Sports teams as complex adaptive systems: manipulating player numbers shapes behaviours during football small-sided games.

Pedro Silva,Duarte Araújo,Luís Vilar,Júlio Garganta,Keith Davids

doi:10.1186/s40064-016-1813-5

Abstract

Small-sided and conditioned games (SSCGs) in sport have been modelled as complex adaptive systems. Research has shown that the relative space per player (RSP) formulated in SSCGs can impact on emergent tactical behaviours. In this study we adopted a systems orientation to analyse how different RSP values, obtained through manipulations of player numbers, influenced four measures of interpersonal coordination observed during performance in SSCGs. For this purpose we calculated positional data (GPS 15 Hz) from ten U-15 football players performing in three SSCGs varying in player numbers (3v3, 4v4 and 5v5). Key measures of SSCG system behaviours included values of (1) players’ dispersion, (2) teams’ separateness, (3) coupling strength and time delays between participants’ emerging movements, respectively. Results showed that values of participants’ dispersion increased, but the teams’ separateness remained identical across treatments. Coupling strength and time delay also showed consistent values across SSCGs. These results exemplified how complex adaptive systems, like football teams, can harness inherent degeneracy to maintain similar team spatial–temporal relations with opponents through changes in inter-individual coordination modes (i.e., players’ dispersion). The results imply that different team behaviours might emerge at different ratios of field dimension/player numbers. Therefore, sport pedagogists should carefully evaluate the effects of changing RSP in SSCGs as a way of promoting increased or decreased pressure on players.

Highlights

Team ball sports like association football are considered complex adaptive systems affording the emergence of rich patterns of behaviour from players in dynamically changing environments (Passos et al 2008b; Duarte et al 2013)
In this study we aimed to extend knowledge on how practice in small-sided and conditioned games (SSCGs) shapes emergent tactical behaviours by analysing the influence of different values of relative space per player (RSP) on the spatial–temporal characteristics of inter-team coordination
Regarding teams’ separateness, results showed that the average radius of opposition free for each player did not change across SSCGs

Summary

Introduction

Team ball sports like association football are considered complex adaptive systems affording the emergence of rich patterns of behaviour from players in dynamically changing environments (Passos et al 2008b; Duarte et al 2013). Emergent co-adaptive behaviours between individuals can be harnessed during SSCGs if players are provided with opportunities, through changing task constraints, to continuously adjust their actions relative to emerging behaviours of others (Vilar et al 2012) Such dynamic interpersonal interactions include players continuously (re) orienting themselves in relation to constantly changing positions, directions, angles of teammates and opponents, as well as locations of ball, field/court markings and target areas (goal, basket, try-line), during practice (Duarte et al 2012). These intertwined relations invite (collective) actions (Withagen et al 2012) that sustain team coordination under the constraints of dynamic performance environments like team sports (Silva et al 2013)

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Conclusion