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Speed agility trends in children according to growth
Matteo Giuriato1,2, Roberto Codella3,4, Nicola Lovecchio5
1Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy.
Insights
This study reveals that body shape and explosive strength significantly influence speed and agility (SA) in children aged 8-11. Late maturers tend to exhibit better SA performance, highlighting the importance of developmental factors in assessing physical fitness.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric exercise science
- Human movement studies
- Biomechanical analysis
Background:
- Speed agility (SA) is a key indicator of physical fitness and coordination in children.
- While SA has been widely studied, the impact of body dimensions and growth on performance remains underexplored.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for accurate physical fitness assessments in developing children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop allometric equations specifically for speed agility (SA) performance.
- To create predictive models for SA that account for biological maturity using age at peak height velocity (agePHV).
- To objectively assess SA performance while controlling for developmental variations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 7317 children aged 8-11 years, with 3627 girls.
- Employed multiplicative models incorporating allometric body-size components and agePHV.
- Evaluated SA performance using the 10x4m test and standing broad jump (SBJ) as a measure of explosive strength.
Main Results:
- All models indicated an ectomorphic body type dominance across participants.
- Explosive strength was found to significantly influence SA relative to height-to-weight ratio.
- A positive association between agePHV and SA performance suggested advantages for later-maturing children.
Conclusions:
- Predictive equations incorporating developmental factors like agePHV are essential for accurately evaluating children's SA.
- Late maturation may be linked to superior speed agility performance, emphasizing the role of biological timing.
- These findings underscore the importance of considering body morphology and maturity in childhood fitness assessments.
Background:
Speed agility is considered as the whole assessment of speed of movement, agility and coordination. The 10x4m test has been broadly used to evaluate physical fitness and overall health in children of developmental ages. A myriad of studies have investigated the ecology of speed agility (SA). However, body dimensions are rarely appraised, and this is a weakness because body shapes are affected by growth.
Aim:
This study aimed to model SA-specific allometric equations, and develop an approach objectively predictive for performance while controlling for maturity through age at peak height velocity (agePHV).
Subjects And Methods:
A total of 7317 (3627 girls) children aged 8-11 years were SA-tested. Multiplicative models with allometric body-size components, agePHV, and categorical differences, were implemented to evaluate SA performance.
Results:
Model 1 accounted for body-size and shape only, whereas Model 2 included agePHV and Model 3 considered standing broad jump (SBJ) as a surrogate marker for explosive strength. An ectomorphic dominance was revealed across all the models.
Conclusion:
The explosive strength resulted in influencing SA per height-to-weight ratio. Further, positive exponent of agePHV suggested that the late maturers were likely to show better SA performances. Predictive equations modelled on developmental factors are fundamental to scrutinise performances as valuable health and fitness outcomes in childhood.
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