Age-Matched Z-Scores for Longitudinal Monitoring of Center of Pressure Speed in Single-Leg Stance Performance in Elite Male Youth Soccer Players

Huurnink, A, Fransz, DP, de Boode, VA, Kingma, I, and van Dieën, JH. Age-matched z-scores for longitudinal monitoring of center of pressure speed in single-leg stance performance in elite male youth soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 34(2): 495–505, 2020—Coordination of corrective motor actions is considered important for soccer performance and injury prevention. A single-leg stance (SLS) test assesses the integrity and proficiency of the sensorimotor control system, quantified by center of pressure averaged speed (COPspeed). We aimed to provide age-matched z-scores for COPspeed in elite male youth soccer players. Second, we assessed a threshold for abnormal long-term change in performance, i.e., critical difference (CD). In a youth academy program, 133 soccer players of 9–18 years were tested twice for both legs (2 repetitions), and one repetition follow-up was conducted at 5.8 months (SD 2.7). Linear regression between age and COPspeed was performed to provide age-matched z-scores. Variance of differences in z-scores at baseline and between sessions was used to estimate the CD up to 5 repetitions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were assessed within and between sessions. The age significantly affected COPspeed (p
Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research