Effects of biological maturation and sport type on anthropometric and physical performance profiles in female youth athletes Aged 8–16 Years

Abstract

Problem Statement: Given the structural differences among sports, it is important to examine how the multidirectional, open-skill, and decelerative demands of team sports alter maturity-related anthropometric and physical performance profiles in female athletes aged 8-16 years compared with individual sports. Purpose: This study evaluated the association of biological maturation and sport type on the anthropometric and physical performance profiles of 890 female athletes (aged 8–16 years) from team ( = 314) and individual ( = 576) sports. Approach: Participants were assessed for anthropometric measures (body height, body weight, sitting height, arm span, leg length) and physical performance characteristics (flexibility, speed, power, strength, agility, balance, and cardiorespiratory endurance). Maturity status was determined using years from peak height velocity (YPHV). A two-way factorial ANOVA examined differences between sport types across biological age groups (–3.5 to +2.5 YPHV). Results: The present study indicated that team sport athletes generally exhibited an advanced maturation status and larger anthropometric profiles. Flexibility and static balance demonstrated nonlinear patterns across maturity groups. The pre-PHV stage was characterized by higher mean values in speed, change-of-direction speed (CODS), and power, particularly within individual sports. While team sport athletes showed higher mean speed profiles, the individual cohort exhibited significant maturity-associated variances. Additionally, team sport athletes, maintained higher mean values in explosive and strength-related capacities beyond PHV, while individual athletes demonstrated superior cardiorespiratory endurance and sustained strength enhancements. Notably, a concurrent medium effect of biological maturation and sport type was observed exclusively for cardiorespiratory endurance indicating that individual sports participation and biology jointly mediated performance in this specific capacity. Maturational heterogeneity peaked between ages 10–13, where athletes of identical chronological age were dispersed across three biological stages, with this substantial variability emerging at the age of 8 in individual sports and unexpectedly persisting until age 15 in team sports. In conclusion, biological maturation dominates anthropometric and physical performance differences, while the individual or team sports act as a minor modulator; this dominance is driven by a profound inter-individual biological heterogeneity that underscores the limitations of grouping youth female athletes solely by chronological age.