ArticleJournal of human kinetics2022
Small-Sided Soccer Games with Larger Relative Areas Result in Higher Physical and Physiological Responses: a Systematic and Meta-Analytical Review.
Article in Journal of human kinetics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of the number of players on the emergence of creative movements in small-sided soccer games: a systematic review emphasizing deliberate practice.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Pooled it
- Can The Pitch Dimension Influence the Physical Fitness Adaptations Induced by Small-Sided Training Programs Added to Regular In-Field Training? A Randomized Controlled Study in Youth Soccer Players.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2024Trial
- Comparative changes in cardiovascular measures following speed, agility, and quickness training and small-sided games in youth football players: a randomized trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Using the Relative Pitch Size, Internal Floaters, and External Floaters During Different Small-Sided Games in Professional Soccer in the Return-to-Play Process.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Effects of player number and pitch size on internal and external load in small-sided Ultimate Frisbee games.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- An umbrella review of soccer small-sided games: developing an evidence-informed design model linking training components to performance outcomes.Biology of sport · 2026Review
- The Role of Instructional Constraints Performed by Coaches on Tactical Behavior of Soccer Players: A Systematic Review.Journal of human kinetics · 2026Review
- Influence of Chinese university track-and-field coaches' communication ability on student-athletes' sport passion and ego-resilience.Frontiers in psychology · 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
- Acute and Residual Physical Fatigue, Along With Recovery Time Following Sided Games: A Scoping Review and Evidence Gap Map Focusing on Methodological Aspects.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2025Article
- Higher Heart Rate Intensity Can Negatively Impact Tactical Decision-Making and Technical Accuracy in Small-Sided Games: A Study on The Effects of Field Size and Scoring Method Manipulation.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2025Article
- Fixed pitch size small-sided games in young soccer players: effects of different age categories and competitive levels on the physical and physiological responses.Biology of sport · 2025Article
- Effects of Different Tactical Formations on Positional Team Behaviors during Small Sided Games in Youth Soccer Players.Journal of human kinetics · 2025Article
- Area per Player in Small-Sided Games to Estimate the External Load in Elite Youth Soccer Players.Journal of human kinetics · 2025Article
- The effect of relative pitch size on physiological, physical, technical and tactical variables in small-sided games: a literature review and practical guide.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Review
- Submaximal intensity periods in game-based drills vs. match demands in professional football.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Possession or position games: What is the key in soccer?Biology of sport · 2024Article
- Can heat conditions affect the heart rate responses, perception of effort, and technical performance of young male football players during small-sided games? a comparative study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Correlations of Aerobic Capacity with External and Internal Load of Young Football Players during Small-Sided Games.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Variability of peak speed and sprinting actions during the same small-sided games: within- and between-player variations inspected over four consecutive weeks.Biology of sport · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study aimed to systematically review the influence of the relative area on athletes' physical and physiological responses (outcomes) during small-sided games of soccer which were not matched to the relative area. It also presents a meta-analysis comparing standard small-sided games protocols with different relative areas. We searched the Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases for literature published up to March 2020 following all PRISMA guidelines for selecting articles for a qualitative and quantitative synthesis. As a result, eleven articles matched the inclusion criteria. For the quantitative synthesis, a pooled random-effects model was used to make pairwise comparisons between protocols with larger or smaller areas in each selected study. Prediction intervals were used to assess the heterogeneity. We found positive effects of larger relative areas per player on their total distance (d = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.12-1.34; p = 0.006; medium to large effect), distance covered at high speed (d = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.22-1.65; p = 0.001; large effect), and mean heart rate (d = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.17-0.88; p = 0.008; medium effect). In other words, larger relative areas were found to induce higher physical and physiological responses in players. Future studies should consider the relative area per player when comparing data for different small-sided games configurations to avoid confounding variables. Also, coaches can use relative area per player calculations to easily predict increases and decreases in expected training loads for different versions of SSGs during training.
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Registered trials
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