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MAXIMAL SPRINTING SPEED OF ELITE SOCCER

PLAYERS DURING TRAINING AND MATCHES

Article in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · September 2016

DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642

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 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 1
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH
2
3 TITLE: MAXIMAL SPRINTING SPEED OF ELITE SOCCER PLAYERS DURING
4 TRAINING AND MATCHES
5
6 Running Head: Maximal speed in elite soccer
7
8 Authors: Léo DJAOUI 1*, Karim CHAMARI 2, Adam OWEN 1, and Alexandre DELLAL 1, 3
9
10 Affiliations:
11 * Corresponding author
1
12 LIBM (Inter-university Laboratory of human Movement Biology), University of Lyon,
13 University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
2
14 Athlete and Health Performance Research Center, Aspetar, Doha, Qatar
3
15 FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, Centre Orthopedique Santy, Lyon, France
16
17 * Corresponding author: Leo Djaoui, Lab of Human Movement Biology (LIBM), UFR STAPS - University
18 Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 27, 29 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France. Phone:
19 +33472432746, e-mail: leo.djaoui@gmail.com
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 2
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1
2 ABSTRACT
3 The aim of the present study was to compare 1) the maximal sprinting speed (MSS)
4 attained by soccer players during matches (MSSmatch) according to their level of play
5 (professional 1st French division vs. elite amateur 4th French division) and the playing
6 positions; and 2) the MSS attained by professional soccer players during 14 different types of
7 small-sided games (SSG, MSSSSG) and match-play. All players monitored through the study
8 performed a 40-m sprint test to assess individual MSS (MSStest) and compare it to the
9 training and match activity, with the calculation of the percentage of MSStest (%MSStest)
10 reached. No differences were found according to the level of play, however positionally,
11 wide players achieved a higher MSSmatch, %MSStest, and MSSSSG compared to central players
12 (both defenders and midfielders) during matches and SSG. MSSmatch were higher than all
13 MSSSSG, and MSSSSG were positively correlated with the area of the pitch (0.45, p<0.001), its
14 length (0.53, p<0.001) and the number of players involved (0.38, p<0.001). The closer SSG
15 was to match situation in term of rules, the higher the MSSSSG. Wide players reached higher
16 MSS in match and SSG than central players, confirming the relevance of using SSG close to
17 match situation to specifically prepare elite players to the maximal running speed demand of
18 the match.
19
20 Keywords: SSG, physical activity, playing position, match analysis, training analysis,
21 football
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 3
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 INTRODUCTION
2 The physical qualities power and speed are essential in order to perform in elite soccer
3 match play (5,23,29). Furthermore, it has been observed that soccer players reach peak
4 running speeds close to 32 km.h-1 during match play (34,35). This quality of sprinting speed
5 depends on several factors including the level of practice and the age (3,24). Indeed it has
6 been shown that elite players would be faster on the first 10m of a 30m-sprint test than
7 amateurs (15) and that older players would be faster covering a 40m-sprint test in highly
8 trained young soccer players (10). The quality of sprinting speed also differs according to
9 players’ position as they all have specific tactical tasks and so physical needs in match.
10 However differences were observed in the current literature. Thus, Ferro et al. (24), using a
11 laser sensor system, observed in competitive student players that forwards (FW) (∼33.3 km.h-
1
12 ) had the highest maximal sprinting speed (MSS), followed by central midfielders (CM)
13 (∼32.1 km.h-1), then by central defenders (CD) (∼31.9 km.h-1), and that wide midfielders
14 (WM) were the slowest (∼31.4 km.h-1). Al Haddad et al. (3), using the fastest 10-m split time
15 during a maximal 40-m sprint test to calculate the MSS, observed in youth elite players that
16 WM, CD and FW had a higher MSS (∼28.7 km.h-1) than wide defenders (WD) and CM
17 (∼27.7 km.h-1). Furthermore, with the same method used by Al Haddad et al. (3), Mendez-
18 Villanueva et al. (31) observed in elite youth players that the fastest CD reached 35.0 km.h-1
19 and the fastest WM 34.3 km.h-1, and that the slowest CD and WM, 31.2 and 30.2 km.h-1
20 respectively.
