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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1466386
This article is part of the Research Topic Training Load in Sport: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives View all 11 articles

Assessing Physical Fitness Adaptations in Collegiate Male Soccer Players Through Training Load Parameters: A Two-Arm Randomized Study on Combined Small-Sided Games and Running-Based High-Intensity Interval Training

Provisionally accepted
Yanxiu Quan Yanxiu Quan 1YongXing Zhao YongXing Zhao 2*Rabiu M. Musa Rabiu M. Musa 3Ryland Morgans Ryland Morgans 4Rui M. Silva Rui M. Silva 5Chin-Hwai Hung Chin-Hwai Hung 6Yung-Sheng Chen Yung-Sheng Chen 7
  • 1 China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Chizhou University, Chizhou, China
  • 3 Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Gambang, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia
  • 4 University of Central Lancashire, Preston, England, United Kingdom
  • 5 Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
  • 6 Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan
  • 7 University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To evaluate the effects of a 4-week intervention combining small-sided games (SSGs) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on physical fitness in collegiate male soccer players. Methods: Twenty-one soccer players were randomly assigned to either the HIIT + SSGs group (n=11) or a control group (n=10). Physical fitness was assessed at baseline and one-week post-intervention, including countermovement jump (CMJ), change of direction (COD) test, sprint test, repeated sprint ability (RSA) test, and 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT). The intervention comprised eight sessions over four weeks: four SSGs and four HIIT. Results: The intervention group showed small to moderate improvements: mean RSA improved by 4.5% (p = 0.07), CMJ increased by 3.2% (p = 0.12), and 30-15IFT scores enhanced by 6.8% (p = 0.09). Key predictors of group membership included heart rate load per minute (OR 1.602) and various GPS variables. Conclusion: The 4-week intervention combining SSGs with HIIT did not produce statistically significant improvements in most physical fitness variables compared to the control group. Although there were positive trends in variables such as RSA and 30-15IFT, these changes were modest and not statistically significant. The results suggest that while the combined SSGs and HIIT approach shows potential, its impact on physical fitness over a 4-week period is limited, with some variables, like CMJ, even showing decreases.

    Keywords: Football, training load, Drill-based games, Physical Fitness, Athletic Performance

    Received: 17 Jul 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Quan, Zhao, Musa, Morgans, Silva, Hung and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: YongXing Zhao, Chizhou University, Chizhou, China

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