Effects of agility, coordination, and flexibility on dribbling skills in senior high school female field hockey players

Abstract

Physical condition is an important factor affecting dribbling skills in field hockeys. In this regard, agility, hand-eye coordination, and waist flexibility have not been investigated simultaneously in field hockey players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of agility, hand-eye coordination, and waist flexibility on dribbling skills in senior high school female field hockey players. Thirty female senior high school students in Indonesia were recruited as the research sample. The participants were female students involved in coaching field hockey extracurricular activities at school, average age 17.90 ± 0.80 yrs, height 159.17 ± 1.82 cm, body weight 53.60 ± 3.51 kg, and BMI 21.16 ± 2.89. Data were collected using the agility t-test, throw catch test tennis ball, sit and reach test, and Schmithals-French hockey test. They were then analyzed using correlation and regression. The results showed that agility, hand-eye coordination, and waist flexibility had a significant effect on dribbling skills (p < 0.05). Partially, the effects of agility, hand-eye coordination is 37.40%, and waist flexibility were 76.30 %, 37.40 %, 46.20%, and 84.00%, respectively. Of these three components, agility is the most influential component of dribbling skills, without neglecting hand-eye coordination or waist flexibility. In conclusion, the level of agility, hand-eye coordination, and waist flexibility have a significant impact on dribbling skills in senior high school female field hockey players. Coaches should prepare and develop appropriate training programs for these three components to improve hockey dribbling skills. Future studies are needed to incorporate the physical component and other factors related to field hockey dribbling skills, as well as diversity, and a wider sample size.