Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Associations between Age, Body Composition, Balance, and Other Physical Fitness Parameters in Youth Soccer

Published inSustainability, vol. 14, no. 20, 13379
Publication date2022-10-17
First online date2022-10-17
Abstract

In sports, balance ability has been related to game performance and injury prevention. This study’s aims were twofold: (1) to analyze the balance performance of adolescent soccer players from different age groups; and (2) to examine the relationship between players’ age, body composition, balance, and other physical fitness parameters, such as strength and flexibility. In this study, 112 players from the under 15 (U15), under 16 (U16), and under 17 (U17) age groups participated. A one-way analysis of the variance was conducted to investigate differences between groups. Pearson correlations and hierarchical multiple regression were used to explore the relationship between variables. Regarding balance, the older group performed significantly worse in the stability indexes for both legs but significantly better in dynamic balance tests. Height correlated significantly and negatively with balance indicators. Both jumping tasks showed medium to large correlations with the sway indexes (−0.23 > r < −0.51). Although not significantly, body fat negatively affected balance, underlining the importance of monitoring body composition for players’ development. Overall, no substantial relationship was found between static and dynamic balance variables, and therefore, it is crucial to include both as complementary measures while evaluating youngsters’ postural balance.

Research groups
Funding
Citation (ISO format)
FRANÇA, Cíntia et al. Associations between Age, Body Composition, Balance, and Other Physical Fitness Parameters in Youth Soccer. In: Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, n° 20, p. 13379. doi: 10.3390/su142013379
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Journal ISSN2071-1050
90views
49downloads

Technical informations

Creation11/21/2022 10:19:00 AM
First validation11/21/2022 10:19:00 AM
Update time03/16/2023 9:07:05 AM
Status update03/16/2023 9:07:03 AM
Last indexation11/01/2024 3:35:32 AM
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack