The impact of the SSG method on the performance of young football players: a review article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15391/si.2025-3.08Keywords:
SSG technique, young football players, game performance, physical qualitiesAbstract
The problem of finding new training methods to slow down adaptation processes remains relevant. The Small Side Games method and its use in various versions helps to find new approaches in the training process. Purpose: to study the effectiveness of the SSG method and its impact on the training of young football players.
Material and methods. To achieve the set goal, theoretical methods of pedagogical research were used. To select articles for analysis on the effectiveness of the SSG method and its impact on the training of young football players, the Internet platforms Scopus, Web of Science, CrossRef, PubMed, Google Scholar/
Results: The study analysed the influence of the SSG methodology on the training of young football players. Namely, the authors showed that players of different ages have different perceptions of training using the SSG methodology and receive different physiological and technical reactions. The results confirmed that additional running training during SSG led to higher internal loads. Also, as the number of players decreased, heart rate, fatigue index and lactate concentration increased, but technical activity decreased. When comparing the effectiveness of interval and continuous games on a reduced field, a significant increase in HRmax was found in interval SSGs compared to continuous SSGs. While the use of continuous SSG can contribute to the improvement of tactical complexity. Also, the use of the technique has a positive effect on the development of special endurance and aerobic power.
Conclusions: the importance of SSG for optimizing sports performance in sports games and in football in particular is numerous, as evidenced by their positive impact on psychological, physical, tactical and technical skills in the process of sports training and competitive games for any age group.
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