The effect of altered game formats on team performances during soccer practice can be harnessed by coaches to stimulate specific tactical behaviours. The aim of the present study was to analyse the influence of using (i) small goals [SG], (ii) goalkeepers [7G] and (iii) floaters [7GF] on the dispersion, shape and available space of teams during small-sided games (SSGs). Twenty-four male soccer players were distributed into four teams composed of five players, two goalkeepers and two floaters that performed six SSG bouts of 6 min, interspersed with 6 min of passive recovery. Offensive and defensive phases were also analysed separately in order to verify the preservation of basic principles of attacking (teams more stretched to create free space) and defending (teams more compact to tie-up space) during SSGs. The variables used to characterize the collective behaviour were: length [L], width [W], team shape [Sh], and team separateness [TS]. Results revealed that the teams showed different collective behaviours depending on SSG format and a playing phase: a) L and W were higher in attack than in defence in all SSGs; b) team shapes were more elongated in defence in all SSGs except SG; c) the space separating players from their closest opponents (TS) was shorter in 7G; and d) SG and 7GF elicited greater defensive openness due to increased team width. The results suggest that manipulating task constraints, such as goal size, presence or absence of goalkeepers and floaters can be harnessed by coaches to shape distinct team tactical behaviours in SSGs while preserving the basic principles of attacking and defending.

The aim of the present study is to analyse the influence of different large-sided games (LSGs) on the physical and physiological variables in under-12s (U12) and -13s (U13) soccer players. The effects of the combination of different number of players per team, 7, 9, and 11 (P7, P9, and P11, respectively) with three relative pitch areas, 100, 200, and 300 m² (A100, A200, and A300, respectively), were analysed in this study. The variables analysed were: 1) global indicator such as total distance (TD); work:rest ratio (W:R); player-load (PL) and maximal speed (V_max); 2) heart rate (HR) mean and time spent in different intensity zones of HR (90%), and; 3) five absolute (16 Km h^-1) and three relative speed categories (60% V_max). The results support the theory that a change in format (player number and pitch dimensions) affects no similarly in the two players categories. Although it can seem that U13 players are more demanded in this kind of LSG, when the work load is assessed from a relative point of view, great pitch dimensions and/or high number of player per team are involved in the training task to the U12 players. The results of this study could alert to the coaches to avoid some types of LSGs for the U12 players such as: P11 played in A100, A200 or A300, P9 played in A200 or A300 and P7 played in A300 due to that U13>U12 in several physical and physiological variables (W:R, time spent in 84–90%HR_max, distance in 8–13 and 13–16 Km h^-1 and time spent in 40–60%V_max). These results may help youth soccer coaches to plan the progressive introduction of LSGs so that task demands are adapted to the physiological and physical development of participants.

The aim of this study was to compare the physical profile between clay and hard court in match-play for high-level young tennis players using GPS technology. 4 female and 10 male high-level young Spanish tennis players (under 12 years n=28 and under 14 years n=28 records) took part in the study (age 12.9 ±1.3 years). Eleven portable GPS devices (MinimaxXv.4.0, Catapult Innovations) operating at a sampling frequency of 10 Hz were used to collect data. Physical demands were assessed over 42 tennis matches, with individual players being tracked in 2 matches on hard and 2 matches on clay court (4 matches by player) totalling 56 individual recordings on two surfaces: CLAY court (n=28) and HARD court (n=28). The results showed significant differences between surfaces (HARD>CLAY) in acceleration distance covered (DCAm) HARD= 42.4±5.7 vs. CLAY= 31.6±8.9 in m·min^-1; F_{(3, 56)}= 20.6; p= < 0.001; η² p= 0.30; ES=0.59), average speed (HARD= 3.2±0.4 vs. CLAY= 2.8±0.6 in m·s^-1; F_{(3, 56)}= 3.7; p= 0.061; η² p =0.07; ES=0.48) and maximum speed (HARD= 4.6±0.6 vs. CLAY= 4.0±0.7 in m·s^-1; F_{(3, 56)}= 5.9; p= 0.019; η² p= 0.11; ES=0.60). The main conclusion of this study was the hard court games were characterized by high intensity efforts. Tennis players who played matches on hard court covered a greater distance accelerating, with more pacing and higher speeds. The data suggests that coaches should adapt the training strategy to the type of surface on which the players will play their next tournament, in order to improve performance and/or propose protocols to prevent injuries.

In capitalist societies, where discipline and control are dominant concepts, prisons are a warning tool about the consequences of non-conformity. In this context, prisoners are exposed to a type of power that is used as a corrective technique to transform them into docile and useful citizens. However, such power is not static and inmates can create various strategies of resistance. The aim of this research is to understand how physical activity and sport are used by incarcerated women to confront social control in Spanish prisons. Based on 16 interviews with former female inmates, we found that engaging in physical activity and sports helped participants to cope with their sentences. These activities were also used as tools to confront and negotiate the patriarchal punitive power often found in prisons, meaning that participants were not put down by it. Participants’ abilities to minimally destabilise the prison’s order also empowered them to regain some autonomy and identity. Through participating in physical activity and sports, incarcerated women created spaces of freedom and frictions within a limiting prohibitive prison environment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in physical education students’ perception on an educational innovation based on formative and peer assessment through the blogosphere. The sample was made up of 253 students from two Spanish universities. Data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire and t tests were employed in order to find differences among students’ groups. Results show significant differences in almost all of the items on which the students were questioned. Basque students were more satisfied with the assessment tool used than the Valencian students. Students found the blogosphere more active, meaningful, functional and motivating and that it made for collaborative learning in comparison to other traditional evaluation methods. They also showed disapproval related to the demands on attendance, continuity and the greater effort required. For future occasions, negotiation about assessment criteria with the students should be implemented right at the very start of the course.

Our aim doing this systematic review was to identify and analyze studies about women prison inmates' engagement in sport and physical activities (SPAs). The review was conducted in three areas – SPAs, prison and women – and based on information obtained from different databases. Through a selection process, we singled out 33 empirical and review studies, the quality of which was analyzed. From our analysis, we learn that the benefits women prison inmates derive from SPAs are considerable, although they also reveal that obstacles exist to be overcome if their levels of participation are to rise.