Oliveira João P, Marinho Daniel A, Jacinto Pedro, Sampaio Tatiana, Morais Jorge E
University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
Research Centre for Active Living and Wellbeing (LiveWell), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.
BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2025 Jul 19;17(1):209. doi: 10.1186/s13102-025-01264-6.
Volleyball performance relies heavily on agility, strength, and the ability to change direction, yet there is limited research investigating these physical attributes across different age groups in youth volleyball players. The change of direction (COD) deficit-a metric that isolates directional efficiency by comparing agility to linear speed-may provide a more nuanced understanding of an athlete's movement capabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate: (i) the differences in anthropometrics, lower limb strength/power, dynamic balance, linear sprint speed, and change of direction (COD) ability between young volleyball age groups; (ii) the effect of age on COD deficit in young volleyball players, and; (iii) the COD deficit predictors.
A cross-sectional analysis of young volleyball athletes was conducted. Seventy-seven female volleyball players from three age groups (U13:12.43 ± 0.89; U16:14.38 ± 0.52; U18:16.78 ± 0.93) participated in standardized tests measuring their physical qualities.
The older age groups (U18) were significantly taller, heavier, and faster in linear sprints than their younger counterparts. No significant differences between groups were observed in lower limb strength and power or dynamic balance. The U16 group demonstrated the lowest COD deficit. The regression analysis identified drop jump height (DJ) as the sole significant predictor of COD deficit, explaining 6.9% of the variance (R = 0.069, p = 0.033), highlighting its relevance as an indicator of reactive strength.
These findings suggest that while anthropometric features have increased and sprint performance improved with age, there is no corresponding improvement in lower limb strength, power, or dynamic balance. Drop jump height was the sole predictor of COD deficit, emphasizing the importance of reactive strength in determining agility. Coaches should focus on enhancing lower limb strength and reactive power to optimize COD performance and prevent performance stagnation (training plateaus), particularly in older athletes.
排球运动表现很大程度上依赖于敏捷性、力量以及改变方向的能力，然而，针对青少年排球运动员不同年龄组的这些身体属性的研究却很有限。方向改变（COD）缺陷——一种通过比较敏捷性和直线速度来分离方向效率的指标——可能会让人们对运动员的运动能力有更细致入微的理解。本研究的目的是调查：（i）青少年排球不同年龄组在人体测量学、下肢力量/功率、动态平衡、直线冲刺速度和方向改变（COD）能力方面的差异；（ii）年龄对青少年排球运动员COD缺陷的影响；以及（iii）COD缺陷的预测因素。
对青少年排球运动员进行了横断面分析。来自三个年龄组（U13：12.43±0.89；U16：14.38±0.52；U18：16.78±0.93）的77名女排运动员参加了测量其身体素质的标准化测试。
年龄较大的组（U18）在身高、体重方面明显高于年龄较小的组，并且在直线冲刺中速度更快。在下肢力量、功率或动态平衡方面，各组之间未观察到显著差异。U16组的COD缺陷最低。回归分析确定下落跳高度（DJ）是COD缺陷的唯一显著预测因素，解释了6.9% 的方差（R = 0.069，p = 0.033），突出了其作为反应力量指标的相关性。
这些发现表明，虽然随着年龄增长人体测量特征增加且冲刺表现有所改善，但下肢力量、功率或动态平衡并没有相应提高。下落跳高度是COD缺陷的唯一预测因素，强调了反应力量在决定敏捷性方面的重要性。教练应专注于增强下肢力量和反应功率，以优化COD表现并防止表现停滞（训练平台期），特别是对于年龄较大的运动员。
