Abstract
The objective of this work was to compare the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics of Brazilian adolescents who practise team court sports and to compare specific parameters obtained for adolescents with data from the general population. This was a cross-sectional study of 1,348 male adolescents grouped as follows: basketball players (n = 287), indoor soccer players (n = 665), handball players (n = 108) and volleyball players (n = 288), all between 10 and 14 years of age. Anthropometric (body mass, body height, arm span, and body mass index) and physical fitness data (flexibility, muscular strength, explosive power, speed, aerobic fitness and agility) were collected. The Brazilian population was used as a reference and compared to the adolescent subjects using Z scores for all variables. Anthropometric characteristics and performances in physical fitness tests differed (p<0.05) among players of different sports. In addition, for each variable assessed, adolescents who practised team court sports showed similar or improved results compared to their counterparts in the general population (p<0.05). Furthermore, the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics differed depending on the team court sport practised. These findings may elucidate which physical abilities are most impacted by the practise of a particular team sport as well as help teachers and physical education and sport professionals identify talented adolescents.
Highlights
Team court sports are characterised by intermittent activities, in which intensive efforts are carried out over short time periods that alternate with periods of low intensity
Sample selection was performed in a non-probabilistic intentional way; the PROESP-BR was disclosed and physical education teachers had the option of joining the project, assessing students and forwarding data to the PROESP-BR coordination
The adolescents had an average age of 12.3 ± 1.3 years, and basketball, indoor soccer, handball and volleyball players had an average age of 12.4 ± 1.4, 12.2 ± 1.3, 12.5 ± 1.2 and 12.5 ± 1.3 years, respectively
Summary
Team court sports are characterised by intermittent activities, in which intensive efforts are carried out over short time periods that alternate with periods of low intensity. This intermittent feature requires the use of all three energy systems (aerobic, lactic anaerobic and alactic anaerobic) to meet the players’ metabolic demands. In Brazil, the team court sports most practised by adolescents are basketball, indoor soccer, handball and volleyball (Azevedo et al, 2007). Such sports are practised in schools for recreational, social, competitive and other purposes. Other authors have added agility as a key factor in this sport (Ziv and Lidor, 2009)
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