The influence of space and time on the physiological response of players
von
Jürgen Pranger
Gepostet am 24.2.2023
Although the main goal of the exercises in a football training is to train previously defined tactical behaviors (principles), it is important to know how the size of the field and the duration of the game can influence the physiological response of the players.
Studies (Mallo & Navarro, 2008) have shown that at least 100 m2 per player are needed to to achieve adequate conditional stimulus (high intensity distance; time exceeding 85% of the maximum heart rate, etc.).
In practice, this means that for a ball-hold variant (Possession Game) with 16 players (7 versus 7 plus 2 neutral players) to be performed according to this scheme, an area of about 1600 m2 is required (e.g. a square of 40 x 40 m or a rectangle of 50 x 32 m).
This information is a Estimation and not a standard law, since the density should actually increase exponentially and not linearly to the number of players participating in the exercise.
As far as the duration of the exercises is concerned, it has been demonstrated that an athlete needs two to three minutes to achieve his maximum oxygen absorption during running on a treadmill (Hoff. 2005). football player but do not run straight during a game at constant speed, but move intermittent, which means they need more time to reach an important cardiovascular stimulus. With reference to the investigations carried out by Bansgbo (1994) and Helgerud et al. (2001), the hypothesis could therefore be established that at least 4 minutes high-intensity periods required are to stimulate the maximum oxygen absorption during this type of training.
This fixed duration of the exercise should ensure that all players are actively involved in the game, and should be proportional to the number of players involved. Based on practical experience, it could be recommended that each passage should have a duration corresponding to the multiplication of the number of players involved with 30 seconds. So if 16 players take part in a ballroom game, each set should be about 8 minutes.
The Recovery time between sentences should not longer than 2 to 3 minutes to be a cumulative effect and should be used for appropriate tactical corrections, the introduction of variants or liquid supply. These space and time data are of course only a point of reference, since each training environment requires individual adaptations.
Effect of increasing number of players (and relative field size)
Laursen, P. et al. (2019). S.552
Effect of increasing the number of players (and relative field size) on metabolic and locomotoric reactions to SSGs (small-sided games). Ball-owning games (dashed line) tend to be associated with lower locomotive and metabolic reactions compared to game forms with goals. (picture above)
Laursen, P. et al. (2019). S.554
Laursen, P. et al. (2019). S.554
Sources:
Bangladesh, J. (1994). The physiology of soccer - with special reference to intense intermittent exercise. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 151
Helgerud, J., Engen, L.C., Wisloff, U., Hoff, J. (2001). Aerobic endurance training improves soccer performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33, 1925-1931
Laursen, P.; Buchheit M. (2019). Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training. Solutions to the Programming Puzzle. Human Kinetics
Mallo, J. (2014). Periodization fitness training. A Revolutionary Football Conditioning Program. SoccerTutor
Mallo, J., Navarro, E. (2008). Physical load imposed on soccer players during small-sided training games. Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 48, 166-171