Relative Age Effect is Modulated by Playing Position but is Not Related to Competitive Success in Elite Under-19 Handball Athletes

Fonseca, Fabiano de Souza; Figueiredo, Lucas Savassi; Gantois, Petrus; Lima-Júnior, Dalton de; Fortes, Leonardo de Sousa

doi:10.3390/sports7040091

Cited by 20 publications

(50 citation statements)

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“…These results are in accordance with other sports, such as handball [41] where no relationship was demonstrated between the chronological age of the athletes and the team's success. However, in other studies, the play position and team performance were affected by the RAE [42].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Pistol and Rifle Performance: Gender and Relative Age Effect Analysis

Mon‐López

Tejero-González

Rubia

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: The sport overrepresentation of early-born athletes within a selection year is called relative age effect (RAE). Moreover, gender performance differences depend on the sport. The main objectives of the study were to compare performances between gender and RAE in precision shooting events. Method: The results of 704 shooters who participated in the most recent World Shooting Championship were compared. Performance was analysed by event (rifle and pistol), gender and category (junior and senior), together with RAE and six ranges of ranking positions. Results: The results of the study indicated that men scored higher than women in pistol events and that no performance differences were found in rifle events when the whole group was compared. According to the birth trimester, no significant differences were found in the participant’s distribution, nor in performance in any case. Conclusions: The main conclusions of the study are: (1) the men’s pistol performance is better than the women’s even though RAE is not associated to the shooting score in any case; (2) men and women performed equally in the general analysis, but their performances were different depending on category and event with no RAE influence.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Pistol and Rifle Performance: Gender and Relative Age Effect Analysis

Mon‐López

Tejero-González

Rubia

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Our handball youths showed similar results to their non-elite players in anthropometrical parameters such as height, weight, fat percentage, and arm span, with our results being slightly below their elite youth [13,16]. Specifically, they found a direct relationship between biological maturation and all anthropometrical characteristics except body fat, and two more studies [25,26] verified this relative age-dependent effect in young elite handball athletes. In our study, when analyzing body composition by categories and after age adjustment, we observed that many of the differences disappeared, except for lean mass.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Mediation Effect of Age Category on the Relationship between Body Composition and the Physical Fitness Profile in Youth Handball Players

Molina-López

Zarzuela

Padilla

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The aims of the present study were (1) to determine the differences in body composition and the physical and physiological profile of handball youths across age categories, and (2) to analyze the mediation effect of different categories on the relationship between lean mass or fat mass and specific physical handball capacities. Fifty-four young handball players aged 13 to 18 were assigned to U14 (13- and 14-year-olds), U16 (15- and 16-year-olds), and U18 (17- and 18-year-olds). Body composition was measured using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance (Inbody®, 230). Handball physical fitness was assessed using handgrip force, jumping tests (squat jump, countermovement jump, countermovement jump with aimed arms), a 30-m sprint, a change-of-direction test (T-half agility test and modified Illinois test), and a Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1. Simple mediation analysis was performed to analyze whether the category mediated the relationship between lean mass or fat mass and physical capacities. No significant differences were observed according to category for the majority of the measured parameters, except for height, lean body mass, and arm span. Lean body mass increased significantly as player category increased (p < 0.05; ∆ = 4.66–9.38; effect size (ES) = 0.96–1.92). The increase in handball category enhanced the majority of the physical capacities evaluated; however, these differences were reduced between the U16 vs. U18 categories. The indirect mediation effect suggests that handball category mediated the relationship between lean mass and upper and lower strength, velocity, agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness. In contrast, an indirect effect suggests that category mediated the relationship between fat mass only in agility and cardiorespiratory fitness. We conclude that U18s showed better body composition parameters, as well as better physical performance scores. Handball category clearly mediated the relationship between body composition through lean mass and fat mass and the physiological profile in handball youth, but lean mass proved to be more relevant when mediating physical performance.

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“…Anthropometric and physical requirements in handball, such as the need to have a large and strong body, high strength levels, and a high throwing velocity [56][57][58], mean that relatively older players tend to be in back positions, compared to relatively young players [59]. Unlike previous studies of male handball players that also included an analysis of playing positions [28,39], we found a higher prevalence of the RAE on the selection of athletes to the positions of pivots and goalkeepers. Large anthropometric size and strong physical capacities are required to compete in elite handball in general, and in goalkeeper and pivot positions in particular [60], but it seems that position-specific skill demands may also explain the RAE on these two playing positions [61].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only one study has compared the impact of the RAE in different countries. In a study of athletes selected to international youth competitions in handball, Fonseca et al [28] included 383 youth male handball players from the 24 countries participating in the 7 th Men's Youth World Championship held in 2017. Findings showed the prevalence of the RAE in the population sample but found no relationship between the age of the players and the success of each team-measured as a team´s championship ranking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%