The influence of maturation on sprint performance in boys over a 21-month period
Author
Meyers, Rob
Oliver, Jon
Hughes, Michael G.
Lloyd, Rhodri S.
Cronin, John B.
Date
2016-07-18Type
Article
Publisher
American College of Sports Medicine
ISSN
1530-0315
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose: This study examined how the characteristics of maximal overground sprint performance are affected by the period of peak height velocity (PHV) in boys.
Methods: One hundred and eighty-nine school-aged boys completed two assessments of maximal sprint performance, separated by a 21-month period. Kinematic characteristics of sprint performance were collected during a 30 m sprint using a floor-level optical measurement system, with modelled force and stiffness characteristics also calculated. Participants were grouped according to maturation using a non-invasive predictive equation. Individuals whose maturity offset was <-0.5 yrs in both assessments were classed as ‘pre-PHV’ (n=67) while those whose maturity offset developed from <-0.5 to >0.5yrs in test two were classed as ‘pre-to-post-PHV’ (n=39). Participants with a maturity offset between >-0.5 and <0.5 yrs at test 2 were removed from analysis (n = 67) to ensure that the entire pre-to-post-PHV group had experienced the PHV spurt
Results: The pre-to-post-PHV group experienced significantly greater increases in speed (10.4 vs. 5.6%) and relative vertical stiffness (12.1 vs. 5.6%) compared to the pre-PHV group. Step frequency declined (-2.4%) and contact time increased (2.3%) in the pre-PHV group, whilst step frequency increased (2.7%) and contact time decreased (-3.6%) in the pre-to-post-PHV group. Changes in relative measures of vertical stiffness, maximal force and leg stiffness accounted for 79% and 83% of the changes in speed between assessments for pre- and pre-to-post-PHV groups, respectively.
Conclusion: As boys experience PHV there are greater increases in maximal sprint speed compared with those who remain pre-PHV. Furthermore, measures of relative stiffness and relative maximal force appear to exert an important influence on the development of maximal sprint speed in boys, regardless of maturity.
Journal/conference proceeding
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Citation
Meyers, R.W., Oliver, J.L., Hughes, M.G., Lloyd, R.S. and Cronin, J.B. (2016) 'The influence of maturation on sprint performance in boys over a 21-month period', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 48 (12), pp. 2555–2562
Description
This article was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise on 18 July 2016 (online) available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001049
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [687]
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