21 However, the MSS is not the only factor influencing the speed running intensity during
22 the match. Indeed, although it was observed that faster players reach higher running speeds
23 during a match, it was also observed that some players compensated their lower MSS by
24 increasing the percentage of MSS (%MSS) reached during the match (3,31). Mendez-
25 Villanueva et al. (31) observed that the fastest CD of the young elite team reached 84.4% of
26 MSS during a match and that the fastest WM reached 90.5% of MSS (slower during the test
27 than the aforementioned). Al Haddad et al. (3) observed that CM reached only ∼85.3% of
28 MSS while CD reached ∼89.1%, WD ∼90.1%, WM ∼92.2% and FW ∼88.0% and ∼93.6%.
29 These results confirmed that the very high intensity activity during matches was clearly
30 different among playing positions (3,18,21). The authors of the present study suggested that
31 speeds should always be based on relative speed rather than the speed bands set by motion
32 capture and global positional system (GPS).
33
34 Small-sided games (SSG) training have been shown to be extremely relevant to make
35 soccer players enhance their tactical and technical skills (27), to expose them to high level of
36 heart rate (HR) (higher than 90% HRmax) (4,9), to solicit high intensity running distances
37 (20,33) and to procure players high level of enjoyment (4). It was also shown that the more
38 players involved in the SSG, the higher speed intensities reached (13,26,35) probably in
39 connection with the larger space of practice and the opportunity for players to be more
40 involved in actions without the ball, as running over the opponents to create scoring
41 situations. Recently, Owen et al. (33) observed MSS reached during small-SG (4 vs. 4),
42 medium-SG (5 vs. 5 to 8 vs. 8) and large-SG (9 vs. 9 to 11 vs. 11) up to 21.6 (±1.3), 22.5
43 (±0.9) and 24.6 (±0.9) km.h-1 respectively.
44 These results combined with observations from matches show how much training and
45 matches could differ regarding to the MSS demand and performance. To our knowledge,
46 there is no study examining MSS and %MSS over elite adult soccer players during both SSG
47 and matches. Thus, the first aim of the present study was to analyse the MSS and the %MSS
48 of soccer players reached during matches, and to analyse these markers according to the level
49 of practice (professional vs. elite amateur) and the playing positions. Then, the second aim of
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 4
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 the study was to compare the maximal speed reached during different types of SSG and
2 match play according to the playing positions, the score-rules, the number of players
3 involved and the pitch sizes. Examining these markers may assist in helping coaches and
4 staff to prepare, periodize, predict, analyse and monitor players’ physical performance during
5 training and competition.
6
7 MATERIALS & METHODS
8 Experimental approach to the problem
9 In the first part of the study, professional and elite amateur players were classified
10 into five playing positions and were tested for their individual MSS with a GPS. They were
11 then tested during six different matches with the same GPS device in order to analyse their
12 MSS obtained during the match and their individual %MSS reached, and to compare the
13 results between: the groups (professional vs. elite amateur) and the playing positions.
14
15 In the second part of the study, professional players were classified into five playing
16 positions and tested with GPS during 14 different types of SSG, with different rules
17 according to the number of players involved, the way of scoring and the pitch sizes. They
18 were also tested during a match in order to compare the MSS obtained during the match to
19 the MSS obtained during the different types of SSG.
20
21 Subjects
22 To analyse differences depending on the competitive level, one group of 24
23 professional players (age: 24.3±2.6 years; height: 180.1±4.1cm; body mass: 75.0±5.3kg; %
24 body fat mass: 9.4±2.2%) competing in the French first league, was compared to a group of
25 24 elite-amateur players (age: 20.9±2.9 (28-16.8) years; height: 177.2±3.7 cm; body mass:
26 72.8±4.4 kg; % body fat mass: 9.7±3.7 %) competing in the French fourth division. Players
27 were divided into five playing positions: CD (n=10), WD (n=7), CM (n=16), WM (n=6) and
28 FW (n=8).
29 Then, another group of 14 professional players (age: 23.1±4.0 years; height:
30 178.4±5.7 cm; body mass: 73.7±5.1kg; % body fat mass: 8.8±2.2 %), from the same
31 professional team competing in the French first league, was tested over 14 SSG situations. In
32 both analyses, players were divided into five playing positions: CD (n=3), WD (n=4), CM
33 (n=4), WM (n=2) and FW (n=1).
34 The study was explained to all players and they all gave their written consent. Players
35 aged under 18 also gave a written parental or guardian consent. The study was approved by
36 the local university ethics committee and was conducted according to the principles of the
37 declaration of Helsinki.
