Body Size Measurements and Physical Performance of Youth Female Judo Athletes with Differing Menarcheal Status.

Marina Saldanha Da Silva Athayde,Daniele Detanico,David Hideyoshi Fukuda,Rafael Lima Kons

doi:10.3390/ijerph182312829

Abstract

Purpose: To compare body size measurements and physical performance among female youth judo athletes with differing menarcheal status and to identify indicators of physical performance in post-menarcheal girls. Methods: Nineteen young female judo athletes (age 13.9 ± 2.3 years) were divided into a pre-menarche (n = 7) and a post-menarche (n = 12) group. The athletes were evaluated through neuromuscular tests, including standing long jump (SLJ), medicine ball throw (MBT), and handgrip strength (HGS), and judo-specific assessments, including the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) and the Judogi Grip Strength Test (JGSTISO). Furthermore, years of experience in judo and the age at menarche were determined. Results: The main results showed higher performance for the post-menarche group for most variables (p < 0.05) compared to the pre-menarche group. A multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that age at menarche, chronological age, and body mass explained close to 70% of JGSTISO, while training experience, chronological age, and age at menarche explained close to 59% of SLJ. Additionally, chronological age and age at menarche explained 40% of MBT, and chronological age and height explained 52% of HGS. Conclusions: Age at menarche and somatic growth variables explained moderate proportions of the variance of physical performance, thereby providing evidence that these parameters are the primary indicators of physical performance in young female judo athletes.

Highlights

Adolescence corresponds to the transition period between childhood and adulthood, during which several important biological manifestations occur, such as peak height velocity (PHV), peak weight velocity, sexual maturation, and, for girls, menarche [1].The range of variability in somatic and biological maturation among individuals of the same chronological age is large and is especially pronounced in adolescents [2]
This study found that body mass and adiposity were the highest predictors for all basketball performance indicators
It was verified that post-menarche girls were older, more experienced, taller, and heavier and presented higher performance in Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) and standing long jump (SLJ) than pre-menarche girls

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence corresponds to the transition period between childhood and adulthood, during which several important biological manifestations occur, such as peak height velocity (PHV), peak weight velocity, sexual maturation, and, for girls, menarche [1].The range of variability in somatic and biological maturation among individuals of the same chronological age is large and is especially pronounced in adolescents [2]. Adolescence corresponds to the transition period between childhood and adulthood, during which several important biological manifestations occur, such as peak height velocity (PHV), peak weight velocity, sexual maturation, and, for girls, menarche [1]. The current literature contains several studies on the effects of somatic maturity and growth on physical performance in young male athletes from team sports [4,5,6,7]. Studies have investigated the role of growth and maturity status on physical performance in young male judo athletes [8,9,10,11,12]. Years of formal judo training, growth, and somatic maturity can predict physical performance, when generalized upper and lower limb strength assessments (e.g., medicine ball throw test, handgrip strength, and jump tests) [8,10] and judo-specific tests

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