Can a 5v5 small-sided game double as a fitness test? What this study means for coaches
Most coaches love small-sided games (SSGs) because they “look like football”: players solve problems under pressure, the ball is involved, and physical work happens organically. The big question is whether that physical work is consistent and meaningful enough to help you monitor fitness as well as train it.
The study purpose was to quantify how closely running and physiological responses in a standardised 5v5 SSG relate to performance in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-YoIR1). The researchers were essentially asking: If a player performs well in a controlled 5v5, does that tell us anything about their intermittent aerobic fitness as measured by the Yo-YoIR1? And if it does, could the SSG become a more soccer-specific alternative (or supplement) to traditional testing?
What the researchers did (in coach terms)
Twenty-three elite male professional players completed two things:
A Yo-YoIR1 test (a well-established intermittent aerobic fitness assessment)
A standardised 5v5 SSG protocol while wearing GPS and heart-rate monitors.
The key idea was simple: compare what players do in the SSG (external load like total distance, high-speed running, accelerations/decelerations) and how their body responds (internal load like heart rate), with how far they get in the Yo-YoIR1.
The main outcomes (and why they matter)
1) Total distance and heart rate were the most repeatable SSG measures.
The study found that total distance (TD) and heart-rate (HR) responses during the 5v5 had the lowest variability from one session to the next (CV% under 5%). For coaches, this is a big deal: if a metric is repeatable, you can trust it as a monitoring signal rather than just noise.
Practical meaning: if you standardise your 5v5 properly, TD and HR are dependable “check-in” measures you can track over time.
2) High-speed running, accelerations and decelerations were much more variable.
High-speed movements and change-of-speed actions showed higher CV%. That’s not surprising in football: one session might feature repeated transition moments and long chases, while another might be compact possession with fewer opportunities to hit higher speeds. Even with the same format, these actions are highly sensitive to game flow, tactics, and player decision-making.
Practical meaning: use high-speed running and accel/decel data as context-rich training information, but be cautious about using them as primary testing outcomes unless you’ve controlled the format extremely tightly.
3) SSG running performance related to Yo-YoIR1 performance (from small to very large associations).
The researchers observed meaningful associations between the running output in the 5v5 and Yo-YoIR1 running performance. In plain terms: players who tended to perform better in the Yo-YoIR1 often showed stronger running outputs in the standardised SSG.
Practical meaning: a well-designed, standardised 5v5 can act as a soccer-specific “fitness indicator”, and may help you reduce reliance on non-soccer testing alone.
4) The heart-rate relationship was negative in places, which is actually useful.
They also reported negative associations between physiological output during the SSG (e.g., HR) and Yo-YoIR1 performance. That sounds odd until you think like a coach: fitter players can often produce the same (or more) work at a lower relative physiological cost. In some settings, a player covering good distance with a comparatively lower HR response can be a sign of improved aerobic efficiency.
Practical meaning: HR isn’t just about “working hard.” Over time, a lower HR response for the same SSG output may indicate improving fitness (assuming fatigue, heat, stress, and recovery are considered).
What this means for your coaching practice
SSGs can be more than “conditioning by accident”
This study supports what many coaches already suspect: SSGs can be structured as both a training tool and a monitoring tool, especially when the goal is intermittent, football-specific fitness. If your SSG setup is consistent, you can track outputs over weeks and spot trends without pulling players into isolated running tests as often.
That doesn’t mean you should throw out formal testing. It means you can build a smarter system:
Use the Yo-YoIR1 periodically (e.g., key points in pre-season and mid-season).
Use a standardised 5v5 as a frequent “fitness pulse check” inside normal training.
Why SSGs are still a key element of training (even beyond testing)
Even if you never use SSGs as a test, they remain one of the most time-efficient ways to develop players because they combine:
repeated high-intensity actions (accelerate, decelerate, change direction)
aerobic and anaerobic demands
decision-making under pressure
technical execution while fatigued
tactical principles (pressing, covering, switching play, exploiting overloads)
In other words, SSGs don’t just build “fitness.” They build match fitness, because the constraints create the exact type of fatigue players must manage in games.
How to use a 5v5 as a monitoring tool (without turning training into a lab)
If you want a 5v5 to supplement fitness testing, the biggest coaching challenge is standardisation. Repeatability is what gives the data meaning.
Here’s what to lock down:
Same pitch dimensions every time (this heavily influences intensity).
Same work-to-rest structure (same bout length, same rest time, same number of bouts).
Same rules/constraints (touch limits, scoring conditions, neutral players or not).
Same encouragement/coaching style (too much stoppage kills intensity).
Similar player availability/roles (large changes in player mix can change game flow).
Same data definitions (especially for high-speed thresholds and accel/decel settings).
Then focus your monitoring on what the study suggests is most robust:
Total distance as a consistent external marker.
Heart rate as an internal response marker.
Treat high-speed and accel/decel as secondary/context metrics (still important for load management, but less stable for “testing”).
A sensible takeaway for elite and non-elite settings
This research was done with elite professionals, but the message transfers well: SSGs can give you a credible, football-specific fitness read, provided you control the format and interpret the data with context.
For teams that can’t run full testing batteries often (time constraints, facilities, player buy-in), a standardised 5v5 monitoring game can be a practical solution that players actually enjoy—and it keeps your “testing” inside the game.
Bottom line
This study supports the idea that a standardised 5v5 SSG protocol can meaningfully reflect intermittent aerobic fitness (as indicated by Yo-YoIR1 performance), with total distance and heart rate emerging as the most repeatable monitoring variables. Used well, SSGs don’t replace testing entirely—but they can supplement it, while continuing to deliver the tactical, technical, and psychological benefits that make them one of the most powerful tools in a coach’s weekly plan.
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