The Impact of Sex and Biological Maturation on Physical Fitness in Youth Badminton Players

Abstract

Abstract Background. The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of maturity-status and sex on physical fitness in young badminton players. Methods. Eighty-one badminton players were enrolled in this study (39 boys, 42 girls; age: 12.7±1.4 years, body height: 153.5±10.5 cm, body mass: 48.3±13.2 kg) participated in the study and were divided into Pre-PHV (n=31), Circa-PHV (n=29) and Post-PHV (n=21) groups. Fitness tests included speed (5, 10-m), modified 5-0-5 CoD test (CoD deficit (CODD%)), an on-court CoD test, and countermovement jump (CMJ) test. Results. Pre-PHV players presented lower levels of performance (p<0.001; ES: 1.81-1.21) than Post-PHV in CMJ, linear sprints (5, 10-m) and both CoD tests. In addition, compared to Circa-PHV, Pre-PHV players demonstrated moderately lower performances in 10-m sprint and CoD tests (p<0.05; ES: 0.65-1.00). Regarding the CODD%, no between-group differences were found. Irrespective of the maturity status, boys outperformed girls in CMJ (p=0.01; ES: 0.71), linear sprint speed (p<0.05, ES:0.52-0.77), and the modified 505 test (p=0.01; ES: 0.71). Findings showed significant sex-by-maturity interactions only for the Pre-PHV group, with higher training volumes in boys than girls. In addition, sex-related performance differences were large for most measures, except for CODD%. Conclusions. Our results imply that maturity status (i.e., PHV) and not chronological age should be used to design training programs. Finally, female youth badminton players should receive specifically targeted exercise interventions based on their fitness status and needs.