Age- and Maturity-Related Variations in Morphology, Body Composition, and Motor Fitness among Young Female Tennis Players

Mustafa Söğüt, Leonardo G.O. Luz, Ömer Barış Kaya, Kübra Altunsoy, Ali Ahmet Doğan, Sadettin Kirazci, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis, Thomas Rosemann and Beat Knechtle
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Mustafa Söğüt: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale 71000, Turkey
Leonardo G.O. Luz: LACAPS, Federal University of Alagoas, 57300-000 Arapiraca, Brazil
Ömer Barış Kaya: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale 71000, Turkey
Kübra Altunsoy: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale 71000, Turkey
Ali Ahmet Doğan: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale 71000, Turkey
Sadettin Kirazci: Department of Physical Education and Sports, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06010, Turkey
Filipe Manuel Clemente: Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, School of Sport and Leisure, 4960-320 Melgaço, Portugal
Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis: Exercise Physiology Laboratory, 18450 Nikaia, Greece
Thomas Rosemann: Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
Beat Knechtle: Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-9

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age and maturity on anthropometric and various fitness characteristics in young competitive female tennis players. Sixty-one players, aged 10.4–13.2 years (11.8 ± 0.8) were measured for standing and sitting heights, body mass, skinfolds, grip strength, and agility, and dichotomized into two age (U12 and U14) and maturity (earliest and latest) groups according to their chronological age and maturity status. The results revealed significant age effects for stature, sitting height, leg length, and hand grip in favor of the older players. Girls contrasting in maturation differed significantly for all anthropometric and physical performance variables except for body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), and hexagon agility test. The earliest maturing group showed significantly higher values for anthropometric measures and better results in the hand grip test than the latest maturing group. After controlling for chronological age, differences were revealed between contrasting maturity groups in stature, sitting height, BF%, and the hand grip test. The findings highlight the age- and maturity-related trends in body size and muscular strength among young female tennis players in the pubertal period. Nevertheless, the differences in the body composition and agility of the contrasting age and maturity groups were negligible.

Keywords: anthropometric measurements; biological maturation; fitness; tennis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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