Acute Effects of Small-Sided Games with Different Pitch Sizes on Internal Load and Respiratory Responses in Soccer Players
Abstract
Previous studies on small-sided games in soccer have mainly focused on internal load indicators such as heart rate and perceived exertion, whereas acute respiratory responses have received limited attention. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the acute effects of small-sided games performed on different pitch sizes on internal load, perceived exertion, mental effort, and respiratory function in male soccer players. Sixteen amateur players (20.13 ± 1.63 years) participated in a randomized, counterbalanced, within-subject crossover design. Each participant completed two SSG conditions (small: 20 × 25 m; large: 30 × 35 m) on separate days with at least 48 hours of recovery. Both protocols consisted of 4 × 4 min bouts with 2 min passive recovery. Heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (Borg), mental effort, and spirometric parameters were assessed before and immediately after exercise. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and, where appropriate, non-parametric tests such as the Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (p < 0.05). No significant time × condition interactions were observed for respiratory variables, although FVC increased significantly following the small-pitch condition (p = 0.021). Heart rate, perceived exertion, and mental effort increased significantly across sets (p < 0.05), with no significant differences between pitch conditions. Overall, the findings suggest that, when the number of players and game structure are kept constant, pitch size alone may have a limited influence on acute internal load and respiratory responses. The progressive increases in heart rate, perceived exertion, and mental effort across sets indicate that the repeated and intermittent nature of small-sided games may play a more important role in shaping acute physiological and perceptual responses.
Keywords: Acute Effects, Internal Load, Respiratory Responses, Small-Sided Games, Soccer.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.53016/jerp.v7i1.334
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