COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL ACTIONS OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS AGED 8–15 YEARS IN 4×4 AND 8×8 GAME CONDITIONS

The study presented in the article focuses on examining the technical actions of football players aged 8–15 when using various game formats – 4×4 and 8×8. The relevance of the work is determined by the growing interest in simplified game formats as an effective means of increasing the intensity of the training process in youth football.
The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of simplified game forms on the performance indicators of competitive and training activities of young football players.
Research methods and organization. The study employed methods of analysis and synthesis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observation, pedagogical experiment, recording of quantitative indicators, and methods of mathematical statistics. Football players from three age groups – 8, 12, and 15 years old – participated in the research. In the main part of the training session, in addition to the traditional 8×8 game format, simplified match formats of 4×4 were also used as practice games.
Research results and conclusions. The conducted study showed that the use of simplified 4×4 game formats significantly enhances the intensity of game actions among football players across all examined age groups compared to the traditional 8×8 format. Thus, small-sided 4×4 games represent an effective pedagogical tool for optimizing technical training and intensifying the gameplay activity of young football players.

youth football, technical actions, training process, simplified game forms, young football players