Anthropometric, fitness and coaches’ perceptions of
technical skill favour early maturing adolescent
Australian Footballers.
Ashley Cripps1, Luke Hopper1,2, Christopher Joyce1
1School
of Health Sciences, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA
2 Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, WA
Introduction
Adolescent sports are typically age stratified by one or two years in
an attempt to ensure competition equity and player safety.
However, despite age stratification large differences in biological
maturity still exist. Adolescent athletes of advance maturity are at a
significant performance advantage with clear links evident between
maturity, physical testing and match performance. However,
football is a multi-factorial sport where technical skill efficiency is
also critical to individual and team success. The impact that
maturational variation has on technical and perceived skill
efficiency in adolescent Footballers is yet to be explored.
Aims
To determine how maturational in Australian Footballers
impacts on:
1. Anthropometric and physical testing
2. Technical skill efficiency
3. Coaches’ perceptions of skill efficiency
Methods
Participants recruited from Western Australian Football league
(n=225, age 15.64 ± 0.29 years). Participants completed
anthropometric, physical, and technical skill tests. Physical testing
included; standing and running vertical jumps, 20m sprints and the
Multi-Stage Fitness Test. The technical skills assessed were kicking
and handball efficiency, using the Australian Football Leagues kicking
and handball tests. Senior coaches for each team (n=7) were
recruited to provide subjective ratings of athletes technical skills.
Maturation groups were derived from estimations of years from peak
height velocity, with participants classified as either late, average or
early maturing. Between group analysis of variance was used to test
differences between the maturational groups and independent
variables measured.
Australian Football Leagues kicking and handball tests.
Anthropometric, physiological and skills outcomes for late, average
and early maturational groups (mean ± standard deviation).
Maturational Status
Late
Average
Early
Cohen’s d
Height (m)
1.70 ± 0.05
1.76 ± 5.25 a
1.84 ± .05a,b
2.67
Weight (kg)
60.03 ± 6.29
67.56 ± 6.26 a 76.16 ± 6.69 a,b
2.49
SVJ (m)
0.48 ± 0.07
0.52 ± 0.06 a
0.54 ± 0.11 a
0.76
RVJ Left (m)
0.58 ± 0.08
0.61 ± 0.10 a
0.65 ± 0.08 a,b
0.94
RVJ Right (m)
0.54 ± 0.09
0.58 ± 0.09 a
0.62 ± 0.08 a,b
0.99
20m Sprint (sec)
3.24 ± 0.18
3.16 ± 0.11
3.11 ± 0.13 a,b
0.83
Shuttle Distance (m)
2177.22 ±
2100.81 ±
2080.00 ±
0.07
282.52
307.91
289.26
Kicking Test
16.48 ± 4.23
15.81 ± 4.43
17.56 ± 4.21
0.26
Handball Test
19.54 ± 6.84
20.17 ± 5.06
19.92 ± 5.45
0.06
Anthropometric
Physical
Technical Skill
a
significantly different (p<0.05) from Late; b significantly different (p<0.05) from Average.
Coaches' perceptions of skill for late, average and early maturational
groups (mean ± standard deviation).
Maturational Status
Late
Average
Early
Cohen’s d
Kicking
2.54 ± 0.51
2.73 ± 0.90
2.67 ± 0.84
0.19
Marking
2.33 ± 0.48
2.60 ± 0.75 a
3.10 ± 0.71a,b
1.27
Handball
2.54 ± 0.48
2.71 ± 0.80
2.93 ± 0.78
0.60
Clean Hands
2.63 ± 0.49
2.78 ± 0.81
3.13 ± 0.86
0.71
Ball Winning
2.63 ± 0.71
2.92 ± 0.89
3.17 ± 1.02
0.61
Overall Technical
12.66 ± 2.12
13.75 ± 3.55
15.00 ± 3.49 a
0.81
Rating
a
significantly different (p<0.05) from Late; b significantly different (p<0.05) from Average.
Summary
Kicking Test
Handball Test
Results
Biological maturity varying by up to 3.41 years between the
most and least mature athletes, despite chronological age only
differing by 0.43 years.
1. Early maturing footballers significantly taller, heavier and
physically developed
2. No concurrent advantage associated with technical skill efficiency
3. Coaches’ perceived early maturing footballers to have significantly
better overall technical skill and marking abilities
Acknowledgments
The University of Western Australia and the Western Australian Football
Commission for their support with this project.