Heart rate and match analysis in pre-pubescent soccer players

The aim of this study was to compare match analysis (using video recordings) and the physiological load (heart rate measured every 5s, blood lactate measured after the warm-up, first half and second half) of six 11-year-old soccer players during official games of eleven-a-side on a regular-sized pitch (100×65m) and of seven-a-side on a smaller pitch (60×40m). In both games, heart rate exceeded 170 beats·min-1 84% of the time, while blood lactate ranged from 1.4 to 8.1 mmol·l-1 . No significant differences were recorded for the physiological parameters. For both matches, walking comprised 38% of total time, running 55%, inactivity 3% and jumping 3%. Although there were no significant differences between halves or matches, running for less than 10s was 10% more frequent in the seven-a-side game. In the seven-a-side game, there were significantly more passes and significantly fewer tackles, suggesting that seven-a-side matches played on smaller pitches may be more suitable for pre-pubescent soccer players.