Copyright © 2018 Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7 (2.15) (2018) 158-160 International Journal of Engineering & Technology Website: www.sciencepubco.com/index.php/IJET Research Paper Exploring Effective Training Methods to Improve Football Performance: Effects of Small Sided Games on Cardiovascular Endurance Zulakbal Abd Karim 1 *, Muhammad Arif Hanis Abd Ghani 1 , Ali Md Nadzalan 1 1 Faculty of Sports Science and Coaching, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia *Corresponding author E-mail: zulakbal@fsskj.upsi.edu.my Abstract This study is aimed to examine the effects of small-sided game training on the cardiovascular endurance among football players. A total of 30 university football players were involved in this study. Participants involved in six weeks of small sided games training and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 test was conducted pre- and post-training intervention. Descriptive statistics, paired and independent t-test were conducted in data analysis. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the training group and the control group in cardiovascular endurance levels at post-intervention test. In conclusion, a small sided game training is a valuable training meth- od to be implemented in enhancing physical abilities among football players. Keywords: Cardiovascular Endurance, Football Players, University, Small-Sided Game Training, Specificity 1. Introduction Cardiovascular endurance is one of the most important component of physical fitness in many sports including football (1-4). As a way to improve cardiovascular endurance, many training methods could be applied (5, 6). One of the principles of training is specificity. Principles of speci- ficity imply that, to become better at a particular exercise or skill, one should perform that exercise or skill (7). For example, a run- ner should run to improve running performance. A badminton player should include lunge training in his training because he had to do many lunge movements during the game (8, 9). In football, small sided training has been increasingly popular to be included as a training method to improve game specific skills besides is also trusted can improve cardiovascular endurance (10). Research has shown that training intensity achieved through small game training is similar or higher than generic fitness training (11- 13). For example, Impellizzeri et al. (13) reported that there was no significant difference between the physiological variables value such as maximum heart rate and percentage of VO2max during specific small-sided game training compared to interval training among young football players. Training with high intensity has been shown to increase physical abilities (14, 15). As small sided games training had been shown to induce intensity that is high enough to be considered high inten- sity, it is the aim of this study to determine the effects of small- sided games training on one of the most important fitness compo- nents among football players that is the cardiovascular endurance. Findings of this study will give the information whether the small sided game can be a valuable method to be implemented during training session. 2. Methodology 2.1 Participants Thirty university football players involved in this study. Partici- pants were divided into two groups (training groups, n = 15 and control group, n = 15). Participants were free from injury to be included in this study. 2.2 Training and testing Training groups were assigned to 3-to-3 small side game training for six weeks. Training was conducted for three times a week with approximately 20 minutes per session with intensity of 40% to 80%. Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 test was conducted pre- and post- training intervention. The Yo-Yo Intermittent Re- covery Test Level 1 test was developed to measure an athlete’s ability to repeatedly perform high-intensity aerobic work. The participants in this test have a short 10 seconds active break after each 40m (2 x 20 m runs), with the speed increasing at intervals. The level that the participant stooped will be taken as the score and converted to the distance covered in metre (m). Trained in- structors were appointed to guide and calculate the levels achieved by the participants during the test.