Impact of puberty on the correlation between strength and speed levels in young futsal players

Abstract

Background: Vertical jumps are commonly prescribed in literature as a method to enhance speed performance, yet the impact of puberty on this relationship remains unclear. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether pubertal stage affects the correlation between jump performance and sprinting ability in young futsal players. Methods: Seventy-six male players were categorized into pre-pubertal, pubertal, and post-pubertal stages. The pubertal stage was evaluated by the peak height velocity (PHV) in which it differentiated the players in prepubescent (pre-PHV), pubescent (mid-PHV) and post-pubertal (post-PHV). All of them performed the squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ), straight-line sprint (SLS-20 m) and sprint with change of direction (COD-25 m). The Shapiro-Wilk normality test was used and when comparing the morphological and performance variables between the stages, the ANOVA one way with Tukey post hoc was used. To analyze the correlations between performance of sprints and jumps, the Pearson correlation test was used and in all analyzes a significance level of p < 0.05 was adopted. Parents and players signed specific terms for the inclusion of athletes in the survey. Results: A significant correlation only being found in the pre-PHV stage for SJ vs SLS (r = - 0.63) and COD (r = - 0.50); CMJ vs SLS (r = - 0.56) and COD (r = - 0.48) compared to mid-PHV and the post-PHV for the same correlations. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the pubertal stage influences the level correlation between vertical jumps and sprint performance. Training to improve muscle strength through jumps to develop speed, to the detriment of specific training in this capacity, in players in mid- and post-PHV stages needs to be used with caution.