The Effects of an Eight-Week Small-Sided Game-Based High-Intensity Interval Training Intervention and Traditional High-Intensity Interval Training Intervention on Physical Fitness in Youth Female Soccer Players
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2025.5.09Keywords:
Small-sided games, high-intensity interval training, youth soccer, anaerobic power, physical fitnessAbstract
Objectives. The study aimed to compare the outcomes of an eight-week Small-Sided Game-based High-Intensity Interval Training (SSG-HIIT) and Traditional High-Intensity Interval Training (THIIT) on parameters of physical fitness in youth female soccer players. Specifically, it assessed changes in anaerobic power, explosive strength, sprint speed, agility, and flexibility.
Materials and Methods. Twenty-seven female soccer players aged 14 to 17 years playing at a competitive level (>2 years) were randomly assigned to three conditions: SSG-HIIT (n=9), THIIT (n=9) and Active Control Group (ACG, n=9). The intervention took a period of eight weeks, with three sessions per week on the experimental groups. SSG-HIIT sessions included 3v3 to 5v5 soccer games with progressive intensity, while THIIT involved structured sprint intervals. Pre- and post-intervention assessments comprised the Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST), standing broad jump, 50-m sprint, Illinois agility test, and sit-and-reach flexibility test.
Results. There was a huge improvement in all variables in both SSG-HIIT and THIIT groups (p < 0.05), whereas ACG showed negligible changes. SSG-HIIT led to superior gains in explosive power (8.69%), flexibility (11.3%), anaerobic power (RAST: -8.58%), sprint speed (-3.97%), and agility (-4.37%) compared to THIIT. Post hoc analysis confirmed significantly greater improvements in explosive power and flexibility in the SSG-HIIT group (p < 0.05), though sprint and agility gains were statistically similar between the two interventions.
Conclusions. According to the findings, SSG-HIIT proved more effective than THIIT in enhancing multiple physical fitness parameters, especially explosive power and flexibility. Incorporating game-based training within high-intensity protocols offers a practical and sport-specific approach to conditioning youth female soccer players.
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