ArticleBiology of sport2020
Effect of skill-based training vs. small-sided games on physical performance improvement in young soccer players.
Article in Biology of sport, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative effectiveness of training interventions on VOBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative effects of high-intensity interval training and small-sided games on physical fitness in male adolescent team-sport athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
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- Trial
- Smart sensors, smarter players: The role of real-time monitoring in football training.PloS one · 2025Trial
- An 8-Week Program of Plyometrics and Sprints with Changes of Direction Improved Anaerobic Fitness in Young Male Soccer Players.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Factors Influencing the Efficacy of Concurrent Training in Team Sports: A Narrative Review.Journal of human kinetics · 2026Review
- The impact of plyometric and small-sided games training on physical performance in adolescent female handball players.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Effect of Linear Sprints and Change-of-Direction Training Versus Small-Sided Soccer Games on Physical Performance in Highly Trained Young Female Soccer Players: A Randomized Cross-Over Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The effect of small-sided games and HIIT formats and competitive level on enjoyment and exercise intensity in young adult male soccer players.Biology of sport · 2025Article
- Effects of Intermittent Versus Continuous Small-Sided Games on Athletic Performance in Male Youth Soccer Players: A Pilot Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comparing the Current Training Running Demands of Elite Camogie Players to Competitive Match-Play.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Resisted sprint training with partner towing improves explosive force and sprint performance in young soccer players - a pilot study.Biology of sport · 2022Article
- Short-term effects of on-field combined core strength and small-sided games training on physical performance in young soccer players.Biology of sport · 2021Article
- Combining small-sided soccer games and running-based methods: A systematic review.Biology of sport · 2021Article
- Effects of including endurance and speed sessions within small-sided soccer games periodization on physical fitness.Biology of sport · 2021Article
- Effects of Combined Plyometric and Short Sprints Training on Athletic Performance of Male U19 Soccer Players.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Recently, there has been increasing attention to research related to the effect of skill-based or game-based training on soccer players' physical performance. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of skill-based training (SBT) at maximum intensity versus the small-sided game (SSG) on the physical performance characteristics of young soccer players during the pre-season period. Twenty-two male soccer players (mean age 15.3 ± 3 years) were randomly assigned to either an SBT or SSG fully controlled intervention programme, running parallel for eight weeks and held twice a week. On three non-consecutive days before and after training players completed a test battery consisting of the 20 m sprint, T-run, countermovement jump, running anaerobic sprint test (RAST) and 20 m shuttle run. Data were analysed with a two-way ANOVA test for repeated measures. SBT and SSG interventions induced a significant improvement in the anaerobic power (10.9% vs 6.2%), explosive power (8.5% vs 5.6%), VO2max (6.7% vs 6.5%) and vertical jump (5.3% vs 2.9%), respectively. When the improvements in the physical performance variables of both groups are compared, the SBT group achieved greater improvement than the SSG group in anaerobic power (by 4.7%), in explosive power (by 2.8%), in vertical jumping (by 2.3%), in the 20 m sprint (by 2.2%) and T-test scores (by 1.7%). However, improvements in the VO2max were similar in both groups. The results of the present study suggest that SBT at maximum intensity may be more effective than SSG in improving the physical performance characteristics of young soccer players in the pre-competitive season.
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