Effect of Small-Sided Games with and without the Offside Rule on Young Soccer Players: Reliability of Physiological Demands.

This study aimed to compare the physiological demand between three vs. three small-sided games (SSGs) with (3vs.3WITH) and without (3vs.3WITHOUT) the offside rule, as well as the within- and between-session reliability of this demand. Twenty-four U-17 soccer athletes performed various three vs. three (plus goalkeepers) SSGs with and without the offside rule. The data collection was performed within an eight-week period. Athletes' heart rate was monitored during the SSG. The variables analyzed were the percentage mean heart rate (HRMEAN%) and the percentage peak heart rate (HRPEAK%). For the analysis of within-session reliability, the mean value of the first two and last two SSG bouts performed within one day were used. The between-session reliability was calculated using the mean value of the four SSG bouts of each SSG type performed on two different days. In both SSGs, the values for reliability were significant and were classified as moderate to excellent. There were no significant differences in the physiological demand among SSG types. We concluded that the offside rule does not influence the physiological demand in a three vs. three SSG and the HRMEAN% and HRPEAK% present moderate to excellent reliability in a three vs. three SSG with and without the offside rule.

Small-Sided Soccer Games with Larger Relative Areas Result in Higher Physical and Physiological Responses: a Systematic and Meta-Analytical Review.

This study aimed to systematically review the influence of the relative area on athletes' physical and physiological responses (outcomes) during small-sided games of soccer which were not matched to the relative area. It also presents a meta-analysis comparing standard small-sided games protocols with different relative areas. We searched the Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases for literature published up to March 2020 following all PRISMA guidelines for selecting articles for a qualitative and quantitative synthesis. As a result, eleven articles matched the inclusion criteria. For the quantitative synthesis, a pooled random-effects model was used to make pairwise comparisons between protocols with larger or smaller areas in each selected study. Prediction intervals were used to assess the heterogeneity. We found positive effects of larger relative areas per player on their total distance (d = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.12-1.34; p = 0.006; medium to large effect), distance covered at high speed (d = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.22-1.65; p = 0.001; large effect), and mean heart rate (d = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.17-0.88; p = 0.008; medium effect). In other words, larger relative areas were found to induce higher physical and physiological responses in players. Future studies should consider the relative area per player when comparing data for different small-sided games configurations to avoid confounding variables. Also, coaches can use relative area per player calculations to easily predict increases and decreases in expected training loads for different versions of SSGs during training.

Progression to the target vs. regular rules in Soccer small-sided Games.

BACKGROUND: This study compared the physical, physiological, and spatiotemporal responses of soccer athletes in small-sided games (SSG) in two experimental conditions: progression to the target rule (PG), in which they should take the ball to the opponent's endline to score points, and SSG with regular rules (RG), in which they should score goals to win the game. METHODS: Twenty U-20 athletes played both SSG formats. The SSG were played as four 4-minute bouts with four minutes of passive recovery in two consecutive days. Heart rate, physical (distances and accelerations), and positional data (length, width, and spatial exploration) were collected by a 10 hz GPS device and compared between the protocols using a MANOVA with Bonferroni's correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Results showed that the RG condition demanded more spatial exploration eliciting greater occupation of the pitch width. There were higher mean and maximum heart rates and greater low-to-moderate distances and accelerations in the RG, while the PG rule increased the distances covered at the highest speed and acceleration zones. CONCLUSIONS: The progression to the target rule should be adopted to emphasize players' ability to use the width during the offensive phase. Additionally, the PG rule should also be used to emphasize the development of speed and acceleration skills.

Respostas tático-técnica, física e fisiológica de atletas a pequenos jogos no basquetebol ­ uma revisão de escopo / Tactical-technical, physical, and physiological responses of athletes during basketball small-sided games ­ a scope review

