Age-related differences in flexibility in soccer players 8-19 years old

Antonio Cejudo; Francisco Javier Robles-Palazón; Francisco Ayala; Mark De Ste Croix; Enrique Ortega-Toro; Fernando Santonja-Medina; Pilar Sainz de Baranda

doi:10.7717/peerj.6236

Age-related differences in flexibility in soccer players 8-19 years old

PeerJ. 2019 Jan 29:7:e6236. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6236. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Antonio Cejudo¹, Francisco Javier Robles-Palazón¹, Francisco Ayala², Mark De Ste Croix³, Enrique Ortega-Toro¹, Fernando Santonja-Medina⁴, Pilar Sainz de Baranda¹

Affiliations

¹ Department Physical Activity and Sport/Faculty of Sport Sciences/Campus of Excellence Mare Nostrum, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
² School of Physical Education, Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Care, University of Gloucestershire, Gloucester, United Kingdom.
³ School of Sport and Exercise, University of Gloucestershire, Gloucester, United Kingdom.
⁴ Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital/Faculty of Medicine/Campus of Excellence Mare Nostrum, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.

Abstract

Background: Muscle flexibility is a main component of health-related fitness and one of the basic components of fitness for the performance in some sports. Sport and health professionals require the flexibility profile of soccer to define quantitative aims in the training of flexibility. The aim of this study was to identify age-related differences in lower extremity flexibility in youth soccer players.

Methods: Seventy-two young male soccer players (age: 13.0 ± 3.1 y; body mass: 50.5 ± 15.3 kg; stature 158.2 ± 16.8 cm; BMI: 19.6 ± 2.6 kg/m²) completed this study. Measures of eleven passive hip (hip extension (HE), hip adduction with hip flexed 90°(HAD-HF90°), hip flexion with knee flexed (HF-KF) and extended (HF-KE), hip abduction with hip neutral (HAB) and hip flexed 90°(HAB-HF90°), hip external (HER) and internal (HIR) rotation), knee (knee flexion (KF)) and ankle dorsiflexion (ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexed (ADF-KF) and extended (ADF-KE)) ranges of motion (ROM) were taken. Descriptive statistics were calculated for hip, knee and ankle ROM measured separately by leg (dominant and non-dominant) and age-group (U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19). The data was analysed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine the interaction of 11 ROM in the different players' age-group.

Results: Generally, U10 and/or U12 soccer players obtain the highest mean value in almost all ROM evaluated (U10: HAD-HF [39.6° ± 4.3°], ADF-KE [32.3° ± 4.1°], HER [63.5° ± 5.6°] and HAB-HF90°[64.1° ± 7.5°]; U12: HE [17.7° ± 6.2°], HAB [35.6° ± 3.0], HIR [60.8° ± 4.7°] and KF [133.8° ± 7.1°]). Nonetheless, significant differences between the players' age-groups are just found in HAD-HF90°(p = .042; ES = .136), HAB (p = .001; ES = .252), HIR (p = .001; ES = .251), HER (p < .001; ES = .321) and HAB-HF90°(p < .001; ES = .376) ROM, showing a progressive and irregular decrease in these ROM until the U19 team.

Conclusion: The findings of this study reinforce the necessity of prescribing exercises aimed at improving HAD-HF90° ROM in U16, HAB ROM in U14, HIR ROM in U16 and U19, HER ROM in U12 and U19, and HAB-HF90° ROM in U16 and U19 players within everyday soccer training routines.

Keywords: Adolescence; Age-group; Football; Range of motion; Stretching.

Grants and funding

This research was made possible by the Program of Human Resources Formation for Science and Technology grant number 20326/FPI/2017 from the Seneca Foundation-Agency for Science and Technology in the Region of Murcia (Spain). This study is part of the project entitled “Estudio del riesgo de lesión en jóvenes deportistas a través de redes de inteligencia artificial”, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (DEP2017-88775-P), the State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.