Humans are fascinated by the bipedal locomotor capacities at both ends of the athletic spectrum. On one end of the spectrum is the speed displayed in the 100 m sprint, where we witnessed a time of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in the 2009 Berlin World Championship ( 63 ). This and other all
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The Development of Fast, Fit, and Fatigue Resistant Youth Field and Court Sport Athletes: A Narrative Review
Joey C. Eisenmann, Jason Hettler, and Kevin Till
Are Young Female Basketball Players Adequately Prepared for a Force–Velocity Jumping and Sprinting Assessment?
Jessica Rial-Vázquez, Iván Nine, María Rúa-Alonso, Juan Fariñas, Roberto Fernández-Seoane, Pedro Jiménez-Reyes, Miguel Fernández-del-Olmo, and Eliseo Iglesias-Soler
capabilities ( 23 , 24 ). Thus, a linear sprint acceleration, commonly assessed with photocells, and an incremental loading squat jump (SJ) test have been suggested for assessing horizontal and vertical FV profiles, respectively ( 23 , 24 ). These profiles provide a comprehensive and integrative representation
The Effect of Sex, Maturity, and Training Status on Maximal Sprint Performance Kinetics
Adam Runacres, Kelly A. Mackintosh, and Melitta A. McNarry
Overground sprint running has become a popular method of performance assessment over the past decade ( 17 , 18 , 35 , 36 ), partly due to the importance of speed in many athletic and sporting activities ( 12 , 19 ). Indeed, overground sprinting is commonly used within long-term athlete development
Normative Reference Centiles for Sprint Performance in High-Level Youth Soccer Players: The Need to Consider Biological Maturity
Ludwig Ruf, Stefan Altmann, Christian Kloss, and Sascha Härtel
The assessment of physical performance is an important element in the talent identification and development processes in highly trained youth soccer players ( 34 ). One key component considered to be of high relevance to overall performance in soccer is linear sprint performance ( 13 , 29 ). Thus
Repeated Sprint Protocols With Standardized Versus Self-Selected Recovery Periods in Elite Youth Soccer Players: Can They Pace Themselves? A Replication Study
Florian A. Engel, Stefan Altmann, Hamdi Chtourou, Alexander Woll, Rainer Neumann, Tomer Yona, and Billy Sperlich
of youth soccer matches ( 12 ), it was suggested that the majority of repeated sprint protocols (RSPs; testing protocols as well as training protocols) include a greater number of sprints and longer recovery periods between the sprints than the repeated sprint sequences performed during actual
Assessing Youth Sprint Ability–Methodological Issues, Reliability and Performance Data
Michael C. Rumpf, John B. Cronin, Jon L. Oliver, and Michael Hughes
The primary purpose of this paper was to provide insight into the methodological issues and associated reliability of assessments used to quantify running sprint ability in youth athletes aged 8–18 years. Over-ground sprinting was the most reliable and common used choice of assessment to measure sprint performance of youth. In addition, the performance data of those athletes over distances ranging from 5 to 40 meters was collated from 34 published articles and tabulated with regards to the athlete’s chronological age. Torque or nonmotorized treadmills have been used to quantify sprint performance in youth with acceptable reliability, this technology providing deeper insight into sprint kinetics and kinematics; however there is limited performance data on youth using the torque and the nonmotorized treadmill. It is suggested that future research should use this technology in youth to better understand changes associated with growth, maturation and training.
Feasibility and Reliability of a Repeated Sprint Test in Children Age 6 to 8 Years
Abdou Temfemo, Thierry Lelard, Christopher Carling, Samuel Honoré Mandengue, Mehdi Chlif, and Said Ahmaidi
This study investigated the feasibility and reliability of a 12 × 25-m repeated sprint test with sprints starting every 25-s in children aged 6–8 years (36 boys, 41 girls). In all subjects, total sprint time (TST) demonstrated high test-retest reliability (ICC: r = .98; CV: 0.7% (95% CI: 0.6–0.9)). While sprint time varied over the 12 sprints in all subjects (p < .001) with a significant increase in time for the third effort onwards compared with the first sprint (p < .001), there was no difference in performance between genders. In all subjects, TST decreased with age (p < .001) and was accompanied by an increase in estimated anaerobic power (p < .001) but also in sprint time decrement percentage (p < .001). Gender did not effect these changes. The present study demonstrates the practicability and reliability of a repeated sprint test with respect to age and gender in young children.
