@Article{Cherni2025,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
volume="42",
number="3",
year="2025",
title="Physiological, technical, and time-motion responses according to  
small-sided game formats and pitch size variations in adolescent male 
soccer players: effects of biological maturity status",
abstract="We	examined	the	impact	of	biological	maturity	status	((pre-,	circa-	and	post-peak	height	velocity (PHV))	on	time-motion,	physiological	and	technical	responses	of	under-15 soccer	players	during	different	small-sided	game	(SSG)	formats	performed	on	different	pitch	sizes.	Thirty-six	players	(n =	12 per	biological	maturity	group)	performed	3-	and	4-a-side	SSGs	on	regular	(36	×	27 m,	40	×	30 m,	respectively)	and	large	(40	×	29 m,	44	×	33 m,	respectively)	pitches.	Total	distance	(TD),	peak	velocity,	accelerations	(Accl) > 2.5 m	·	s−2,	decelerations (Dec)	> 2.5 m	·	s−2,	distances	covered	at	different	speeds	(0 to < 7.0,	7.0 to < 14.0,	14.0 to < 18.0,	and ≥ 18.0 km	·	h−1),	peak	heart	rate	(HRpeak),	HRmean	(expressed	as	percentage	of	HRmax),	rating	of	perceived	exertion	(RPE),	post-SSG	blood	lactate	concentration	(BLa),	and	technical	actions	were	recorded.	There	was	a biological	maturity	effect	on	RPE,	HRmean	(%HRmax),	percentage	of	successful	passes	(%SP),	and	interceptions,	with	pre-PHV	players	showing	higher	RPE	and	interception	scores	in	large	SSG	formats	(p < 0.05),	and	post-PHV	players	demonstrating	higher	HRmean	(%HRmax)	and	%SP	on	regular	and	large	3-a-side	and	4-a-side	pitches	(p < 0.05).	Across	all	biological	maturity groups, 4-a-side resulted in higher TD, distances covered at different speeds and ball-loss scores, and lower	Accl,	Dec,	BLa,	%SP,	and	duel	scores	than	3-a-side	SSGs	(p < 0.05)	for	both	pitch	sizes.	On	large	pitches,	3-a-side	SSGs	resulted	in	higher	ball	possession,	interception,	and	RPE	scores	(p < 0.05),	while	regular	pitch	sizes	favoured	higher	Accl	and	Dec	in	both	3-	and	4-a-side	SSGs	(p < 0.05).	Large	SSG	formats	generally	outperformed	regular	formats	in	time-motion	metrics.	Our	findings	underscore	the	importance	of	considering	both	biological maturity	and	game	format	when	designing	training	sessions	for	youth	soccer	players.",
author="Cherni, Bilel
and Marzouki, Hamza
and Selmi, Okba
and Chen, Yung-Sheng
and Bouassida, Anissa
and Chamari, Karim",
pages="37--49",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2025.146788",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.146788"
}