Effect of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage on Bowling-Specific Motor Skills in Male Adolescent Cricketers

The current study examined the acute effects of a bout of resistance training on cricket bowling-specific motor performance. Eight sub-elite, resistance-untrained, adolescent male fast bowlers (age 15 ± 1.7 years; height 1.8 ± 0.1 m; weight 67.9 ± 7.9 kg) completed a bout of upper and lower body resistance exercises. Indirect markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase [CK] and delayed onset of muscle soreness [DOMS]), anaerobic performance (15-m sprint and vertical jump), and cricket-specific motor performance (ball speed, run-up time, and accuracy) were measured prior to and 24 (T24) and 48 (T48) hours following the resistance training bout. The resistance training bout significantly increased CK (~350%; effect size [ES] = 1.89-2.24), DOMS (~240%; ES = 1.46-3.77) and 15-m sprint times (~4.0%; ES = 1.33-1.47), whilst significantly reducing vertical jump height (~7.0%; ES = 0.76-0.96) for up to 48 h. The ball speed (~3.0%; ES = 0.50-0.61) and bowling accuracy (~79%; ES = 0.39-0.70) were significantly reduced, whilst run-up time was significantly increased (~3.5%; ES = 0.36-0.50) for up to 24 h. These findings demonstrate that a bout of resistance training evokes exercise-induced muscle damage amongst sub-elite, adolescent male cricketers, which impairs anaerobic performance and bowling-specific motor performance measures. Cricket coaches should be cautious of incorporating bowling sessions within 24-h following a bout of resistance training for sub-elite adolescent fast bowlers, particularly for those commencing a resistance training program.