Differences in Motor Abilities among Basketball Players in Relation to Biological Maturity

Abstract

Basketball is a popular team sport with a combination of alternating and high-intensity activities. Physical characteristics related to age and maturity can be quite important for developing the career of a young athlete. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in motor skills among basketball players with regard to their biological maturity. Using the Mirwald equation, the total sample of participants was divided into three groups based on their biological maturity: early-maturing (postPHV), normally-maturing (midPHV), and late-maturing (prePHV). The sample of participants consisted of 51 basketball players (body height 171±12 cm; body weight 63±15.7 kg; BMI 21.3±3.8). Tests of speed (5, 10, 20m sprint), explosive power of the lower extremities (the countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJwas), the countermovement jump (CMJ), and the squat jump (SJ)), and agility (the t-test, zigzag, and slalom test) were evaluated. The one-factor ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference between groups in the slalom, t-test, and zig-zag test (p<0.05). On the sprint tests and tests assessing explosive power no difference was found. We can conclude that this group of participants showed equal performance in motor skills on most tests, regardless of their maturity status. The primary significance of this study is that it shows coaches the importance of understanding their players’ biological maturation for optimal selection, suitable training design, and a reduction in the risk of injury.