The effect of a periodized small-sided games intervention in hurling on physical and physiological measures of performance

The current investigation examined the effect of a periodized small-sided games (SSG) intervention across a 4-week pre-season period on physical and physiological performance measures within hurling players. Twenty-five (n = 25) hurling players were observed across the training intervention with GPS and HR technologies. Players participated in 12 sessions of exclusive 4 min SSG bouts (4 v 4) across differing pitch dimensions from 100 to 200-m² with the number of bouts of SSG increasing across the intervention period (from 4 up to 8 bouts). Pre and post intervention tests included physiological (VO_2max (mL kg⁻¹ min⁻¹), vVO_2max (mL kg⁻¹ min⁻¹), PTV (km h⁻¹), oxygen consumption (mL kg⁻¹ min⁻¹), vLT (mmol L⁻¹), vOBLA (mmol L⁻¹) and HR_max) and physical [5-, 10-, 20-m speed (s), Yo-YoIR1 (m) and RSA_b (s)] testing methodologies. Across the period significant improvements in physical and physiological qualities were observed with these being trivial to large in nature. Significant large improvements in VO_2max (ES 1.79; 95% CI 1.02–2.01) and vLT (ES 1.56; 95% CI 1.12–1.78) were reported with moderate improvements in vVO_2max (ES 0.93; 95% CI 0.77–1.11) and vOBLA (ES 0.89; 95% CI 0.34–0.99) respectively. Moderate improvements in Yo-YoIR1 (ES 0.65; 95% CI 0.33–0.78) and RSA_b (ES 0.41; 95% CI 0.21–0.66) were also observed across the period with trivial improvements observed for speed across 5-, 10- and 20-m. Furthermore, SSG also led to an improvement in oxygen consumption across varying speeds as indicated through significantly reduced VO₂ and HR at running speeds of 8-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-km h⁻¹ (ES 0.99–1.78). The present study provides coaches with a periodization strategy for pre-season hurling specific SSG. Overall, the data demonstrate that implementing a structured periodized SSG training intervention can improve the physical and physiological fitness characteristics of hurling players across a pre-season.