Esta revisão de escopo objetivou verificar as respostas tático-técnica, física e fisiológica de atletas a pequenos jogos (PJ) de basquetebol. Utilizou-se o método Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses ­ Extension for Scoping Reviews. Dois pesquisadores realizaram a busca eletrônica em seis bases de dados, em inglês, português e espanhol. Os critérios de inclusão foram: a) ser artigos científicos publicados em periódicos revisados por pares; b) incluir atletas de basquetebol a partir da categoria sub-12 (minibasquete), competindo em qualquer nível e c) apresentar dados relacionados à resposta física, fisiológica ou tático-técnica dos jogadores. Encontrou-se 34 estudos sobre o efeito agudo dos PJ, que investigaram, principalmente, a influência da alteração do número de jogadores, da área de jogo, da razão estímulo/pausa e das regras. Alguns estudos compararam as respostas de jogadores com diferentes características (e.g., antropométricas) aos PJ. A diminuição do número de jogadores e o aumento da área por jogador parecem aumentar as respostas física e fisiológica e o número de ações tático-técnicas individuais. Maiores durações da série de PJ e menores durações da pausa entre séries parecem aumentar a resposta fisiológica e diminuir a intensidade da resposta física dos jogadores. Diferentes regras influenciam as respostas tático-técnica, física e fisiológica. Os quatro estudos sobre os efeitos crônicos dos PJ reportaram aumentos no desempenho aeróbico, de agilidade e tático-técnico após treinamento com PJ. Os estudos indicam que os PJ elevam o desempenho físico e tático-técnico de atletas de basquetebol e que diferentes características dos PJ levam a respostas tático-técnica, física e fisiológica distintas. (AU)

This scope review aimed to verify the tactical-technical, physical, and physiological responses of basketball players during basketball smallsided games (SSG). We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses ­ Extension for Scoping Reviews. Two independent researchers searched six electronic data bases for scientific papers published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. The inclusion criteria were: a) scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals; b) participants should be basketball athletes belonging to the under-12 category (minibasketball) or older competing at any level; and c) present data regarding players' tactical-technical, physical, or physiological responses to basketball SSG. We found 34 studies on the SSG acute effect (acute response). These studies mainly investigated the influence of modifying the number of players per team, the playing area, the work-to-rest ratio, and the rules. Some studies compared the responses presented by players with different characteristics (e.g., anthropometrics) to the SSG. Decreases in the number of players and increases in the area per player seem to increase the physical and physiological responses and the number of individual tactical-technical actions. Longer SSG bouts and shorter rest intervals seem to increase the physiological response and decrease the intensity of the physical response. Different rules influence the tactical-technical, physical, and physiological responses. The four studies on the chronic effects of basketball SSG found increases in the aerobic, agility, and tactical-technical performances after SSG training. Studies indicate that SSG training can increase physical and tactical-technical performances of basketball athletes and that different SSG characteristics lead to distinct tactical-technical, physical, and physiological responses. (AU)

The Acute and Chronic Effects of Dual-Task on the Motor and Cognitive Performances in Athletes: A Systematic Review.

Athletes must distribute their attention to many relevant cues during a match. Therefore, athletes' ability to deal with dual-tasks may be different from the non-athlete population, demanding a deeper investigation within the sports domain. This study aimed to systematically review the acute and chronic effects of dual-tasks in motor and cognitive performances in athletes from different modalities. The search for articles followed all the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The keywords used were: "dual-task" OR "double task" OR "multi-task" OR "divided attention" OR "secondary task" OR "second task" AND "working memory" OR "visual" OR "decision making" OR "gaze behavior" OR "attention" AND "sports" OR "athletes" OR "players". The Scopus, Pubmed, and Web of Science databases were screened for studies comparing single and dual-tasks, in which the participants were athletes competing at any level, and in which at least one of the following variables were investigated: working memory, decision-making, visual search behavior, perception, anticipation, attention, or motor tasks. Articles were screened using pre-defined selection criteria, and methodological quality was assessed by two researchers independently. Following the eligibility criteria, we included 18 articles in the review: 13 on the acute effects, and five on the chronic effects. This review showed that the acute effect of dual-tasks impairs the motor and cognitive performances of athletes (dual-task cost). However, training with dual-tasks (chronic effect) improved working memory skills and attentional control. We conclude that dual-tasks acutely and chronically impacts motor and cognitive performance.

The influence of the offside rule on players' positional dynamics in soccer small-sided games.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on soccer small-sided games (SSGs) chose between with and without offside rule conditions without evidence-based criteria. The current study aimed to compare the positional dynamics of 3v3 SSGs with and without the offside rule. METHODS: Twenty-four Brazilian U-17 national-level soccer players were recruited. They were split into eight teams and played SSGs with and without the offside rule . Positional data were gathered by a Global Positioning System, and teams' length, width, the length per width ratio (LPWratio), stretch index and players' spatial exploration index were calculated. Data were compared between the experimental conditions by a paired t-test. RESULTS: Results showed that SSGs with the offside rule presented lower values of length (~16.63%, large effect), the LPWratio (~19.74%, large effect), and players' spatial exploration (~4.13%, small-to-moderate effect). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the offside rule impacts players' positional behavior in SSGs, inducing a less exploratory behavior mainly in the width axis. For this reason, we recommend caution when interpreting previous results on SSG when the offside rule was not applied since adopting this rule might elicit different responses to the players . Coaches can manipulate this rule aiming to achieve specific tactical goals for the training session.

