Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of continuous and intermittent SSG methods in football on short-term physiological responses. 12 male football players aged 15 to 18 years participated in this study. SSGs were performed in a 3vs3 format in a 20 × 30 meter area. The subjects participated in four sessions in the study, in each of which one of the four SSG formats was performed: one session =24 minutes, two session =2x12 minutes, three session =4x6 minutes, four session =6x4 minutes. During each game, heart rate was measured using a chest heart rate monitor, and maximum and average heart rate were measured. Blood was drawn before and three minutes after the end of each session to measure lactate levels. At the end of each session, the players were also given a rating of perceived exertion. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and one-way ANCOVA. Analysis of the data showed that the maximum and average heart rate in the three session were significantly higher than in the other sessions (P=0.014 and P=0.037, respectively). There was no significant difference in the RPE and lactate response to the different SSG formats. Based on the results, it can be concluded that using intermittent compared to continuous formats is superior for increasing the intensity of small-sided games, especially when the duration of each period is close to six minutes, which puts more pressure on the anaerobic energy production pathway.continuous Exercise, Football, Interval Exercise, Small Sided Game