Effect of floaters on female players’ technical and physical responses in 3v3 small-sided soccer games

<h4>Purpose:</h4> The purpose of this study was to analyse and compare the technical and physical responses of professional female soccer players with and without floaters during 3v3 small-sided games (SSGs). <h4>Methods:</h4> Twelve female soccer players (age: 24.08 ± 4.25 years; body mass: 62.08 ± 9.29 kg; body height: 1.62 ± 0.05 m) from a South African professional league played in 3v3 small-sided games. Players’ physical and technical metrics were captured using commercially available foot-mounted inertial measurement units (PlayerMaker™, Tel Aviv, Israel). <h4>Results:</h4> The results showed players covered greater total distances when floaters were present than when they were not (p < 0.001, d = 1.45, large effect). Furthermore, players in SSGs without floaters recorded significantly greater accelerations (p < 0.05, d = 0.80, large effect) and decelerations (p < 0.001, d = 1.01, large effect) than those in SSGs with floaters. <h4>Conclusions:</h4> The findings demonstrate that adding floaters during SSGs in female soccer offers an effective means to modulate physical demands on players, offering coaches and sport scientists a practical tool for tailoring training approaches to specific technical and physical objectives.