Research Article: The Influence of Somatic Maturity on Anthropometrics and Body Composition in Youth Soccer Players
Abstract:
The primary aim of this investigation was to compare players’ anthropometric (AP) and body composition (BC) characteristics between distinct maturity bands (pre-PHV, circa-PHV, post-PHV) in youth elite soccer. This study considered 320 male soccer players (mean age 13.8 y). Participants were from U14 (n = 157) and U15 (n = 163) age categories. The Khamis–Roche method was applied to calculate the percentage of predicted adult height (PAH) at the time of assessment based on which the players were further divided into maturity bands (pre-PHV ? 87%, circa-PHV = 88–95%, post-PHV > 95%). The findings indicated that most of the players were in the circa-PHV stage at the time of investigation. Measurements included height and weight. The estimates of BC parameters were derived using bioelectrical impedance (BIA) analysis. These various AP and BC attributes displayed significant differences among the maturity bands (F = 139.344–7.925; p < 0.001; large effect sizes) except in body fat mass (BFM) (F = 2.998; p = 0.051; small effect size). The current somatic maturity stage of the athletes should be considered when evaluating BC results, otherwise there is a risk of misinterpretation.
Introduction:
Talent identification in youth soccer is becoming increasingly important for clubs and national associations [1]. Predicting a young player’s potential for future success at the elite-level is difficult due to its non-linearity and multi-factoriality [2]. Finding, recruiting, and nurturing talent which will be retained in the system is a global challenge [3]. The data suggests that the recurrent process of selection and deselection of youth soccer players during childhood and adolescence is responsible for the…
Read more