TY - JOUR 
A1 - Vilar, Luis
AU - Esteves, Pedro T.
AU - Travassos, Bruno
AU - Passos, Pedro
AU - Lago Peñas, Carlos
AU - Davids, Keith
T1 - Varying Numbers of Players in Small-Sided Soccer Games Modifies Action Opportunities During Training
Y1 - 2014
SN - 17479541
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11268/4657
AB - This study examined the effects of the numbers of players involved
in small-sided team games (underloading and overloading) on
opportunities for maintaining ball possession, shooting at goal and
passing to teammates during training. These practice constraint
manipulations were assumed to alter values of key performance
variables identified in previous research, such as interpersonal
distances between players and time to intercept shots and
passes. Fifteen male soccer players (age: 19.60±1.99 years) were
grouped into three teams and played against each other in
different versions of small-sided soccer games, in which the
number of players was manipulated in three different conditions: 5
vs. 5, 5 vs. 4 and 5 vs. 3. Dependent variables were the values of
interpersonal distance between an outfield attacker and nearest
defender (ID), and the relative distance of a defender needed to
intercept the trajectory of a shot (RDishot) or pass (RDipass).
Statistical analyses revealed that mean ID values were significantly
lower in 5 vs. 5 than in 5 vs. 4 and 5 vs. 3 conditions, and
significantly lower in 5 vs. 4 than 5 vs. 3. They also revealed that
mean values of RDishot were significantly higher in 5 vs. 3 than in 5
vs. 5 conditions. Finally, results showed that the mean values of
RDipass were significantly higher in 5 vs. 3 than in 5 vs. 5. Findings
revealed how task constraints in SSGs can be manipulated to vary
values of key spatial and temporal performance variables (interpersonal distance and time to intercept) to influence the
nature of interpersonal interactions between competing players
during practice. We observed that these manipulations tended to
decrease opportunities for maintaining ball possession during
training when equal numbers of attackers and defenders existed in
SSGs, and led to more shots and passes emerging when the
number of defenders was decreased relative to attackers.
KW - Entrenamiento deportivo
KW - Deporte
KW - Educación física
LA - eng
ER -