Front. Physiol.

Sec. Exercise Physiology

Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1491347

This article is part of the Research Topic Training Load in Sport: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives View all 20 articles

Provisionally accepted

Lixin Wei 1 YaFei Zheng 2* 1 Geely University of China, Chengdu, China 2 Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China

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Research on the effects of training programs involving small-sided games (SSG) versus high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been increasing in recent years. However, there is limited understanding of how an individual's initial physical fitness level might influence the extent of adaptations achieved through these programs. This study aimed to compare the impacts of SSG and HIIT on male soccer players, while also considering the players' athleticism, categorized into lower and higher total athleticism score (TSA). A prospective cohort study was conducted over a 6-week pre-season training period, involving 43 male soccer players from regional-level teams (average age 16.5±0.7 years). Players were evaluated at the start and after the 6-week period. One team incorporated SSG as a core component of their aerobic-based training, while the other team used HIIT. Evaluations included a countermovement jump (CMJ) test, a 30-meter linear sprint test, and the 30-15 intermittent fitness test (30-15 IFT). TSA was calculated to assess each player's overall athleticism level (classifying them as fit and non-fit). Results revealed that non-fit players showed significantly greater CMJ improvements (mean difference: 3.0 cm; p

Keywords: Football, Athletic Performance, trainability, sports training, Small-sided games

Received: 04 Sep 2024; Accepted: 22 Nov 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Wei and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: YaFei Zheng, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China

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