38
39 Procedures
40 Tests. Individual maximal sprinting speed was recorded with a GPS and this value was
41 obtained from a straight sprinting 40 meters test. During the test, players used the same type
42 of GPS than during matches. Players started from a static position behind the line of the 40-m
43 sprint distance and were asked to run as fast as possible. They started when ready and
44 completed three trials with best speed performance selected in the analysis as the individual
45 maximal sprinting speed (MSStest). If during match and sided-games, a player reached a
46 higher speed than during the test, the higher speed obtained was considered as the MSStest.
47
48 Professional vs. elite amateur. The two groups participated in six soccer matches: official
49 pre-season friendly matches for professional players and official competitive matches for
50 elite amateurs. All players participating (kept for analysis) in the study played at least 45
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 5
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 minutes of the matches. During matches, they were wearing a GPS with a sampling
2 frequency of 15 Hz (GPSports SPI Elite, Canberra, Australia) in order to evaluate the
3 maximal sprinting speed (MSSmatch) they reached. The system uses signals from at least three
4 earth-orbiting satellites to determine the position and calculate movement speeds and
5 distances. The same units were used for each player in order to exclude the effects of inter-
6 unit variability. Units were placed in a harness on the player’s upper back. The use of GPS
7 for assessing high speed running has been reported with a good reliability (6,16). Therefore,
8 Buchheit et al. (11) have well shown that the GPS used in the present study allow providing
9 accurate data of different running speed categories but not regarding acceleration and
10 deceleration. This value was then expressed relatively to the MSStest as a percentage of
11 maximal speed reached in match (%MSS) (8).
12
13 Small-sided games (SSG). The third group of players participated in one whole match of 90
14 minutes and 14 different sessions of SSG using the same GPS described below in order to
15 evaluate the MSSSSG they reached every time. Rules and pitch sizes of SGG were detailed in
16 table 1.
17
18 $$$ Table 1 near here $$$
19
20 Statistical analyses. Data were presented as mean ± SD. All variables were tested with the
21 Shapiro-Wilk normality test. First, a two-way ANOVA was assessed in order to test the
22 interaction effect of groups (professional vs. elite amateur) and playing positions on MSStest,
23 MSSmatch and %MSS. When the interaction was significant, t-test was assessed in order to
24 precise the difference between the same playing positions of different groups. If the
25 interaction between groups and playing positions was not significant, we observed the single
26 effects of each factor and a Tukey post-hoc test was assessed when significant. Pearson’s
27 correlation “r” tests were assessed between MSStest, MSSmatch and %MSS. Correlations with
28 values of 0-.19, .20-.39, .40-.59, .60-79 and .80-1.00 were respectively interpreted as very
29 weak, weak, moderate, strong and very strong (22). Secondly, a non-parametric Freidman
30 test in repeated measures was assessed to compare differences between match and SSGs rules
31 whether games were played with goalkeepers, mini-goals or in ball-conservation mode. A
32 Wilcoxon post-hoc test was then assessed to precise the differences two by two. Bonferonni’s
33 correction was applied and p was consider to be significant when <0.0005 for these 104
34 (MSSmatch & MSSSSG) and 91 (%MSSmacth) comparisons two by two. Pearson’s correlation
35 “r” tests were assessed between MSSSSG and: the pitch area per player, the number of players
36 involved, and the depth of the pitches. The effect size (ES) was calculated according to
37 Cohen’s d ES for identified statistical differences were determined. ES with values of 0.2, 0.5
38 and 0.8 were respectively considered to represent small, medium and large differences (14).
39
40 RESULTS
41 Professional vs. elite amateur
42 All three variable’s distributions were found to be normal (p<0.05). A moderate
43 correlation was found between MSStest and MSSmatch (r=0.52, p<0.05), a very strong
44 correlation was found between MSSmatch and %MSS (r=0.87, p<0.05) and no correlation was
45 found between MSStest and %MSS. No differences were found between professional and
46 amateur players in the three markers observed. Differences among playing positions were
47 observed in MSStest and MSSmatch but not in %MSS. All players combined reached a mean of
48 92.45 (±7.49) % of MSS during matches (table 2).
49
50 $$$ Table 2 near here $$$
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 6
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1
2 Match vs. SSG
3 All situations combined, differences were observed amongst the playing positions
4 with a small ES (0.28). WD (25.18±3.32 km.h-1) and WM (24.48±3.03 km.h-1) were faster
5 than CM (23.18±2.53 km.h-1; p<0.001) and WD was also faster than CD (23.33±3.81 km.h-1;
6 p<0.001).
