Abstract

Small-sided soccer games (SSSG) are a playful, social, and fun activity that can promote the effectiveness of health promotion programs. Identifying the characteristics that can promote psychophysiological demands is necessary to optimize the efficacy. This study aimed to (i) compare heart rate (HR) response, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and enjoyment during continuous and fractioned SSSG (C-SSSG and F-SSSG, respectively) and (ii) determine the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on the response to different SSSG regimens. Twelve untrained adolescents (11–13 years) participated in two C-SSSG (16 min) and two F-SSSG (4 × 4 min and 2 min rest). All other game characteristics were equal (3v3, 18 × 9 m pitch). HR, RPE, and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) were used to measure game intensity and perceived enjoyment. A two-way ANOVA was used to determine the effect of game regimen and CRF on HR response, RPE, and PACES, adjusting for differences in somatic maturation. Results showed that both SSSG regimes elicited vigorous-intensity exercise (?88–90% HRmax), a high percentage of time in vigorous to severe intensity zones (> 77%, HRmax), moderate RPE (?5), and high enjoyment (score ?74 out of 80). Nevertheless, no differences existed between C-SSSG and F-SSSG (p > 0.05). There were also no significant differences in HR, RPE, or perceived enjoyment (p > 0.05) according to CRF. There was, however, a tendency for participants with low CRF to display a higher HR response. In conclusion, C-SSSG and F-SSSG can be used as high-intensity exercises to generate a high perception of enjoyment in untrained children. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., part of Springer Nature 2025.