Every youth coach runs small-sided games. They’re the bread and butter of a training session; Kids love them, parents see “real hockey,” and you get to stand on the sideline with a whistle feeling like you’ve nailed it. But here’s the thing: most SSGs are just organised chaos with bibs. They keep kids busy. They tick the “game-based” box. But come Saturday, nothing transfers.
Let’s talk about about fixing that. It’s about designing small-sided games with intention! So that what happens in your 4v3 on Wednesday actually shows up in your 8-a-side on the weekend.
We’ll look at what separates a transferable SSG from one that’s just fun, the design variables you can manipulate, and because nobody ever talks about this, when you should not use an SSG at all. Plus two fully worked training examples you can steal and adapt.
Let’s get into it…
TL;DR
Small-sided games only transfer to match day if they’re designed with clear coaching intentions. The magic isn’t in the game itself — it’s in the constraints you set: space, numbers, rules, scoring conditions, and the behaviours those constraints provoke. A well-designed SSG forces players to solve the same problems they’ll face on Saturday. A poorly designed one just makes everyone sweaty. This article walks through the design principles, gives you two ready-to-use examples, and explains when SSGs aren’t the right tool.
This article draws on insights from these coaching voices on The Hockey Site:
Lisa Letchford — Basic Skills through Small Sided Games
Andreu Enrich — Small Sided Games
Tin Matkovic — The Evolution of Creativity & Balancing Skill Gaps
Fede Tanuscio — From Game to Training
What Makes an SSG Transferable (vs Just Fun)
Let’s get real for a second. We’ve all run a 4v4 where kids are smiling, moving, scoring goals — and we think that was a great session. And maybe it was… for fitness and fun. But did it actually teach anything?
Andreu Enrich puts it bluntly: if the game doesn’t force players to solve problems that look like the real game, you’re just running a kickabout with cones. His ecological approach to learning says that players develop by interacting with an environment that demands specific responses. Not by being told what to do — by being placed in situations where the right decision is the only one that works.
So what does “transferable” actually mean? It means the SSG recreates the decision-making context of the match. Not just the physical space, not just the technical demand, but the cognitive load. The moments where a player has to read, decide, and act under pressure.
Here’s a quick test for any SSG you’re running: Can you name the specific game behaviour this SSG is designed to improve? If the answer is “general play” or “getting touches on the ball,” you don’t have a coaching intention. You have a warm-up.
