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Change of direction asymmetry across different age categories in youth soccer

Background: In youth, the development of change of direction (COD) and sprint performance is a key component for successfully competing in soccer across age. During a COD, the presence of directional asymmetries may be detrimental due to the unpredictable nature of the sport. Therefore, the aims of the study were to investigate asymmetries in COD ability and to examine the differences in COD and sprint performance across age in young soccer players. Methods: Sixty-eight sub-elite soccer players of different age categories (U18, U17, U16, U15) were tested on a 10-m linear sprint test and 90°COD (5-m entry and exit) test in both directions. Asymmetric index (AI) of COD deficit was obtained for dominant (fastest) and non-dominant directions (slowest). Results: The results showed that U16 were more asymmetrical than U18, U17, and U15 from large to moderate effects. The sprint time improved linearly across age with U18 and U15 displaying the fastest and slowest 10-m sprint performance (p 0.05). Conclusion: Given the results of this study, practitioners are encouraged to assess asymmetries between dominant and non-dominant directions rather than solely players’ COD ability in young soccer players.

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Creator Rossi, Alessio, alessio.rossi2@gmail.com
Creator Trecroci, Athos
Creator Dos'Santos, Thomas
Creator Formenti, Damiano
Creator Cavaggioni, Luca
Creator Longo, Stefano
Creator Marcello Iaia, F
Creator Alberti, Giampietro
DOI 10.7717/peerj.9486
Group Health Studies
Publisher Peer J
Source Peer J July 27, 2020 PubMed 33194322
Thematic Cluster Human Mobility Analytics [HMA]
system:type JournalArticle
Management Info
Field Value
Author Wright Joanna
Maintainer Rossi Alessio
Version 1
Last Updated 11 September 2023, 19:58 (CEST)
Created 10 February 2021, 14:56 (CET)