Effect of the Fatigue on the Physical Performance in Different Small-Sided Games in Elite Football Players

Calderón Pellegrino, G, Paredes-Hernández, V, Sánchez-Sánchez, J, García-Unanue, J, and Gallardo, L. Effect of the fatigue on the physical performance in different small-sided games in elite football players. J Strength Cond Res 34(8): 2338–2346, 2020—Football players need to be able to perform high-intensity efforts of short duration with brief recovery periods. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the pitch dimension on high-intensity actions and the effect of a repeated sprint ability (RSA) test on the physical performance in different 4-against-4 (4v4) small-sided games (SSG) dimensions. Sixteen U-18 elite football players performed an RSA test between two 4v4 SSGs (pre and post) to induce fatigue and compare physical data. Speed, sprint number, accelerations, sprint distance, total distance covered, and total distance covered of the players at different intensities were evaluated in 3 different SSGs (125, 150, 250, and 300 m2). Results revealed a significant detriment of physical performance in the 125-m2 SSG after RSA, mostly in number of sprints (−6.56; confidence interval [CI] 95%: −10.13 to −3.00; effect size [ES]: 1.13 p

Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - July 30, 2020 Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research