance covered in VHIR

P3

P4

4 vs. 4
% total distance covered in HIR

**Significantly different between periods 1 and period 4; with **p< 0.01; ***p < 0.001
VHIR : Very high-intensity running ; HIR : High-intensity running
P1: Period 1; P2: Period 2; P3: Period 3; P4: Period 4.

Fig. 2 Variation of the technical performance

during the dierent bouts of each small-sided
game tested.

14
12
10

***
***

08

***

06
04
00

2 vs. 2

3 vs. 3

4 vs. 4

***

***

***

02

2 vs. 2

Number of
duels

3 vs. 3

4 vs. 4

Number of
balls lost
P1

P2

P3

2 vs. 2

3 vs. 3

4 vs. 4

Number of
ball possessions
P4

***Significantly different between periods 1 and 2, and periods 3 and 4; with ***p < 0.001
P1: Period 1; P2: Period 2; P3: Period 3; P4: Period 4.

the last period (P4) of a SSG as compared to greater number of

players. The last suggestion is probably due to both a lower
number and a shorter duration of recovery periods between the
eorts, and greater physical demands, technical actions and ball
possession [6].
Previous studies have described the technical activities within
SSGs [46, 13, 24] though these data have again failed to evaluate
any changes that may occur across a number of discrete exercise
periods that may be included in training sessions. Kelly and
Drust [18] have shown that certain technical actions can be
altered during the dierent periods of SSGs. The results of the
present study support these findings by demonstrating changes
in the number of lost balls and the percentage of successful
passes and duels from P1 and P2 to P4 for the 2 vs. 2, the 3 vs. 3
and the 4 vs. 4. This data would seem to indicate that the ability
of the players to successfully complete technical actions
decreases from the first period to the last period of SSGs, and
this dierence is also influenced by the numbers of players and
the game formats. Coaches should pay attention to the determination of the games rules such as the pitch size and the number

Dellal A et al. Variation of Activity Demands Int J Sports Med 2012; 33: 370375

of players because a modification of only 1 rule aects the technical demand of a SSG as Kelly and Drust [18] and the present
study have observed. To illustrate this, Mallo and Navarro [23]
compared 3 dierent 3 vs. 3 with 3 dierent game rules in the
same pitch area. The result was that the number of ball contacts
and the number of short passes were greater when the rule was
to keep the ball as compared to the 3 vs. 3 with goalkeepers and
the 3 vs. 3 with 2 out-players. The 3 vs. 3 played with the aim
to keep the ball under the same conditions as those found in the
present study, indicating that the number of unsuccessful short
passes reached 15.4 4.7 % and this value was greater than in the
other game rules (9.1 5.1 % with presence of goalkeepers, and
5.3 2.9 % with out-players). Consequently, the coach could
increase the technical diculty of the SSGs by giving instructions to the players to keep the ball (without goalkeepers and
out-players) and in varying the game rules such as the number
of ball touches per individual possessions and the number of
players.

Training & Testing 375

Conclusions

The main findings of the present study indicate that the total
distance covered in high-intensity activities and the technical
performance of elite soccer players decreased as a result of the
number of exercise periods in 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4 SSGs.
These changes were associated with increases in physiological
responses to the exercise. Technical actions also changed as a
result of the exercise period. Specifically, although the total
number of individual possession stayed constant, the number of
balls lost and the number of duels increased from P1 to P4 while
the percentage of successful passes decreased from P1 to P4.
The changes associated with the exercise period seem to be
related to the number of players. It is suggested that a reduction
of the number of players in a SSG induce a decrease of the
number and duration of the recovery periods between the
eorts. This data would seem to indicate that the number of
exercise periods included in any training session is also an
important factor for the planning and organisation of soccerspecific training sessions. Thus, according to the objectives of
the training and the time of the season, coaches could modify
simultaneously the technical diculty, the physical demands
and the physiological responses within the SSGs.

Acknowledgements

We thank all the players of the national soccer team of Ivory

Coast for their collaboration. The authors have no conflict of
interest that is directly relevant to the content of this article. No
external financial support was declared for this investigation.

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