Physical-motor indicators and specific skills of young basketball players after periodization training / Indicadores físico-motores e habilidades específicas de jovens basquetebolistas após treinamento com periodização

abstract Basketball is a team sport with short, high intensity movement patterns and rapid and frequent changes of direction. Strength, agility and speed, in addition to specific technical skills, are essential for basketball athletes to achieve good performance. This study aims to verify the effect of a traditional periodization on physical-motor indicators and on specific technical skills in young basketball players. Nineteen young basketball players (15.4 ± 1.3 years), with at least 12 months of training experience, underwent a 5-month periodization. We assessed two physical-motor indicators (countermovement jump (CMJ) and anaerobic capacity (Line Drill)) and two specific technical skills (Dribbling and Shooting) at the PRE and POST training moments. Paired Student's t test was used to test the effect of training on physical-motor variables and technical skills. We calculated the 95% confidence interval of the average relative gain (Δ%) for each variable and analyzed the effect size through Cohen's d (p≤ 0.05). Significant differences were found between the PRE and POST moments in the CMJ (34.02 vs. 38.64 cm; p <0.001), in the Line-Drill (33.20 vs. 31.73 s; p <0.001), Dribbling (6.95 vs. 6.66 s; p <0.001), and Shooting (15.84 vs. 17.95 pts; p <0.001). Young school-level basketball players submitted to a 5-month training period were able to improve their physical-motor indicators and specific skills.

resumo O basquete é um esporte coletivo com padrões de movimentos curtos, de alta intensidade e com mudanças rápidas e frequentes de direção. Niveis elevados de força, agilidade e velocidade, além de habilidades técnicas específicas, são primordiais para uma boa performance em atletas desta modalidade. O objetivo do estudo foi verificar o efeito de uma periodização tradicional nos indicadores fisico-motores e nas habilidades técnicas em jovens basquetebolistas. Dezenove jovens basquetebolistas (idade: 15,4 ± 1,3 anos, estatura: 172,80 ± 7,90 cm), com pelo menos 12 meses de experiencia em treinamento, foram submetidos a uma periodização de 5 meses. Foram avaliados, nos momentos PRÉ e PÓS treinamento dois indicadores físico-motores (salto vertical com contramovimento (CMJ); e capacidade anaeróbica (Line Drill)) e duas habilidades técnicas específicas (Arremesso e Drible). Para testar o efeito do treinamento sobre as variáveis fisico-motoras e habilidades técnicas, foi utilizado o teste de t de Student pareado. Foi calculado o intervalo de confiança de 95% da média do ganho relativo (Δ%) em cada variável. O tamanho do efeito foi analisado pelo d de Cohen (p≤ 0.05). Foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os momentos PRÉ e PÓS no CMJ (34,02 vs. 38,64 cm; p<0,001), no Line-Drill (33,20 vs. 31,73 s; p<0,001), no Drible (6,95 vs. 6,66 s; p<0,001) e no Arremesso (15,84 vs. 17,95 pts; p<0,001). Conclui-se que jovens basquetebolistas de nível escolar, submetidos a uma periodização do treinamento de 5 meses, melhoram a potência de membros inferiores, a capacidade anaeróbica e as habilidades de drible e arremesso.

Inequality in Brazilian basketball: the birthplace effect / Desigualdade no basquete brasileiro: efeito do local de nascimento

abstract This study aimed to investigate the birthplace effect in Brazilian basketball athletes of both sexes according their states and geographical regions. Our hypothesis is that the São Paulo (SP) state is the leading player in the Southeastern region and stands out from the other regions. The birthplace of Brazilian athletes participating in the FIBA World Cup and in two national leagues were collected from open-access websites. Three hundred and fifteen athletes' birthplaces were included. The absolute and relative frequencies of athletes' birthplaces per state and geographical region were calculated. Chi-Square tests were used to compare the expected and the observed frequencies of birthplaces among regions and states. Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to indicate the probability of a high-level athlete to be born in a certain region or state. The results completely confirmed our hypothesis, showing higher frequencies of athletes born in the Southeastern region, especially in the SP state. We concluded that the uneven participation in basketball in Brazil is caused by the continental dimensions of the country and the modality historical context. Concentrating basketball clubs on a single region or state (SP) leads to an underuse of the sporting potential in the country.

