Play games that are 90 to 120 seconds in length and then have your players rest for approximately four
minutes.
If your goal is to develop aerobic capacity, then it is best to have at least four players per team. Play
games that are 3 to 5 minutes in length but have your players rest for at least two minutes between games.
You may also choose to play continuously for 20 to 30 minutes.
The following are two other examples of how tailoring SSG can be used to target either aerobic or
anaerobic conditioning:
4 V 4 With Targets
Objectives: This exercise focuses on aerobic endurance
Set-up and Directions: Divide your players into teams of four. Set up a 40 by 30 yard playing area with 2
regulation-sized goals at each end. This is a 4 v 4 (plus goalies) small-sided game, with two neutral or
target players on each sideline (Figure 8.9).
Figure 8.9Play regular soccer except that a player in possession of the ball can pass to any target player on the side.
Once a target player receives a pass, they must pass back to any member of the team from who they
received the pass. Target players are not allowed to pass to other target players and are restricted to 1 or 2
touches.
Work-to-rest Ratio: Play games 3 to 5 minutes in length and then change teams. If there are only three
teams, meaning one team has to play two games in a row, ensure the players of that team rest for at least
two minutes before playing the next game.