External load profiles across game-based training formats, friendly matches, and official matches in elite professional soccer players

Abstract

This study compared the per-minute external load profiles of different game-based training formats with those of friendly and official matches in elite professional soccer players. Eighteen elite male professional soccer players competing in the Turkish Super League (age: 26.3 ± 5.2 years; height: 180.9 ± 5.3 cm; body mass: 77.9 ± 5.2 kg) participated in the study. External load data were collected over a three-week competitive period using 15-Hz global positioning system (GPS) devices. Four game-based training formats (3 vs. 3, 8 vs. 8, 9 vs. 9, and 10 vs. 10), together with two friendly matches and two official league matches, were analyzed. All external load variables were expressed per minute of playing time. Total distance (TD), high-speed running distance (HSR), sprint distance, high acceleration–deceleration distance (Acc + Dec), and high metabolic power (HMP) distance were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA. Significant differences were observed across conditions for all variables (all p < 0.001; partial η² = 0.36–0.73). The 3 vs. 3 condition showed the greatest per-minute TD, high Acc + Dec, and HMP distances, whereas friendly and official matches showed the greatest per-minute HSR and sprint distances. Relative to official match play, each condition showed a distinct per-minute external load profile, exceeding match values for some variables while falling below them for others. These values reflect per-minute (rate-based) external load rather than total accumulated load. These findings indicate that game-based training conditions were associated with distinct per-minute external load profiles, with no single condition matching official match play across all variables. Because these per-minute demands were observed in single sessions, the formats may be used in a complementary manner to expose players to different external load characteristics; whether combining them improves match preparation was not tested.