The effects of small-sided games applied to 14–15 year-old football players on physical, physiological parameters, and technical skills

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of small-sided games applied to 14-15 year football players on selected physical and physiological parameters, as well as technical skills. The study was conducted with 24 male football players (age: 14 ± 0.41 years; height: 171.04 ± 0.07 cm; body weight: 58.31 ± 9.39 kg) from the Denizlispor Football Club's U14 and U15 age categories. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 12) and a control fgroup (n = 12). The experimental group performed three different types of small-sided games, in addition to regular football training, for eight weeks, three days per week, 30 minutes per day. The control group continued only with their regular football training. Before and after the intervention, participants were assessed using various tests: resting heart rate (touch method), maximal oxygen uptake (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test), anaerobic power (RAST), agility (Illinois Agility Test), speed (30-meter sprint test), and football-specific technical skills (Mor & Christian dribbling, passing, and shooting tests, and the Johnson football test). According to the findings, there was no statistically significant difference in resting heart rate between the groups (p > 0.05). Both groups showed significant improvement in MaxVO₂, but the improvement was greater in the experimental group (p < 0.05). RAST results indicated significant increases in maximum and minimum power in the experimental group, while the control group showed improvement in average power and fatigue index (p < 0.05). Both groups improved in agility and speed, with the experimental group showing greater gains (p < 0.05). In terms of technical skills, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in all sub-skills (p < 0.05). In conclusion, small-sided games had positive effects on the physical, physiological, and technical performance of young football players. KEYWORDS: Football; Small-sided games; Technical skills; Physiological and physical performance.