DIFFERENCES IN THE MOTOR ABILITIES AND ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Enhancing motor skills has a significant impact on athletes’ field performance. Both sports depend on a combination of highlevels of physical, technical, and tactical ability. Тhe aim of this study was to examine the differences in the motor abilities and anthropometric characteristics of the football and basketball players aged 13-15 years. Thirty-six participants were divided in two groups (football players, (n=18; height:1.71 ± 8.5m; body mass: 20.1± 2.2 kg; age: 14.7 ± 0.3 years) and basketball players, n=18; height: 1.69± 10.9; body mass 3.4 ±20.6; age:0.7 ±14.1) aged 13-15 years old. Conducted motor abilities were 10m and 20m sprint, agility t-test, countermovement jump (CMJ), countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJa) and squat jump (SJ), while anthropometric characteristics were fat percentage, body mass index, muscle percentage, height, weight. Independent sample T-test revealed statistical significance only in fat percent-age (p=.003), muscle percentage (p=.002), agility (p=.000), and sprint (p=.000), while in the countermovement jump, countermovement jump with arm swing, squat jump, body mass index, height, and weight, there were no statistical significance. Athletes who play different sports have performed different results in agility test, speed test, fat percentage and muscle percentage. Football players achieved better results compared to basketball players, which is due to the character of the game, where players move within a wider space, as well as the different structure of the training process.