7 Significant differences on MSSSSG were found between the different types of SSG
8 with a moderate ES (0.51). Indeed, the ball-conservation rule made players run slower
9 (22.11±2.32 km.h-1) than SSG with goalkeeper (GK) (24.04±3.03 km.h-1; p<0.001) and SSG
10 with mini-goals (24.15±3.60 km.h-1; p<0.001). No differences between GK and mini-goals
11 rules were found. Moderate correlations were found between the pitch area and MSSSSG
12 (r=0.45; p<0.001), and between the length of the pitch and MSSSSG (r=0.53; p<0.001). A
13 weak correlation was also found between the number of players and MSSSSG (r=0.38;
14 p<0.001) (table 3).
15 All players combined reached a mean of 82.67 ± 10.74 % of MSS during SSG (table 4).
16
17 $$$ Table 3 and Table 4 near here $$$
18
19 DISCUSSION
20 The aim of this study was to examine how maximal sprinting speed (MSS) was
21 affected according to the training, match play and test situation, with a special comparison
22 between professional vs. elite amateurs and match-play values vs. SSG. The main findings
23 were that 1) MSS didn’t vary according to the playing level (professional vs. elite amateur
24 players); whereas 2) MSS values differed across SSG, match play and results in 40-m sprint
25 test with difference according to the playing position. Specifically, professional players
26 reached a mean of 92.45±7.49% of MSS during matches, whereas they reached a mean of
27 82.67±10.74% of MSS during SSG.
28
29 Professional vs. elite amateur
30 The first aim of the present study was to analyse MSS reached during elite soccer
31 matches and to compare the results according to the players’ level (professional vs. elite
32 amateur) and their playing positions. A significant interaction was found between the level of
33 players and their playing positions (p<0.05) on the MSStest but the results showed no
34 significant differences between the same playing positions in the different groups (WD pro
35 vs. WD amateur; CD pro vs. CD amateur, etc.). Furthermore, no differences between groups
36 were found significant in the MSSmatch and %MSS observations. It is possible that, as
37 professional players played pre-season friendly matches, the peak running speed they
38 achieved could have been impacted by this moment of the season. However, the results
39 indicated that, in terms of individual speed qualities and in term of speed needs during a
40 soccer match, there were no differences between professional players and elite amateur
41 players. Furthermore, although these players competed in four divisions apart, the elite
42 amateur group was also composed of elite amateur young soccer players, who trained every
43 day. Thus, both groups were considered as “high-level” soccer players. Consequently, results
44 could have been different if comparing professional players to elite amateur players who
45 trained significantly less with lower abilities. It was well known that differences among
46 professional and elite amateur matches are related to the ability to repeat sprints, the total
47 distance sprinting, the physiological responses to high intensity actions and the technical
48 skills (19,36), however the present analyses completed the literature findings in showing that
49 differences among professional and elite amateur matches did not reside in differences in the
50 top speed qualities like MSS or the %MSS reached.
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 7
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1
2 In this context, it appears that professional (first league) and elite amateur soccer
3 players reached and presented the same MSS during match play, however, differences were
4 found between playing positions. Indeed, when groups were pooled together, the results
5 showed that FW (31.93±1.37 km.h-1; p<0.005), WM (31.81±1.37 km.h-1; p<0.05) and WD
6 (31.67±1.37 km.h-1; p<0.05) reached higher MSStest than CD (30.55±0.99 km.h-1). The
7 present results were not in accordance with those from Ferro et al. (24) who found no
8 significant differences between FW, WM, WD and CD in a 30-meters MSStest. The
9 difference in the competition level of players tested could explain the difference between the
10 two studies. Indeed, they observed competitive students when we observed high-level
11 players. It is possible that the central players (CD an CM) of the present study were more
12 able to anticipate ball trajectories, opponents moves and thus to position correctly on the
13 pitch during matches. Moreover, their specific central position did not impose them to go as
14 fast as wide positions players or forward who used their speed to create goal situations in the
15 deep spaces of the pitch. So, it is possible that for the elite soccer players tested in this
16 particular context, MSStest of CD and CM would not be as high as MSStest of WD, WM and
17 FW because they would not need to reach a high MSS during match situations and thus, in
18 long term, they would not need to develop as high MSS as the other playing positions. The
19 observations of MSSmatch confirmed the different speed (related to tactical) needs among
20 playing positions during the match. Indeed, FW (29.98±1.92 km.h-1) and WD (30.02±2.18
21 km.h-1) were faster than CM (28.13±2.45 km.h-1; p<0.05). These observations were in
22 accordance with those from Bradley et al. (7) and from Andrzejewski et al. (1) who found
23 that FW, WM and WD were faster than CD during matches, not mattering if they were
24 international players or elite domestic players. The present results were also different with
25 those from Kaplan et al. (28) who found no differences between playing positions according
26 to a shuttle run test (10 x 5 meters. Differences between the two studies could be explained
27 by the fact that they observed repeated-sprint ability on a short distance (5 meters) whereas
28 we observed the unique and best MSS reached in a higher running distance (40 meters) and
29 the speed reached in a 5 meters could not be as high as the speed reached in a 40 meters (25).
