Bone age and height prediction of young Brazilian goalkeepers

Abstract

Backgroud: Football clubs select young people to begin their training as athletes. At this stage of life (childhood and adolescence) occurs the biological maturational process that can cause influences on the soccer performance of young athletes. In addition to this fact, a specificity of each position within the field is related as anthropometric and physiological characteristics of each individual, where goalkeepers are rarely included. Objectives:The goal of this study was to analyze the relation between the skeletal maturation and the chronological age, besides to find out the power of vertical jump in goalkeepers in different youth age divisions in an elite soccer organization. Methods: 31 young goalkeepers made Counter Movement Jump free arms and were evaluated through the App MY JUMP to generate data about vertical jumping. Bone maturation was estimated through the result obtained in a hand and fist teleradiography exam using the Greulich and Pyle protocol and the predicted height was estimated through the Bone Expert protocol.