resumo O presente estudo investigou o efeito do local de nascimento em ambos os sexos do basquete brasileiro e de acordo com os estados e regiões geográficas. Nós hipotetizamos que o estado de São Paulo (SP) seria o principal responsável pelo destaque da região sudeste sobre as demais regiões. O efeito do local de Nascimento dos atletas brasileiros participantes da Copa do Mundo da FIBA e de duas ligas nacionais foram coletados de sites com acesso livre. Os locais de nascimento de 315 atletas foram incluídos. As frequências absolutas e relativas do local de nascimento dos atletas em cada estado e região geográfica foram calculadas. O teste de chi-quadrado foi usado para comparar as frequências esperadas e observadas entre regiões e estados. A razão de chances e o intervalo de confiança de 95% foram calculados para indicar a probabilidade de um atleta de alto rendimento nascer em determinada região ou estado. Os resultados confirmaram nossas hipóteses, apontando altas frequências de atletas nascidos na região Sudeste, especialmente no estado de SP. Concluímos que a desigualdade de participação no basquete brasileiro é causada pela dimensão continental do país e pelo contexto histórico da modalidade. A concentração de clubes de basquete em uma única região e estado (SP) levam a subutilização do potencial esportivo do país.

Physical and physiological demands of basketball small-sided games: the influence of defensive and time pressures.

Different small-sided games (SSG) can be used by coaches to induce specific demands on athletes during team sports training. In basketball, defensive and time pressures are common stressors experienced by players during official matches. However, no studies have investigated the effect of changing these variables in SSG during training. We compared the physical and physiological demands of three basketball SSG performed in a half court with two hoops: 3vs3 with man-to-man defence in the half playing area, 3vs3 with man-to-man defence in the full playing area, and 3vs3 with a reduced shot-clock (3vs3HALF, 3vs3FULL, 3vs3RT, respectively). Twelve male U-17 basketball athletes formed four balanced teams. Each team played the three SSG against each other in a random order, totalling 18 SSG. During the SSG, the players wore triaxial accelerometers and heart rate monitors. SSG were filmed to record the players' motor actions. The results showed that 3vs3FULL (p=0.004, d=0.42, small-to-moderate effect) and 3vs3RT (p=0.026, d=0.33, small-to-moderate effect) increased the time spent in higher acceleration zones compared to 3vs3HALF. Both 3vs3FULL and 3vs3RT presented more transition sprints compared to 3vs3HALF. The 3vs3FULL also presented more fakes and the 3vs3RT presented more jumps compared to the 3vs3HALF. Physiological responses presented no differences between the SSG formats. In conclusion, defensive and time pressures increase the physical demand in 3vs3 SSG performed in the half court. The three SSG investigated in this study presented mean heart rate values close to 90% of the maximum heart rate, which suggests that these SSG may be used to increase athletes' aerobic performance.

Understanding Player Load: Meanings and Limitations.

We present a critical reflection on the mechanical variable Player Load, which is based on acceleration data and commonly used in sports. Our motivation to write this paper came from the difficulties that we encountered in the calculation and interpretation of Player Load using our own data, since we did not use the Catapult Sports equipment, which is a merchandise of the company that proposed this variable. We reviewed existing literature in order to understand Player Load better; we found many inconsistencies in PL calculation methods and in the meanings attached to it. Accordingly, this paper presents a brief discussion on the meanings that have been assigned to Player Load, its limitations, and the lack of clear and complete information about Player Load calculation methods. Moreover, the use of arbitrary units and different practical meanings in the literature has associated Player Load with many physical quantities, thereby resulting in difficulties in determining what Player Load measures within the context of sports. It seems that Player Load is related to the magnitude of changes in acceleration, but not the magnitude of acceleration itself. Therefore, coaches and sports scientists should take this information into account when they use Player Load to prescribe and monitor external loads. We concluded that a deeper discussion of Player Load as a descriptor of external load is warranted in the sports sciences literature.

Influence of pitch size and age category on the physical and physiological responses of young football players during small-sided games using GPS devices.

This study aimed to compare the physical and physiological responses of young football players of different categories during small-sided games (SSGs) played on different pitch sizes. Forty-eight (24 U-13 and 24 U-14) athletes played a 3 vs. 3 + 1 SSG in two experimental conditions: regular (36 × 27 m) and large pitch sizes (40 × 29 m). The total distance covered, the distances covered at different speed zones (0 to 6.9 km/h, 6.9 to 14.3, and 14.3 to 21.4), maximum heart rate, and mean heart rate were recorded. The results showed that older athletes covered larger distances during SSGs (p = 0.001; d = 0.937; large effect) and lower distances at the lowest (0-6.9 km/h) speed zone (p = 0.001; d = 0.657; moderate-to-large effect). Neither the physical nor physiological variables (except for distance covered between 14.3 and 21.4 km/h) differed between pitch sizes. This result indicates that pitch size may not impact the physical or physiological responses of U-13 and U-14 players during SSGs, but differences between categories were found. In conclusion, the development of tactical skills may be desirable to better explore the available space in the same age categories.

Changes in tactical behavior during small-sided and conditioned games performed within a training session / Mudança no comportamento tático durante uma sessão de treinamento com pequenos jogos

Abstract This study aimed to verify the acute effects of 3vs.3 soccer small-sided and conditioned games (SSCG) on the tactical behavior of youth soccer athletes within one training session. Twenty-four soccer athletes (U-13 and U-14 categories) from a professional club participated in the study. They played four 4-minute 3vs.3 SSCG with 4 minutes of passive recovery in-between. All SSCG were recorded and players' tactical behavior was analyzed using the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer. We compared the frequencies and percentages of successful tactical principles over the four 3vs.3 SSCG bouts performed within the training session. Results showed an increased number of defensive unity actions (p= 0.005; large effect size) and a higher percentage of successful defensive principles (p<0.001; moderate effect size) in the fourth bout. We can conclude that players' tactical behaviors change over the SSCG bouts performed within one training session. This suggests that players adapt their tactical behavior according to the tactical problems presented in the SSCG performed within the training session. We can suggest that the long-term improvement in the tactical skills of soccer athletes may be based on these small acute changes in tactical behavior observed in each training session.

Resumo O objetivo do estudo foi verificar o efeito do pequeno jogo 3vs.3 sobre o comportamento tático de jovens jogadores de futebol em uma sessão de treinamento. Participaram do estudo 24 jogadores das categorias sub-13 e sub-14 de um clube professional. Realizaram-se quatro séries de quatro minutos do pequeno jogo 3vs.3 com quatro minutos de pausa passiva entre as séries. Todos os jogos foram filmados e analisou-se o comportamento tático por meio do Sistema de Avaliação Tática no Futebol. Foram comparados a frequência e o percentual de acertos dos princípios táticos nas quatro séries dentro de uma sessão de treinamento. Os resultados evidenciaram aumento do número das ações de unidade defensiva (p= 0.005; tamanho do efeito grande) e do percentual de acerto dos princípios defensivos (p<0.001; tamanho do efeito moderado). Conclui-se haver mudança do comportamento tático durante as séries de pequenos jogos realizados dentro de uma sessão de treinamento. Sugere-se que os jogadores adaptam seus comportamentos conforme os problemas táticos emergentes nos pequenos jogos. Além disso, sugere-se que a melhoria da capacidade tática de jogadores de futebol possa se basear nestas pequenas mudanças agudas do comportamento tático observadas dentro de cada sessão de treinamento.

Effects of match period and playing position on the individual and collective dynamics in professional soccer: a case study / Efeitos do tempo e posição de jogo nas dinâmicas individuais e coletivas no futebol profissional: um estudo de caso

Abstract This study aimed to compare the width, the length, the length per width ratio, and the stretch index between the first and the second halves in official soccer matches, and to compare the spatial exploration index between players from different positions. Seventeen professional soccer players from a Brazilian club participated in the study and were monitored during six official matches by a GPS device. Collective positional data were compared between the two halves using a paired t-test, while the spatial exploration index was compared between the playing positions and within the halves by a mixed two-way ANOVA. The results revealed no differences between the two halves for the collective variables. The highest values of spatial exploration index were reported for central midfielders and wing forwards. We conclude that the tactical behavior of professional soccer players is position-dependent, and midfielders are the most exploratory players on the pitch.

Resumo Este estudo comparou a largura, profundidade, razão entre profundidade largura e o índice de alongamento entre o primeiro e o segundo tempo de jogos oficiais de futebol, e o índice de exploração espacial entre jogadores de diferentes posições. Dezessete jogadores profissionais de futebol de um clube brasileiro participaram deste estudo e foram monitorados por um equipamento de GPS durante seis partidas oficiais do campeonato regional. Utilizou-se o teste t-pareado para comparar os dados coletivos entre os tempos de jogo, e uma ANOVA mista de duas vias para comparar a exploração espacial entre jogadores de diferentes posições nos dois tempos de jogo. Os resultados indicaram não haver diferença significativa nas variáveis coletivas entre os dois tempos de jogo. Maiores valores de exploração espacial foram reportados para meio-campistas e extremos. Conclui-se que o comportamento tático de jogadores profissionais é dependente da posição, e meio-campistas são os jogadores que mais exploram o campo de jogo.

