Leg dominance and performance in change of directions tests in young soccer players
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
Nature
Date
2022-07-28Referencia bibliográfica
Clemente, F.M... [et al.]. Leg dominance and performance in change of directions tests in young soccer players. Sci Rep 12, 12900 (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17245-5]
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the influence of leg dominance on the change of direction (COD)
performance. In this study participated 94 healthy young highly trained male soccer players belonging
from two categories (n = 27 vs. n = 67; 14.81 ± 0.40 vs. 16.64 ± 1.25 years of age; 170.61 ± 5.61 vs.
173.73 ± 7.19 cm of height; 64.74 ± 8.44 vs. 66.70 ± 7.95 kg of weight, for U16 and U18, respectively).
Fitness assessments were performed two times in a period of three months, and included: (1)
anthropometry measures, (2) 30–15 IFT, (3) 10-m sprint test, (4) 505-COD test, 90° COD test and
cross-over hop test. A paired sample t-test was performed to evaluate the asymmetries at the
intragroup level in each of the COD’s tests. A symmetry index was used to analyse the asymmetries
between categories, and an independent sample t-test was used to compare the variability between
the two categories in each of the three tests performed. The effect size was also evaluated. Analysis
demonstrated that evidence a trend for a better performance with the preferred leg in the cross-over
hop and 505-COD tests, and with the non-dominant leg in the 90° COD. However, in the intragroup
analysis, only the 505-COD test registered differences, and no differences were notice din the
intergroup comparison. Only in the 505-COD test the percentage of variability (CV) was statistically
significant (7.03 ± 4.18% vs. 4.03 ± 2.02% from U16 and U18, respectively). In sum, bilateral differences
were noticed in the intragroup comparison, although only in 505-COD test the leg dominance
showed to influence performance. In the intergroup analysis any difference was noticed between age
categories.