30 However, because elite soccer is a very complex sport, it remains important to keep in mind
31 that the physical activity of the players on the pitch is affected by many parameters (e.g.
32 technical, tactical, environmental, etc.) that could prevaricate the analyses.
33
34 Moreover, no significant differences between playing positions were found when
35 analysing the %MSS reached during matches. Such results could be explained by the large
36 inter-individual variations, represented here by the mean of all mixed players
37 (92.45%±7.45%) and the large SD observed (from 4.85% to 11.33%). Indeed, some of the
38 players observed reached their individual best MSS during the match and not during the test
39 (e.g. 25 players). Their %MSS was thus settled to 100%, increasing also the variability in-
40 between players. Al Haddad et al. (3) found a strong correlation between MSStest and %MSS
41 reached during matches (e.g. r=0.69) that was not confirmed in the present study. The means
42 of the playing positions we observed were all above 90% of %MSS during matches while
43 some of theirs were below 90% (e.g. CD, CM and what they called the second striker). They
44 observed young players of 15.0±1.2 years old while we observed adults (24.3±2.6 years). As
45 the age influences the speed abilities (10,30,32), differences between our two studies might
46 be related to the different population observed. Furthermore, their players were certainly in
47 their growth period and their MSS was not fully developed with the same level of maturity
48 for every player.
49
50 Match vs. SSG
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 8
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 The second aim of the present study was to compare the MSS reached during match play
2 and training including SSG with different rules and formats. The MSSmatch (28.66±1.93 km.h-
1
3 ) were found to be higher than the MSSSSG in all situations (mean 23.98±3.26 km.h-1 from
4 19.94±2.14 to 25.67±3.39 km.h-1; p<0.01). The mean average of MSSSSG reached was
5 23.64±3.08 km.h-1 representing 82.67±10.74 % of MSSmatch (from 69.75 to 89.81%).
6 Casamichana et al. (12) found similar results comparing the physical activity of a friendly
7 match and 3 SSG formats (3 vs. 3, 5 vs. 5 and 7 vs. 7). Over semi-professional players, they
8 found that MSSmatch was clearly higher (∼27.0 km.h-1) than mean MSSSSG (∼20.3 km.h-1). So
9 it was clear that the match situation made players reached a higher MSS than different SSG
10 situations. These observations were probably related to the different context (competition vs.
11 training) as competition may have more stake and motivational aspects with a bigger pitch
12 area giving more space for players to take speed. Furthermore, it is important to clarify that,
13 while modulating SSG rules and pitch area might make enable greater speeds, the stimulus of
14 SSG alone might not be enough to maintain or build maximal speed in soccer players. Thus,
15 coaches are advised to include additional specific speed drills to SGG in order to prepare
16 players for competition with a suitable stimulus of MSS.
17 Differences were observed amongst the playing positions as WD and WM were both
18 faster than CM (p<0.001, ES=0.28) and WD was also faster than CD (p<0.001, ES=0.28).
19 The small effect observed might be explained by the fact that some SSG situations (situations
20 without GK) did not require players to occupy a specific position on the pitch. For example,
21 while playing a 5 vs. 5 “ball-conservation”, all players positioned like they wanted on the
22 pitch and consequently had the same motion characteristics. What was observed and
23 discussed above about the differences in the MSSmatch amongst playing positions was also
24 observed here with the MSSSSG since central players reached lower speed than wide players
25 in match and SSG situations. As the purpose of training is mainly to specifically prepare
26 players for the competition, these observations confirmed that SSG are well adapted to
27 specifically train elite players for the high-speed physical activity according to their playing
28 position. It was also observed that CM (86.70±8.98%) reached a higher %MSSmatch than CD
29 (77.62±12.30%) and WD (82.10±10.11%) during the SSG situations (p<0.005) probably
30 because they are concerned both in offensive and defensive phases. In the present study the
31 SSG was recorded without any specific tactical aspects, but this component should greatly
32 affect the physical activities. The tactical options that coach chose induced different
33 defensive and offensive roles and would have affected differently each playing position.