Influence of Match Status on Players' Prominence and Teams' Network Properties During 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The analyses of players and teams' behaviors during the FIFA World Cup may provide a better understanding on how football tactics and strategies have developed in the past few years in elite football. The Social Network Analysis (SNA) has been carried out in the investigations about passing distribution, improving the understanding on how players interact and cooperate during a match. In football official matches, studies have used the SNA as a means of coding players' cooperation and opposition patterns. However, situational variables such as match status were previously investigated and associated with changes on teams' dynamics within and/or between matches, but were not considered in studies based on Social Network Analysis. This study aimed to analyze the influence of match status on teams' cooperation patterns and players' prominence according to playing positions during 2018 FIFA World Cup. Fourteen matches of the knockout stage were analyzed. Macro and micro network measures were obtained from adjacency matrixes collected for each team, in each match status (winning, drawing, and losing). A one-way ANOVA was used to compare teams' networks (macro-analysis variables) within each match status, while a two-way ANOVA (match status × playing position) was used to compare the micro-analysis variables. Results showed no differences between match status for macro analysis. Winning situations induced higher prominence in central midfielders (0.107; p = 0.001), wide midfielders (0.093; p = 0.001), and center forward (0.085; p = 0.001), while in losing situations lower prominence levels were observed for goalkeepers (0.044; p = 0.001) and center forward (0.074; p = 0.001). Data revealed that teams do not change macrostructures according to match status. On the other hand, the microstructures showed important adaptations regarding game styles, with changes in players' behaviors according to playing positions. In general, the levels of centrality and prestige in players of different positions indicated a more direct play style in winning situations and a more build-up style in losing situations. These results allow a better understanding about the influence of match status on players' and teams' performance during high-level football competitions and may help coaches to improve athletes' performance in these situations.

Defensive Interactions in Soccer Small-Sided Games: an Integrated Approach Between the Fundamental Tactical Principles and the Social Network Analysis / Interações Defensivas em Pequenos Jogos no Futebol: uma Abordagem Integrada dos Princípios Táticos Fundamentais e da Social Network Analysis

This study aimed to 1) present a new analysis of the interactions between the tactical principles of defensive coverage and delay using the Social Network Analysis (SNA); 2) compare the defensive cooperation patterns presented by players of different categories during a 3vs.3 soccer small-sided games SSG; 3) compare the level of defensive prominence presented by defenders, midfielders, and forwards in 3vs.3 SSG within and between different categories. Twenty-eight soccer athletes from U-13 (n=14) and U-14 (n=14) categories of a sports club performed 3vs.3 SSG for the analysis of the defensive tactical principles. Defensive interactions were considered successful defensive coverage and a delay actions performed within the same time interval. Macro (density and clustering coefficient) and micro (degree centrality, degree prestige and page rank) analyses were used as SNA measures. Results indicated no significant differences between categories for the macro and micro analyses. Only in the U-14 category, midfielders presented higher prominence levels than the other playing positions (p=0.004). We concluded that U-13 and U-14 athletes are not different regarding defensive cooperation patterns. A higher positional tactical knowledge obtained through deliberate practice is essential to induce different defensive interactions between playing positions, as shown by significant differences only in the U-14 category.

Este estudo objetivou 1) apresentar uma nova análise das interações entre os princípios cobertura defensiva e contenção utilizando a Social Network Analysis (SNA); 2) comparar os padrões de cooperação defensiva apresentados por jogadores de diferentes categorias durante pequenos jogos (SSG) 3vs.3; 3) comparar o nível de prominência entre defensores, meio-campistas e atacantes entre duas categorias e dentro de uma mesma categoria. Vinte e oito atletas das categorias sub-13 (n=14) e sub-14 (n=14) de um clube participaram em pequenos jogos 3vs.3 para a análise dos princípios táticos defensivos. As interações defensivas foram consideradas quando ocorreu uma cobertura defensiva e uma contenção em um mesmo intervalo de tempo. As análises macro (density e clustering coefficient) e micro (degree centrality, degree prestigie e page rank) foram utilizadas como medidas da SNA. Os resultados indicaram ausência de diferenças entre categorias para ambas as análises macro e micro. Meio campistas apresentaram maiores níveis de proeminência apenas na categoria sub-14 (p=0.004). Nós concluímos que atletas sub-13 e sub-14 não apresentam diferenças significativas entre si para os padrões de cooperação defensiva. Um maior conhecimento tático posicional obtido por meio da prática deliberada é crucial para o desenvolvimento de interações defensivas diferentes entre as posições, como mostrado pelas diferenças entre posições apenas na categoria sub-14.

