The Influence Of Small-Sided Games On Physical Fitness And Teamwork Skills In Football Learning Among University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29284/byvb8j30Keywords:
Small-Sided Games, physical fitness, teamwork skills, football learning, physical education.Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effect of Small-Sided Games (SSG) on students’ physical fitness and teamwork skills in university football learning. Specifically, the research sought to (1) determine the influence of SSG on physical fitness, (2) analyze its effect on teamwork skills, and (3) identify the correlation between physical fitness and teamwork skills after SSG implementation. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest control groups involving 60 university students from the Department of Physical Education. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 30), which received SSG-based instruction, and a control group (n = 30), which followed traditional football teaching methods over eight weeks. Data were collected using physical fitness tests and teamwork skill questionnaires, analyzed through descriptive statistics, paired-sample and independent-sample t-tests, and Pearson correlation tests. The results indicated that students in the SSG group showed a significant improvement in physical fitness (gain = 16.6%, t = 9.45, p < 0.001) compared to the control group (gain = 6.1%, t = 2.01, p = 0.07). Teamwork skills also increased significantly in the experimental group (t = 6.72, p < 0.001), characterized by higher communication, cooperation, and role awareness during gameplay. Moreover, a moderate positive correlation was found between physical fitness and teamwork skills (r = 0.56, p < 0.01), suggesting that improvements in physical fitness were accompanied by enhanced social cooperation and collective engagement. These findings demonstrate that Small-Sided Games serve as an effective pedagogical strategy that promotes both physical and social learning outcomes in football instruction. The study concludes that SSG-based learning supports a more holistic approach to physical education, integrating physical conditioning, cognitive engagement, and teamwork development among university students.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
