Game-Play Characteristics by Field Size in Girls’ Youth Lacrosse

Abstract

To facilitate player development, the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model (LADM) recommends the use of small-sided games (SG) and fewer players on the field. Yet, no studies have evaluated if SG change game-play in girls’ youth lacrosse (GYL). PURPOSE: To describe game-play characteristics during SG and full-field games (FG) in GYL. METHODS: Female athletes (N=28, 8.5±0.5 years, 132.4±3.6 cm, 31.4±1.7 kg) participated on either a small-sided (SG, n=13) or a full-field (FG, n=15) 10U level team within a single GYL league in Virginia. Both SG and FG teams participated in 6 games during the season. All games were filmed using a digital camera affixed to a camera lift system. Game-play characteristics were measured by reviewing game video and coding the frequency of observed activities (e.g. successful passes, changes of possession, intercepted passes, shots on goal, and loose balls). Descriptive statistics (Frequency, Mean) for game-play characteristics were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 137 athlete-exposures (AE) occurred across 12 games (SG=59AE, FG=78AE). Total characteristics for the season were: unsuccessful passes (SG=476, FG=378), successful passes (SG=59, FG=110), shots on goal (SG=183, FG=189), goalie saves (SG=58, FG=79), changes of possession (SG=333, FG=281), loose balls (SG=625, FG=575), and intercepted passes (SG=17, FG=10). Average characteristics per game were: unsuccessful passes (SG=79.3, FG=63.0), successful passes (SG=9.83, FG=18.3), shots on goal (SG=30.5, FG=31.5), goalie saves (SG=9.7, FG=13.2), changes of possession (SG=55.5, FG=46.8), loose balls (SG=104.2, FG=95.8), and intercepted passes (SG=2.8, FG=1.7). Further, the FG team had a larger proportion of successful passes (23%) than the SG team (11%). However, the SG team had a larger proportion of successful shots on goal (63%) than the FG team (54%). CONCLUSION: A greater proportion of successful passes were observed in FG than SG with comparable attempts and slightly fewer intercepted passes per game. Further, SG was observed to have a greater proportion of successful shots on goal despite FG having slightly more attempted shots on goal and more goalie saves. Additional research is needed to better understand how all aspects of LADM guidelines affect player development and skill acquisition in GYL.