Comparing the Effect of Interval and Continuous Small-Sided Games on the Bio-Motor Abilities of Young Soccer Players

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effect of interval and continuous small-sided games (SSG) training on the bio-motor abilities of young soccer players. Methods: : Sixteen young soccer players (age: 19.5±0.5 years; height: 177±4.72) were ranked based on the result of a running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) and randomly divided into two groups; continuous SSG training (CSSG, n = 8) and interval SSG (ISSG, n = 8). The training protocols were performed for eight weeks, three sessions per week. Participants were assessed twice (pre- and post-intervention) to estimate their anaerobic capacity with the RAST, aerobic capacity with Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test, body fat percentage with a bioimpedance analysis, speed with a 30-meter run test, and agility with the Illinois agility test. During the training session, the rating of the perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate (mean and maximum) were recorded to assess the training load. Results: In general, both aerobic and anaerobic capacities improved after ISSG (p<0.05, for all). The be-tween-group analysis with repeated measures ANOVA revealed that there were higher values for ISSG than CSSG groups in the post-intervention in anaerobic power (p=0.042, ηp2=0.264). In addition, the independent t-test results indicated that ISSG presented lower values of mean heart rate (p=0.023, effect size [ES]=0.85) and RPE (p<0.05, ES=0.88) than CSSG. Moreover, higher values for maximum heart rate were revealed for ISSG than for the CSSG group (p=0.004, ES=0.85). Conclusion: We conclude that ISSG could provide better results in the anaerobic power than CSSG.