Space Creation Dynamics in Basketball Small-Sided Games.

Space creation dynamics (SCDs) describe actions players perform to create a scoring opportunity. This study compared SCDs and types of offense during three different three versus three (3vs.3) basketball small-sided games (SSGs) played in half court: 3vs.3 with man-to-man defense in half playing area (3vs.3HALF), 3vs.3 with man-to-man defense in full playing area (3vs.3FULL), and 3vs.3 with reduced shot clock (3vs.3RT). We also investigated the efficacy of SCDs in all SSGs and the reliability of SCDs in 3vs.3HALF. While the efficacy of SCDs did not differ among these SSGs, 3vs.3RT presented significantly more "space creation with ball dribbled" and "shot clock violations," and less "on ball screens." 3vs.3FULL presented no differences in the SCDs and types of offense compared with 3vs.3HALF. Reliability within 3vs.3HALF was higher for "space creation with ball dribbled," "space creation without the ball," "set offenses," "fast breaks," and "loss of ball during passing or dribbling." We concluded that 3vs.3 basketball SSGs with different rules can be used for training different tactical behaviors important to formal games, especially since the 3vs.3HALF presented good reliability for many variables related to tactical behavior.

Analysis of network properties and tactical behavior of u-17 soccer athletes with different tactical skills / Análise das interações e do comportamento tático de atletas sub-17 de futebol com diferentes capacidades táticas

ABSTRACT This study aimed compare individual tactical behavior and network properties of players with higher and lower tactical skills during soccer small-sided games. The sample was composed of 18 U-17 elite soccer players (16.2 years old) from the same national level team. Players were divided into group 1 and group 2, with higher and lower tactical skill, respectively, measured by the FUT-SAT. After this, they played 12 small-sided games in a 36x27m field with all rules of the formal game. Players' tactical behavior was assessed through the incidence of fundamental tactical principles during the SSG. Total links, density and clustering coefficient were defined as the general network metrics. Data were analyzed through independent t-test and Mann-Whitney test. Results showed that group 1 presented higher values of total links (p=0.007) and density (p=0.007). Group 1 also presented a higher incidence of defensive unity (p=0.001), while group 2 realized more actions of defensive balance (p=0.008) and recovery balance (p=0.038). We conclude that tactical skills are able to constraint individual team behavior in small-sided games.

RESUMO Este estudo objetivou comparar o comportamento tático individual e as propriedades da rede de interações de atletas com maior e menor capacidade tática durante pequenos jogos no futebol. A amostra foi composta por 19 jogadores de futebol sub-17 (16.2 anos) de um mesmo time, de nível nacional. Jogadores foram divididos em grupo 1 e grupo 2, com maior e menor capacidade tática, respectivamente, medida pelo FUT-SAT. Na sequência, eles participaram de 12 pequenos jogos em um campo de 36mx27m com todas as regras do jogo formal. Avaliou-se o comportamento tático dos jogadores por meio da incidência dos princípios táticos fundamentais durante os pequenos jogos. Total links, densidade e clustering coefficient foram definidos com as medidas das propriedades gerais da rede. Analisaram-se os dados por meio do teste t independente e do teste de Mann-Whitney. Os resultados mostraram que o grupo 1 apresentou maiores valores para total links (p=0.007) e densidade (p=0.007). O grupo 1 apresentou ainda maior incidência de ações de unidade defensiva (p=0.001), enquanto o grupo 2 realizou mais ações de equilíbrio defensivo (p=0.008) e equilíbrio de recuperação (p=0.038). Conclui-se que a capacidade tática influencia o comportamento individual e coletivo durante pequenos jogos.