34 Thus, although the present study did not focus on tactical SSG requirements, coaches need to
35 have a special attention to this component.
36
37 The present study was the first one to observe the influence of the rules, the number of
38 players involved and the pitch sizes on the MSS during SSG. Rules of the situations were
39 found to have a role in the difference of MSSSSG. In the first place, the situations with goal-
40 scoring (with goalkeeper or with mini-goals) situations offered a higher MSSSSG than ball
41 conservation. These findings might be explained by the fact that goal-scoring situations
42 induced to be organized and play similarly to match-play, and therefore players needed to run
43 faster to create goal situations; whereas during the ball-conservations, the technical and
44 tactical skills with a continuously high intensity activity might predominate over the high-
45 speed running activity. Several authors suggested that the presence of goals and goalkeepers
46 might be more motivating and so increased players’ involvement into the sided-games (17).
47 This motivational aspect could have also influenced the MSS reached during the sided-
48 games. Furthermore, as players had to simultaneously protect their own goal while trying to
49 score, a higher physical activity was imposed during the SSG with goals (2) making these
50 higher speed running having more impact on the games. In the second place, the pitch area
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 9
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 per player (r=0.45) and the use of pitch length (r=0.53) were also influent on the MSSSSG.
2 The bigger the area per player, the higher MSSSSG; and the longer the pitch, the higher
3 MSSSSG. These findings were also in accordance with current literature, which stated an
4 increase of physical activity with pitch size as players had more space to cover while
5 attempting to attack (score or conserving the ball) or defend (getting back the ball or
6 protecting their own goal) (2). Finally, the number of players involved also had a significant
7 influence on MSSSSG (r=0.38; p<0.05). The more players, the higher MSSSSG. These findings
8 were in accordance with the current literature and confirmed what authors observed over high
9 intensity activity (13,26,33,35). The more players involved, the more the SSG situations were
10 close to the match situation and the more MSSSSG were close to MSSmatch. The present study
11 confirmed the current finding about the high intensity activity of during training and match,
12 and was the first one to observe the MSS reached during SSG of elite soccer players.
13
14 From the data it can be concluded that no differences were observed between elite
15 professional players vs. elite amateur players in the MSS reached during matches.
16 Differences were observed between playing positions, as wide players reached higher MSS
17 than central players, probably because they are more frequently involved in decisive actions
18 to unbalance the opponent and create goal situations. Differences were also observed
19 between the MSS reached during match play when compared to SSG. The analysis of the
20 SSG rules revealed that the closer the SSG was to the match situation in term of surface area,
21 number of players involved and the presence of goals and GKs, the closer the MSSSSG was to
22 the MSSmatch. During the sided-games, wide players reached a higher MSSSSG than central
23 players, confirming the relevance of SSG as specific soccer training drills.
24
25 PRACTICAL APPLICATION
26 Current findings might help individuals involved within the physical preparation of
27 players (e.g. technical coaches, fitness coaches, and sport science staff) when developing
28 training programs and training sessions in line with the playing positions, and with the levels
29 of high speed running targeted to reach during specific training drills like sided-games.
30 Indeed, the closer to match-play situations regarding the rules with goals, goalkeepers, the
31 larger pitch sizes and greater number of players involved, the higher sprinting speed running
32 players would reach during sided-games. However, coaches are advised to add specific speed
33 drills to sided-games in order to elicit a stimulus of high-speed running high enough to
34 prepare players for competition.
35
36 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
37 The authors want to thank all the staff and players involved in the study. The authors
38 also want to state that the results of the present study do not constitute endorsement of the
39 product by the authors of the NSCA.
