Study finds jump height more reliable than small-sided-game outputs
A four-week study of 15 male academy soccer players found countermovement-jump height tracked post-match fatigue more consistently than small-sided-game outputs. The authors said small-sided games could complement, but should not replace, direct neuromuscular checks.
Researchers tracked residual post-match fatigue in 15 male academy soccer players, whose average age was 18.3, over four weeks. They compared four three-a-side small-sided-game formats and recorded activity, heart rate variability, countermovement-jump height and hamstring force at 24, 72 and 120 hours after matches.1
The researchers found that external-load measures generally fell after matches, but small-sided-game outputs were too variable to interpret consistently. Countermovement-jump height fell in post-match weeks and was more reliable than small-sided-game measures, the authors reported.1
They concluded that short three-a-side games should complement, not replace, direct neuromuscular tests for monitoring recovery. The authors said hamstring-force results were less straightforward and heart-rate-variability responses differed between starters and non-starters.1
The study involved 15 players from one Spanish La Liga club academy, and the authors cautioned that the small sample warrants careful interpretation. For coaches working with similar male academy squads, the findings make jump height a more consistent post-match marker than game-derived activity alone, but do not establish that result beyond this small group.1
