The Association between Multidirectional Speed Performance, Dynamic Balance and Chronological Age in Young Soccer Players

Abstract

The ability to maintain a stable single-leg balance stance during a fast change of direction movement is a fundamental aspect both for improving sport-specific skills and for prevention strategies. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the associations between multidirectional speed performance (MDS), dynamic balance performance (DBP), and chronological age in young and uninjured soccer players. In addition, it was examined whether chronological age and balance can predict variance in speed performance. One-hundred forty-six young male soccer players (age range 11–19) performed the y-balance test (YBT) and the lower extremity functional test (LEFT). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis were executed. The analyses were carried out on the further variables: for the DBP, the YBT composite score % (CS dominant leg/CS non-dominant leg) and limb symmetry index % (LSI) were used; for the MDS, the LEFT time in seconds (s) was used. Findings revealed LEFT scores to have a significant association with chronological age (p = 0.000), CS dominant (p = 0.019) and LSI (p = 0.044) of the YBT. In addition, CS dominant and chronological age explained the variance of the LEFT by 44%, regardless of LSI. To conclude, MDS revealed a strong association with DBP of the dominant side but a small association with LSI. In addition, a small association was found between quick LEFT times and older players. Finally, MDS variance can be predicted from DBP of the dominant side and chronological age in young soccer players. The tests used in this study could be useful screening tools for the detection of performance deficits, the implementation of prevention training programs, and the optimization of selection strategies in soccer academies.

Sport-specific training induced adaptations in postural control and their relationship with athletic performance

“…(k) soccer (Davlin, 2004;Bressel et al, 2007;Gerbino et al, 2007;Matsuda et al, 2008;Thorpe and Ebersole, 2008;Ben Moussa et al, 2012;Pau et al, 2015Pau et al, , 2018Edis et al, 2016Edis et al, , 2017Ozmen, 2016;Thalassinos et al, 2018;Jadczak et al, 2019a,b;Liang et al, 2019;Halabchi et al, 2020;Snyder and Cinelli, 2020;Zago et al, 2020;Glass and Ross, 2021;Śliwowski et al, 2021;González-Fernández et al, 2022;Scinicarelli et al, 2022); (l) tennis (Caballero et al, 2021;Glass and Ross, 2021;Kozinc and Šarabon, 2021); (m) volleyball (Agostini et al, 2013;Borzucka et al, 2020a,b;Makaracı et al, 2021); (n) judo (Paillard et al, 2002(Paillard et al, , 2007bPerrin et al, 2002); (o) alpine skiing (Noé and Paillard, 2005;Kiers et al, 2022), cross country skiing (Glass and Ross, 2021), and snowboarding (Platzer et al, 2009a,b); (p) surfing (Chapman et al, 2008;Paillard et al, 2011), canoeing and kayaking (Stambolieva et al, 2012), and paddle boarding (Schram et al, 2016); (r) swimming (Davlin, 2004;Matsuda et al, 2008); (s) others, such as track and field…”

“…soccer ( Davlin, 2004 ; Paillard and Noé, 2006 ; Paillard et al, 2006 ; Bressel et al, 2007 ; Gerbino et al, 2007 ; Matsuda et al, 2008 ; Thorpe and Ebersole, 2008 ; Ben Moussa et al, 2012 ; Pau et al, 2015 , 2018 ; Edis et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Ozmen, 2016 ; Thalassinos et al, 2018 ; Jadczak et al, 2019a , b ; Liang et al, 2019 ; Halabchi et al, 2020 ; Snyder and Cinelli, 2020 ; Zago et al, 2020 ; Glass and Ross, 2021 ; Śliwowski et al, 2021 ; González-Fernández et al, 2022 ; Scinicarelli et al, 2022 );…”

“…It seems that these parameters are most stable in developing soccer players ( Zago et al, 2020 ). Variance in multidirectional speed performance in young soccer players may be predicted from dynamic balance performance and chronological age ( Scinicarelli et al, 2022 ). There is a strong association of multidirectional speed performance with dynamic balance performance of the dominant side, whereas there is a small relationship with limb symmetry index ( Scinicarelli et al, 2022 ).…”

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