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Purpose. The study aim was to analyse 1 × 1 small-sided games (SSGs) with and without floating players, in different pitch sizes. Methods. Ten U-12 soccer players were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 (n = 4) performed 1 × 1 SSG and group 2 (n = 6) performed 1 × 1 + 1 SSG. Field sizes of 5 × 10 m (SSG1), 10 × 15 m (SSG2), and 15 × 20 m (SSG3) were used, all with small goals. The studied variables were heart rate (HR), total distance, explosive distance (> 12 km/h), accelerations, decelerations, maximum sprint, player load (PL) intensity and volume. The data were collected through WIMU PROTM and analysed with IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive analyses and comparisons between the effects of internal and external PL and SSG were performed with the Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Increasing the pitch size in 1 × 1 and 1 × 1 + 1 SSGs led to raised total distance, maximum sprint, and PL. In 1 × 1 and 1 × 1 + 1 SSGs, the time practice was predominantly associated with HRmax intervals above 90%. Statistically significant differences were observed between 1 × 1 and 1 × 1 + 1 SSGs in explosive distance (SSG2: 46.40 ± 5.07 / 28.99 ± 4.93, p = 0.02, ES(r) = 0.82), PL intensity (SSG2: 2.03 ± 0.11 / 1.78 ± 0.12, p = 0.02, ES(r) = 0.82), HRmax (SSG1: 189.50 ± 1.91 / 199.50 ± 2.38, p = 0.01, ES(r) = 0.82), and HRmean (SSG1: 174.50 ± 3.31 / 181.75 ± 2.21, p = 0.01, ES(r) = 0.82). Floating players' physical and physiological demands were lower compared with the other athletes. Conclusions. The pitch size influences the physiological and physical response of young soccer players in SSGs. The demand of 1 × 1 SSG is higher compared with 1 × 1 + 1. Floating player participation could result in a fruitful strategy to adjust the training intensity of specific soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Soccer is a complex team sport, in which moments of 1v1 during the game may decide the outcome. Despite this evidence, studies on this particularity are scarce, particularly involving young players. Aim of Study. The purpose of this study was to evaluate variations of internal and external loads in U-15 and U-12 soccer players associated to different smallsided game (SSG) conditions, in the 1v1 context. Material and Methods. Eight male soccer players participated in the study, integrating two groups, U-15 (n = 4) and U-12 (n = 4), monitored in different SSG models (2 minutes duration / 3 minutes interval rest, different pitch size SSG1 = 5 Ã--10 m; SSG2 = 10 Ã--15 m; SSG3 = 15 Ã--20 m). Soccer players carried GPS devices (WIMU PROTM, RealTrack System, Almería, Spain) operating at a sampling frequency of 10 Hz. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare groups in each SSG and the Kruskal-FWallis test was applied to compare the different SSGs. The significance level was adopted at p < 0.05. Results. Differences between the groups were observed mostly in HRmean and HR95-max. The distance covered (different between the groups, SSG1 197.7 ± ± 14.0 vs 162.3 ± 9.0 and SSG3 261.4 ± 10.6 vs 217.1 ± 27.4, respectively, for U-15 and U-12) and maximal velocity always increased with the increase of the pitch size. Explosive distance and accelerations were also different between the groups in SSG1 and SSG2, respectively. Differences throughout the SSGs were mainly recorded in terms of external load. Conclusions. This research suggests that the implemented 1v1 SSG model is relevant from the internal and external load perspective. Nevertheless, the internal and external loads in U-15 and U-12 soccer players present differences and specificities, which should be considered in exercise prescription and individualized evaluation of young soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]