| Summary: | This study aimed to investigate how different strategies of task constraint manipulation impact physical and tactical demands in small-sided and conditioned games (SSCG). Ten recreational U-17 soccer players participated in this study (16.89 ± 0.11 years). We used different strategies of task manipulation to design two 4 vs. 4 SSCG: Structural SSCG and Functional SSCG. In Structural SSCG, pitch format and goal sizes were manipulated, while in Functional SSCG, players were allowed to kick the ball twice and at least 5 passes to shoot at the opponent’s goal. Players participated in four Structural and Functional SSCG, of five minutes duration with a two-minute interval in between. Players’ physical performance and tactical behavior were assessed using the WIMU PRO<sup>TM</sup> inertial device. Structural SSCG stimulated players to cover more distance in sprinting (<i>p</i> = 0.003) and high-speed running (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Regarding tactical behavior, Structural SSCG stimulated players to explore game space better (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Moreover, Functional SSCG stimulated players to be closer to the ball, decreasing the effective playing space (<i>p</i> = 0.008). We conclude that these strategies of task constraint manipulation impact physical and tactical demands of the game.
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