Age-related changes of reactive agility in football

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation is to determine age dynamism of reactive agility in young football players, thus specifying the impact of sport training on the level of reactive agility of players. 112 young male football players playing for the football club in Nitra, Slovakia volunteered to participate in the study. Another goal was to clarify the age dynamics of performances in the monitored groups of football players and to find out the mutual relationship between the two types of agility. Trends in sport performance and relationship of both kinds of agility were observed in 6 teams of different age categories (U11 up to U16). In order to fulfil the aim of the research two different motor tests for running agility (Illinois agility test) and reactive agility (Fitro Agility Check) were selected. For the realization of Fitro Agility Check test, a computer with the necessary hardware and software, and measuring device Fitro Agility Check were used. To evaluate the relationship between the observed variables (Illinois vs FAC), we used Spearman's correlation coefficient rs (-1 ≤ rs ≤ 1) to perform correlation analysis in SSPS statistical software. We used a significance level of 0.01. The results of this study provide evidence of stabilization of performance with the growing age of players at the level of both types of agility and a dynamic increase, especially after the age of 13. Low values of correlation coefficients (from r = - 0.570 to 0.503) indicate indifferent determinants in running and reactive agility. Since low causal-consequential relationship between reactive and running agility was found in the observed football teams, there is a necessity in the sports training to differentiate between specific means for the development of the so-called pre-planned and reactive agility.