# The effect of small-sided games and HIIT formats and competitive level on enjoyment and exercise intensity in young adult male soccer players

PMID: 41048228
Journal: Biology of sport
Published: 2025 Oct
Authors: Xu W, Trybulski R, Silva RM, Zhao Y, Castro HO, Costa GCT, Clemente FM

## Question

How do small-sided game and HIIT formats, and Tier 2 versus Tier 3 competitive level, affect enjoyment and exercise intensity in young male soccer players?

## Summary

In 77 male university soccer players, enjoyment and exercise intensity differed across 5 v 5 games, 1 v 1 games, long HIIT, and short HIIT. Smaller-sided games and short HIIT were generally more enjoyable than long HIIT, and competitive level changed enjoyment and effort responses.

## Population

- Young adult male university soccer players at Tier 2 and Tier 3 competitive levels.
- Sample size: 77
- Age: 20.64 +/- 1.56 years
- Sex: Male only
- Fitness level: Trained/developmental to highly trained/national-level soccer players
- Health status: No recent injury or illness and no reported physical/cognitive disease

## Methodology

- Cross-sectional repeated-session training-format comparison
- Two weeks with one fitness assessment and four training sessions per team
- Outdoor artificial grass soccer pitch in China University Football Association teams
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Long and short soccer HIIT formats.
- Modality: Running on soccer pitch.
- Work intervals: 4 minutes for long HIIT; 1 minute for short HIIT.
- Recovery: 3 minutes for long HIIT; 2 minutes for short HIIT with 5 minutes between sets 4 and 5.
- Sets or repetitions: 4 long intervals or 8 short intervals.
- Intensity: 80% VIFT for long HIIT; 95% VIFT for short HIIT.
- Session duration: 25 minutes.
- Frequency: One exposure per format over two weeks.
- Program length: Two weeks.
- Progression: None.
- Small-sided games.
- Modality: Soccer SSGs.
- Work intervals: 5 v 5: 4-minute sets; 1 v 1: 1-minute sets.
- Recovery: 5 v 5: 3 minutes passive; 1 v 1: 2 minutes passive except 5 minutes between sets 4 and 5.
- Sets or repetitions: 5 v 5: 4 sets; 1 v 1: 8 sets.
- Intensity: Maximum effort and ball-possession instruction.
- Session duration: 25 minutes.
- Frequency: One exposure per format over two weeks.
- Program length: Two weeks.

## Outcomes

### Enjoyment
Status: mixed
Training format and competitive level interacted; Tier 2 reported higher PACES than Tier 3 in several formats.

Format x level interaction F(3,225)=3.83, p=0.011.

### Long HIIT
Status: worse/safety concern
Long HIIT had lower enjoyment than 5 v 5 in both tiers and lower than 1 v 1 and short HIIT in Tier 3.

Tier 2 long HIIT vs 5 v 5 p=0.001; Tier 3 long HIIT vs 1 v 1 p<0.001.

### Heart rate
Status: mixed
Mean HR differed by format and competitive level, but no format-by-level interaction was found.

Level p<0.001; format p<0.001; interaction p=0.218.

### RPE
Status: mixed
RPE differed by format and level; Tier 3 rated short HIIT harder than Tier 2.

Interaction p=0.009; short HIIT tier difference p=0.005.

## Practical Insights

- Shorter intervals may preserve enjoyment better than long intervals.
- Small-sided play can provide conditioning while supporting engagement in sport contexts.
- Competitive level changes perceived training experience.

## Limitations

- Convenience sample.
- Male soccer players only.
- Prior format preferences were not assessed.
- No lactate or muscle-fatigue markers.
- No long-term adherence or performance adaptation outcomes.

## Safety And Adherence

- Players with injury or illness were excluded.
- No adverse events were reported in the viewed article text.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41048228/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.150046) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12490308/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.