Developmental fitness curves: assessing sprint acceleration relative to age and maturity status in elite junior tennis players

Abstract

Background

The influence of maturity-status on athletic performance is reasonably well-documented. Methodological and practical issues of assessment and lack of longitudinal data have impacted the success of various models.

Aim

To develop age- and sex-specific developmental curves for sprint acceleration in elite youth tennis players and to address variation in performance relative to chronological and biological age.

Subjects and methods

Measures of acceleration were available for 3120 elite youth tennis players aged 8–15 years attending National and Regional Talent Identification days. Variation in acceleration by chronological and estimated biological ages was evaluated in corresponding data for an independent sample of elite youth players 8.9 to 15.1 years of age.

Results

Acceleration varied as a function of chronological and biological age relative to developmental curves. Early maturing males and females had significantly poorer performances when acceleration was considered relative to biological age. Significant discrepancy in percentiles relative to biological versus chronological ages was also evident between early and late maturing players of each sex.

Conclusion

Evaluating performance relative to developmental curves and maturity status may be a practical means of monitoring long-term athlete development in tennis.

Keywords:

• Youth athletes
• speed
• puberty
• predicted adult height

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Catherine Barnaby, previously of the Bath Institute for Mathematical Innovation, for her assistance in creating the developmental trajectories.

Disclosure statement

The Lawn Tennis Association funds the part time studentship (i.e. academic fees) of Gillian Myburgh. Gillian Myburgh, Sean Cumming, and Robert Malina declare that they have no competing interests.