Tactical behavior in soccer small-sided games: influence of team composition criteria / Comportamento tático em pequenos jogos no futebol: influência do critério de composição das equipes

Abstract This study aimed to compare the tactical behavior of young soccer players during small-sided games played with team composition criteria based on procedural tactical knowledge, aerobic power and speed performance. Eighteen male soccer players played 3vs.3 small-sided games with teams balanced according to players' performance on Sprint Test, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test and the field test of the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer. Data related to the incidence of tactical principles were analyzed through the proportions chi-square test with Bonferroni's correction. One-way ANOVA was used to compare players' offensive and defensive tactical performance. Results showed different incidence of offensive and defensive tactical principles in games with different teams' composition criteria. It has also been shown a higher defensive performance when the teams' composition criteria was based on players' procedural tactical knowledge.

Resumo Este estudo objetivou comparar o comportamento tático de jovens atletas de futebol durante pequenos jogos com critérios de composição das equipes baseados no conhecimento tático processual, capacidade aeróbica e desempenho de velocidade. Dezoito jogadores participaram de pequenos jogos na configuração 3vs.3 com equipes equilibradas de acordo com o desempenho no Teste de Sprint, no Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test e no teste de campo do Sistema de Avaliação Tática no Futebol - FUT-SAT Analisaram-se os dados relativos à incidência dos princípios táticos por meio do teste de qui-quadrado de proporções e conduziram-se comparações pareadas a partir da correção de Bonferroni. Para a comparação do desempenho tático ofensivo e defensivo recorreu-se à ANOVA one-way. Resultados apontaram diferenças na incidência de princípios táticos ofensivos e defensivos a partir da utilização dos três diferentes critérios de composição das equipes. Observou-se ainda maior desempenho tático defensivo a partir da composição das equipes baseada no conhecimento tático processual dos atletas

Reliability of physical, physiological and tactical measures in small-sided soccer Games with numerical equality and numerical superiority / Confiabilidade das medidas de demanda física, fisiológica e tática em pequenos jogos com superioridade e igualdade numérica no futebol

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the physical, physiological (HR) and tactical demands of small-sided soccer games (SSG) with numerical equality (3x3) and numerical superiority (4x3). Eighteen male players of a soccer team played against each other both types of SSG, both played as two 4-minute bouts interspersed with 4-minute rest. Physical (distances, velocities and accelerations) and HR demands were recorded by a GPS system (15hz) and a heart rate monitor during SSG. The individual tactical behaviors proposed by the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer were registered by an observer who analyzed the SSG videos. Reliability was verified calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the absolute and percentage standard error of measurement (SEM and %SEM, respectively), both considering athletes’ individual scores in each SSG bout. As a result, higher number of variables related to physical and physiological demands presented significant ICC values, being classified as moderate to excellent in relation to variables related to tactical demands. Considering these variables that presented significant ICC values in both SSG, the SEM% values found for physical and physiological variables ranged from 3.0 to 42.0%, while those found for the tactical variables ranged from 31.6 to 75.0%. It could be concluded that several variables related to physical and physiological demands present moderate to excellent reliability. Differently, the majority of variables related to tactical demands were not reliable in both types of SSG.

Resumo O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a confiabilidade das demandas física, fisiológica (FC) e tática em configurações de pequenos jogos (PJ) em igualdade (3x3) e superioridade numérica (4x3) no futebol. Dezoito jogadores do sexo masculino de uma equipe de futebol jogaram entre si os dois tipos de PJ, com duas séries de 4 minutos e 4 minutos de pausa entre elas. Durante os jogos, as variáveis relacionadas à demanda física (distâncias, velocidades, acelerações) e fisiológica foram registradas utilizando-se um equipamento de GPS (15hz) e um cardiofrequencímetro. Os comportamentos táticos individuais propostos pelo Sistema de Avaliação Tática no Futebol foram registrados por um avaliador partir da análise da filmagem dos jogos. A confiabilidade das medidas foi verificada considerando os valores individuais de cada atleta em cada série de PJ, por meio do coeficiente de correlação intraclasse (CCI) e do erro padrão de medida absoluto e percentual (EPM e EPM%, respectivamente). Como resultado, um maior número de variáveis relacionadas às demandas física e fisiológica apresentaram valores de CCI significativos com classificação moderada a excelente em relação às variáveis relacionadas à demanda tática. Considerando as variáveis com valores de CCI significativos em ambas as configurações de jogo, o EPM% variou entre 3,0 e 42,0% para as variáveis físicas e para a FC, e de 31,6 a 75,0% para as variáveis relativas à demanda tática. Conclui-se que diversas variáveis relacionadas às demandas física e fisiológica apresentaram confiabilidade moderada à excelente. Diferentemente, a maioria das medidas relacionadas à demanda tática não foi confiável em ambos PJ.