40
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1 Table 1. Small-sided games details and rules
Pitch size Area per player
Type of SSG Rules
(m) (m2)
11 vs. 11 + GK 102 x 66 306
10 vs. 10 + GK 60 x 50 150
9 vs. 9 + GK 70 x 55 212
9 vs. 9 + GK 50 x 60 166
8 vs. 8 + GK 60 x 40 150
8 vs. 8 Score in mini goals 60 x 50 185
8 vs. 8 Ball-conservation 45 x 50 140
7 vs. 7 Ball-conservation 40 x 50 142
7 vs. 7 + GK 34 x 38 92
6 vs. 6 + GK 50 x 60 166
6 vs. 6 + GK 40 x 40 133
5 vs. 5 + GK 40 x 36 142
5 vs. 5 Ball-conservation 50 x 40 166
5 vs. 5 Score in mini goals 40 x 30 120
4 vs. 4 + GK 40 x 42 210
2 SSG=small-sided-game, GK=goalkeeper
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 13
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 Table 2. Maximal and percentage of maximal sprinting speed reached by soccer players.
All
Variables Group CD WD CM WM FW
players
MSStest m 30.59 31.02 30.89 31.54 32.26 30.93
Pro
(km.h-1) sd 1.08 1.26 1.42 0.99 1.18 1.37
MSStest m 30.55 32.18 31.47 31.60 30.76 31.41
Amateur
(km.h-1) sd 0.99 1.28 1.78 1.72 1.42 1.60
$ $ $$$
MSStest m 30.56 31.67 31.12 31.81 31.93 31.28
Combined
(km.h-1) sd 1.04 1.37 1.58 1.37 1.37 1.46
MSSmatch m 27.95 29.13 28.17 30.12 30.18 28.60
Pro
(km.h-1) sd 4.00 2.15 2.62 1.59 1.94 2.89
MSSmatch m 29.00 30.70 28.06 29.39 29.28 29.07
Amateur
(km.h-1) sd 2.49 2.02 2.21 2.96 1.80 2.47
€ €
MSSmatch m 28.25 30.02 28.13 29.86 29.98 28.93
Combined
(km.h-1) sd 3.63 2.18 2.45 2.14 1.92 2.74
m 91.32% 93.88% 91.16% 95.48% 93.58% 91.62%
% MSS Pro
sd 12.37% 4.93% 7.01% 3.98% 5.80% 8.08%
m 94.98% 95.40% 89.28% 92.54% 95.15% 92.51%
% MSS Amateur
sd 8.17% 4.87% 6.74% 4.83% 2.81% 6.00%
m 92.38% 94.74% 90.42% 93.88% 93.93% 92.45%
% MSS Combined
sd 11.33% 4.85% 6.92% 4.99% 5.29% 7.49%
2 MSS=maximal sprinting speed, MSStest=tested MSS, MSSmatch= MSS reached in match,
3 CD=central defenders, WD=wide defenders, CM=central midfielders, WM=wide
4 midfielders, FW=forwards.
$
5 higher than CD for the same measure ($:p<0.05, $$:p<0.01, $$$:p<0.001)
€
6 higher than CM for the same measure (p<0.05)
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 14
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 Table 3. Maximal sprinting speed of elite soccer players reached during different types of
2 small-sided games and a match
Playing
CD WD CM WM FW All players
positions
SSG types m sd m sd m sd m sd m sd m sd
Match 29.53 1.34 30.25 1.48 26.48 0.95 29.40 0.57 27.00 0 28.66*£$ 1.93
10 vs. 10
23.07 0.32 25.95 1.54 24.10 1.64 23.20 5.37 27.00 0 24.49 2.31
+ GK
9 vs. 9 +
GK 25.50 1.32 27.95 2.04 24.45 4.49 23.80 1.41 24.10 0 25.56£ 2.97
(70x55m)
9 vs. 9 +
GK 22.30 3.29 27.40 1.32 23.70 2.10 26.35 1.20 27.30 0 25.09$ 2.80
(50x60m)
8 vs. 8 +
25.30 2.21 25.70 1.56 23.83 1.98 26.45 1.63 25.10 0 25.14£ 1.82
GK
8 vs. 8
(mini 26.30 1.54 27.80 2.02 22.58 2.96 28.65 1.20 20.80 0 25.61 3.33
goals)
8 vs. 8 22.43 2.95 23.83 1.84 20.90 0.62 25.20 0.14 20.60 0 22.66 2.22
7 vs. 7 23.17 0.58 23.25 2.98 21.50 1.35 23.50 1.56 20.10 0 22.54 1.97
7 vs. 7 +
20.73 3.70 19.38 0.56 20.03 2.44 20.90 1.70 17.60 0 19.94 2.14
GK
6 vs 6 +
GK 23.17 5.62 27.68 1.59 25.40 2.45 26.30 4.95 25.00 0 25.67£ 3.39
(50x60m)
6 vs 6 +
GK 24.20 0.96 26.70 2.41 23.80 2.87 25.25 2.47 24.90 0 25.00£$ 2.31
(40x40m)
5 vs. 5 +
24.40 4.68 23.13 3.59 22.95 1.95 21.05 0.35 23.50 0 23.08 2.88
GK
5 vs. 5 17.27 0.91 22.93 2.29 22.00 1.02 22.15 1.34 19.90 0 21.12 2.58
5 vs. 5
(mini 20.30 6.88 22.83 1.62 23.65 2.06 22.50 0.57 25.90 0 22.69 3.36
goals)
4 vs. 4 +
22.33 1.42 22.98 2.66 22.40 0.51 22.45 1.34 20.50 0 22.42 1.59
GK
All SSG
22.89 3.53 24.82CMCD 3.12 22.95 2.44 24.13CM 2.81 23.02 3.04 23.64 3.08
combined
3 CD=central defenders, WD=wide defenders, CM=central midfielders, WM=wide
4 midfielders, FW=forwards.
