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. 2023 Feb 21:14:1092874.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1092874. eCollection 2023.

The influence of age and sex on speed-strength performance in children between 10 and 14 years of age

Konstantin Warneke  1 , Carl Maximilian Wagner  2 , Andreas Konrad  3 , Björn Kadlubowski  2 , Andre Sander  2 , Klaus Wirth  4 , Michael Keiner  2
Affiliations

The influence of age and sex on speed-strength performance in children between 10 and 14 years of age

Konstantin Warneke et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Speed-strength performance is important during human movements such as jumping, sprinting, and change of direction (COD) tasks, which are a substantial part of sports practice. Sex and age seem to influence performance output in young persons; however, few studies have focused on the influence of sex and age measured via standard protocols of performance diagnostics. Method: Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of age and sex on linear sprint (LS), COD sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ) height, squat-jump (SJ) height, and drop-jump (DJ) height performance in untrained children and adolescents via a cross-sectional analysis. This study comprised 141 untrained male and female participants 10-14 years of age. Results: The results showed the influence of age in male participants on speed-strength performance, while in female participants, age did not significantly influence performance parameters. Moderate to high correlations between sprint and jump performance (r = 0.69-0.72), sprint and COD sprint performance (r = 0.58-0.72), and jump and COD sprint performance (r = 0.56-0.58) were found. Discussion: Based on the data from this study, it appears that the growth phase of age 10-14 does not necessarily lead to improvements in athletic performance. To ensure holistic motor development, female subjects in particular should be provided with specific training interventions with a focus on strength and power.

Keywords: change of direction; children; countermovement jump; squat jump; triangle test.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Illustration of the test procedure for the triangle test.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Box plots for jump height in SJ and CMJ dependent on age and sex; blue color represents males, and pink color represents females.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Box plots for jump height in LS10m and CODL10 dependent on age and sex; blue color represents males, and pink color represents females.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Correlation coefficients between linear sprint (10 m) and CMJ height, and COD sprint and CMJ height considering age and sex.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Correlation coefficients between COD right-turn sprint and linear sprint (10 m) and COD left-turn sprint and linear sprint (10 m) considering age and sex.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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