Maximal Sprint Speed in Boys of Increasing Maturity
Robert W. Meyers, Jonathan L. Oliver, Michael G. Hughes, John B. Cronin, and Rhodri S. Lloyd
The purpose of this study was to examine the natural development of the mechanical features of sprint performance in relation to maturation within a large cohort of boys. Three hundred and thirty-six boys (11-15 years) were analyzed for sprint performance and maturation. Maximal speed, stride length (SL), stride frequency (SF), flight time (FT) and contact time (CT) were assessed during a 30m sprint. Five maturation groups (G1-5) were established based on age from peak height velocity (PHV) where G1=>2.5years pre-PHV, G2 = 2.49-1.5years pre-PHV, G3 = 1.49-0.5years pre-PHV, G4 = 0.49years pre- to 0.5years post-PHV and G5 = 0.51-1.5years post-PHV. There was no difference in maximal speed between G1, G2 and G3 but those in G4 and G5 were significantly faster (p < .05) than G1-3. Significant increases (p < .05) in SL were observed between groups with advancing maturation, except G4 and G5 (p > .05). SF decreased while CT increased (both p < .05) between G1, G2 and G3, but no further significant changes (p > .05) were observed for either variable between G3, G4 and G5. While G1-3 increased their SL, concomitant decreases in SF and increases in CT prevented them from improving maximal speed. Maximal sprint speed appears to develop around and post-PHV as SF and CT begin to stabilize, with increases in maximal sprint speed in maturing boys being underpinned by increasing SL.
Asymmetry During Maximal Sprint Performance in 11- to 16-Year-Old Boys
Robert W. Meyers, Jon L. Oliver, Michael G. Hughes, Rhodri S. Lloyd, and John B. Cronin
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to examine the influence of age and maturation upon magnitude of asymmetry in the force, stiffness and the spatiotemporal determinants of maximal sprint speed in a large cohort of boys.
Methods:
344 boys between the ages of 11 and 16 years completed an anthropometric assessment and a 35 m sprint test, during which sprint performance was recorded via a ground-level optical measurement system. Maximal sprint velocity, as well as asymmetry in spatiotemporal variables, modeled force and stiffness data were established for each participant. For analysis, participants were grouped into chronological age, maturation and percentile groups.
Results:
The range of mean asymmetry across age groups and variables was 2.3–12.6%. The magnitude of asymmetry in all the sprint variables was not significantly different across age and maturation groups (p > .05), except relative leg stiffness (p < .05). No strong relationships between asymmetry in sprint variables and maximal sprint velocity were evident (rs < .39).
Conclusion:
These results provide a novel benchmark for the expected magnitude of asymmetry in a large cohort of uninjured boys during maximal sprint performance. Asymmetry in sprint performance is largely unaffected by age or maturation and no strong relationships exist between the magnitude of asymmetry and maximal sprint velocity.
Reliability of a Field and Laboratory Test of Repeated Sprint Ability
Jonathan L. Oliver, Craig A. Williams, and Neil Armstrong
The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of a field and a laboratory test of repeated sprint ability (RSA). Twelve adolescent boys (15.3 ± 0.3 years) completed five trials of both a field RSA test (7 × 30 m sprints) and a laboratory RSA test (7 × 5 s sprints) performed on a nonmotorized treadmill. Mean coefficients of variation (CV) calculated across all trials were < 2.7% for field sprint times, and, in the laboratory, < 2.9% for velocity and < 8.4% for power output. Fatigue indices (FI) calculated from data in both environments exhibited mean CVs > 23%. The inconsistency in the FIs resulted from the mathematical procedures used in the FI calculation methods. Based on the reliability scores, it was concluded that results obtained from measured performance variables in the field and laboratory, and not calculated FIs, should be used to report RSA.
