Influence of biological maturation on physical performance during small-sided games in young soccer players

This study analyzed somatic maturation's effect on young soccer players’ running performance during small-sided games (SSG) and physical fitness levels. The players performed four tests sessions: 1) anthropometric assessments (body mass, height and body fat percentage), determination of peak height velocity (PHV), and physical evaluations (Carminatti test and countermovement jump); 2) Wilson protocol carried out to identify soccer talents (3 × 3, 25 × 35 m); 3 and 4) SSG on natural grass (6 × 6 including goalkeepers, 25 × 49 m), in which participants played against teams composed of players with similar and different maturation levels, respectively. More and less mature players were based on below and above PHV median values, respectively. During the SSG, players were equipped with a GPS to determine the physical variables, such as maximum heart rate, total distance (TD), average speed (AS) and number of sprints. For U-13, less mature players playing against more mature ones, presented higher TD (466.7 ± 71.4 vs 548.8 ± 51.9 m) and AS (4.9 ± 0.7 vs 5.7 ± 0.5 km·h −1 ) during the second half. For U-15, less mature players showed higher HRmax than the more mature players during matches against same maturation groups (194.1 ± 4.4 vs 181.8 ± 11.5 bpm). Biological maturation had a limited impact on running and physiological performance during small-sided games. In the U-13 category, less mature players presented higher high-speed running (HSR) compared to more mature players, regardless of opponent maturation level. In the U-15 category, HRmax was higher in less mature players than the more mature players.