THE VERTICAL JUMP AND SPRINT PERFORMANCE AS DETERMINANTS OF AGILITY AMONG MALE ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the relationship between the vertical jump (VJ) and sprint performance with agility among male adolescents. The study was conducted on 42 male elementary school students, (age, 13±0.5 years). Among the predictor variables, the Squat Jump (SJ) and Countermovement Jump (CMJ) VJ height were assessed by the Optojump (Microgate, Italy) optical system, and sprint times at 5, 10 and 30 m were assessed using the photocells timing system Witty (Microgate, Italy). Agility as a criterion was assessed with the agility T-test, timed also with photocells. Obtained results showed a significant negative relationship between SJ, CMJ and agility (r=-0.52; -0.58, respectively) and a positive relationship between sprint times at 5, 10 and 30 m and agility (r=0.43; 0.53; 0.57, respectively). A backward stepwise regression analysis showed that the CMJ was the best single predictor of agility (R 2 =0.34). The results of this study illustrate that enhancing jump and sprint performance will bring better times in agility performance. Finally, the CMJ has best influence on agility among all the predictor variables.