The effects of small-sided soccer games on tactical behavior and collective dynamics: A systematic review

Filipe Manuel Clemente, José Afonso, Daniel Castillo, Asier Los Arcos, Ana Filipa Silva and Hugo Sarmento

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 2020, vol. 134, issue C

Abstract: The present systematic review aims to describe evidence about the effects of different small-sided soccer games (SSGs) on tactical behaviors and collective dynamics. This study presents a systematic review, organizes the acute effects of the most common task conditions, and describes the common methodologies used in previous studies. Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this systematic review searched for studies on Web of Science, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus. The search returned 95 papers. After screening the records against set criteria, 34 articles were fully reviewed. The main topics related to tactical behaviors and collective dynamics were (1) the effects of different formats; (2) the effects of different pitch sizes and configurations; (3) the effects of tasks adjustments; (4) the effects of age and competitive and expertise levels; and (5) multidimensional effects. In summary, and among other evidence, this systematic review revealed that smaller formats likely lead to increases in the tactical behaviors associated with penetration and defensive delays, while larger formats may lead to an increase in the frequency of collective behaviors associated with attacking and defensive unity. Moreover, using floaters may increases the effective playing space, and considerable numerical imbalances contribute to a possible more stable defensive dynamic. Finally, the few studies that tested such a hypothesis revealed greater variability of movements in larger pitches comparing to smaller ones.

Keywords: Football; Performance; Drill-based; Sided-games; Tactics; Collective behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960077920301120
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:134:y:2020:i:c:s0960077920301120

DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2020.109710

Access Statistics for this article

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals is currently edited by Stefano Boccaletti and Stelios Bekiros

More articles in Chaos, Solitons & Fractals from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Thayer, Thomas R. ().