Small-sided-games with coaches' verbal encouragement have a positive effect on aerobic performance, mood state, satisfaction and subjective effort in male semi-professional soccer players

The study aimed to examine the impact of high-intensity Small-Sided Games (SSGs) with coaches’ verbal encouragement (VE) on soccer players’ aerobic performance, mood state, satisfaction and subjective effort. Forty-three semi-professional male soccer players were randomly assigned to three distinct groups: a control group (CG, n = 14), an experimental group with verbal encouragement (EGVE, n = 14), and an experimental group without verbal encouragement (EGNE, n = 15). Participants performed the VAMEVAL aerobic test, Total-Mood-Disorder (TMD), and the Satisfaction Scale for Athletes (SSA) tests before and following the 6-week SGGs program that included ten training sessions. Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) was collected 5-minutes post-training session. The SGGs program with coaches’ VE showed a significant improvement in maximal aerobic velocity (MAV) and TMD scores (p < 0.05). Except for the SSA scores (p = 0.268), the percentage of change was higher for MAV (p = 0.001; d: 1.36–1.48 (large)) and TMD scores (p = 0.001; d: 1.45–1.48 (large)) in the EGVE group when compared with the other groups (i.e., EGNE and CG). Overall, RPE scores were significantly higher (p ˂ 0.05; d: 0.99–5.00 (large)) in the EGVE group than other groups. The present study highlights the positive effects of integrating SSGs with coaches VE to improve aerobic performance and mental well-being of semi-professional soccer players. Nevertheless, notably the SSA did not exhibit a statistically significant difference. Furthermore, the experimental EGVE group reported elevated RPE, potentially suggesting that SSGs may entail greater physical and mental challenges, yet may yield more sport-specific outcomes for soccer players.