Preseason functional testing in young basketball players: asymmetries and intercorrelations

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the existence and degree of possible asymmetries of functional test performance and their intercorrelations in the lower extremities of young basketball players. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-seven healthy male basketball players (age: 15.52 ± 1.37 years) were examined for the symmetric function of their lower extremities using triple hop for distance tests in the sagittal and frontal plane (medial-lateral), the Y-balance test and a vertical jump test. [Results] Participants exhibited statistically significant side-to-side differences in only the medial triple hop test, as they jumped further on their non-dominant for stability lower limb. No other asymmetries were observed in the rest of the functional tests. Significant correlations were also indicated between the vertical jumptest and the three directions of the triple hop test for both lower limbs. [Conclusion] Our findings proved that young basketball players present a symmetrical picture of functional performance, as revealed by the evaluation of various functional tests. The only significant asymmetric adaptation observed in the medial triple hop test will have to be strengthened by future studies to be implemented in injury prevention programs.

Triple hop test ability performed by athletes in the regional athletic center during the competition period

“…Therefore, in this study, researchers attempted to observe the triple hop test's level of ability, which focused on strength and power. The triple hop test is considered and reported in the literature as a valid predictor for measuring lower limb strength and power (Bakaraki et al, 2021;Hamilton et al, 2008;Hoog et al, 2016).…”