5 GK: presence of goals and goalkeepers
*
6 Higher than all others SSG types (p<0.01); £ Higher than 7vs.7 + GK rule (p<0.0005); $
7 Higher than 5vs.5 rule (p<0.0005)
CM
8 Higher than CM (p<0.001); CD Higher than CD (p<0.001)
 J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]. 15
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001642
1 Table 4. Percentage of match maximal sprinting speed of elite soccer players reached during
2 different type of small-sided games
Playing
CD WD CM WM FW All players
positions
SSG types m sd m sd m sd m sd m sd m sd
10 vs. 10
78.18 2.53 85.83 4.49 91.05 5.79 79.10 19.80 100.00 0 85.73 9.37
+ GK
9 vs. 9
+ GK 86.40 4.35 92.33 3.23 92.14 14.82 81.01 6.37 89.26 0 89.17£ 8.77
(70x55m)
9 vs. 9
+ GK 75.83 13.48 90.62 2.94 89.76 10.37 89.68 5.81 101.11 0 87.82£ 10.40
(50x60m)
8 vs. 8
85.83 9.04 84.92 1.15 90.02 7.46 90.04 7.26 92.96 0 87.88£€ 6.13
+ GK
8 vs. 8
89.34 9.46 91.82 2.50 85.12 8.91 97.43 2.21 77.04 0 89.12 7.93
(mini goals)
8 vs. 8 75.92 8.58 78.72 3.82 78.97 2.10 85.73 2.13 76.30 0 79.02 5.08
7 vs. 7 78.49 1.69 77.10 11.22 81.15 2.12 80.00 6.83 74.44 0 78.78 6.20
7 vs. 7
69.95 9.72 64.10 1.62 75.68 9.49 71.16 7.14 65.19 0 69.75 7.90
+ GK
6 vs 6
+ GK 78.33 17.50 91.83 9.48 95.95 8.90 89.31 15.12 92.59 0 89.81£ 12.15
(50x60m)
6 vs 6
+ GK 82.08 5.57 88.27 6.74 90.01 11.76 85.82 6.77 92.22 0 87.37£$ 7.86
(40x40m)
5 vs. 5
82.45 13.64 76.43 11.37 86.68 6.61 71.60 0.18 87.04 0 80.72 10.08
+ GK
5 vs. 5 58.50 2.91 75.89 7.84 83.23 5.88 75.31 3.12 73.70 0 74.02 10.35
5 vs. 5
69.53 26.76 75.52 5.39 89.29 6.47 76.53 0.45 95.93 0 79.77 14.35
(mini goals)
4 vs. 4
75.86 8.07 75.99 8.77 84.68 3.27 76.33 3.10 75.93 0 78.49 6.89
+ GK
All SSG
77.62CM 12.30 82.10CM 10.11 86.70 8.98 82.07 9.62 85.26 11.27 82.67 10.74
combined
3 CD=central defenders, WD=wide defenders, CM=central midfielders, WM=wide
4 midfielders, FW=forwards.
5 GK: presence of goals and goalkeepers
£
6 Higher than 7vs.7 + GK rule (p<0.0005); $ Higher than 5vs.5 rule (p<0.0005); € Higher than
7 8vs.8 (p<0.0005)
CM
8 Lower than CM (p<0.005)