Mendzheritskij A.M., Kravchenko A.V., Bokaryova E.V., Dmitrenko L.M.Age- and sex-related features of anthropometric indicators and coordination qualities in 12-15 years old gymnasts and cheerleaders

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Publication date: 01.06.2021
DOI: 10.51871/2588-0500_2021_05_02_20
UDC 572.087;796.012.2

AGE- AND SEX-RELATED FEATURES OF ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICATORS AND COORDINATION QUALITIES IN 12-15 YEARS OLD GYMNASTS AND CHEERLEADERS

A.M. Mendzheritskij¹, A.V. Kravchenko², E.V. Bokaryova², L.M. Dmitrenko³

¹Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Don State Technical University", Rostov-on-Don, Russia

²Southern District Cheerleading Federation, Taganrog, Russia

³Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Southern Federal University"

Key words: gymnasts, cheerleaders, 12-15 years old, anthropometric indicators, coordination qualities.

Annotation. The purpose of this study was to analyze age- and sex-related  differences in coordination qualities among 12-15 years old gymnasts and cheerleaders during the training process. Anthropometric, stabilographic indicators, as well as indicators of special agility and running time for 30s were assessed. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), it was found that by the age of 14-15, the features of special agility improve in boys and girls within the background of changes in stabilographic indicators. The age- and sex-related differences in the relationship between anthropometric and coordination indicators (average angular and linear velocities) were shown.

Introduction. Coordination abilities serve as  the determining factor of sports performance [11, 13]. During the process of performance of complicated motor acts, an athlete needs to preserve a correct body position constantly [12]: increase in postural control with speed-related qualities and explosive power are considered as one of key features of agility in the process of forming the motor action [8].

Gymnastics and cheerleading, as one of complicated coordination types of sports, require such special skills as the ability of precise visual, audial and muscular-motor perception and memory, motor imagery and also the ability to compare, analyze and synthesize [3, 6]. Morphological and functional features of an organism also play an important role in the postural control, in particular in these types of sports [2]. There are numerous references in literature to the fact that sports performance depends on anthropometric features of an athlete [9, 10]. That is why the issue of correlation between changes in coordination qualities and anthropometric indicators in dynamics of the development of an athlete’s organism remains relevant.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an analysis of age- and sex-related differences of coordination qualities of 12-15 years old gymnasts and cheerleaders during the period of the training process.

Methods and organization. Seventy-two athletes, who engage in gymnastics (34 boys and 38 girls), and seventy-six cheerleaders (34 boys and 32 girls) participated in the longitudinal study. The first examination was carried out in the age of 12-13 years, the second one was carried out 2 years after. By the time of the first examination, all subjects were engaged in the systematic sports training for at least 2 years.

Anthropometric variables included height (HEIGHT), body mass (BODY MASS) and body mass index (BMI). In order to study coordination abilities, four tests were carried out: the “Target” stabilographic test, 30-meter slalom weave, test of the level of special agility based on the results of running across the perimeter of the one side of the area, and the test of the level of special agility based on the precision of hitting the target. Before testing, athletes did a 15-minute warm-up, including jogging, exercises with side-to-side movements, dynamic stretching and small jumps. During testing, subjects were required to follow a standard diet and stop training.  All tests were carried out during the autumn period in the same time of the day (10-11 of the morning), 2-3 hours after meals, in order to consider daily variations of coordination qualities and agility indicators.

In order to evaluate the level of special agility, the following tests were applied: running across the perimeter of the one side of the field contraclockwise and the test of precision of hitting the target with a ball (10 throws with a tennis ball to the 1*1 m target, hidden from the throwing area on the opposite area; fields were separated with a rope located on the height of 80% of the maximum jump).  In order to evaluate coordination qualities, slalom weave on the 30-meter distance between five stands 1,5 m high was applied. Study of the equilibrium function was carried out on the “Stabilan-01” computer stabiloanalyzer with biofeedback (manufactured by “OKB-Ritm”, Taganrog). In order to analyze the equilibrium function, the “Target” test was used [7], indicators of the equilibrium function quality (EFQ), lineal (LV, mm²/s) and angular (AV, mm²/s) velocities were also evaluated.  

Average and standard deviation were computed for all applied tests. Using the Cronbach’s alpha, coefficients of reliability of tests for agility and coordination qualities were computed. The significance was computed for the whole group and for boys and girls separately. Statistical comparison was carried out using the multivariate analysis of variation (MANOVA), which is included in the Statistica.10 set of application programs. In order to decrease the heterogeneity of dispersion, the logarithm of initial parameters was taken. During the first and second examination, the effect of following factors was studies in both boys and girls: AGE (12-13 years and 14-15 years), SEX (male, female), BODY MASS, BMI and TEST (levels: the 30-meter slalom weave (SLALOM WEAVE); the level of special agility based on the results of running across the perimeter of the one side of the field (LSAR); the level of special agility based on the precision of hitting the target (LSAH); EFQ; LV; AV). The first five factors were considered as independent grouping factors, the factors included in the TEST group were considered as dependent variable. Differences were considered as significant if p<0,05.

Results and discussion. During the anthropometric examination of athletes, a significant increase in indicators of height and body mass of boys by the age of 14-15 years was registered (p<0,05) (Table 1). In both boys and girls, an increase of special agility level based on the precision of hitting the target by the age of 14-15 was also registered (Table 2). Time of 30-meter slalom weave and running across the perimeter of one side of the field did not change in examined athletes by the age of 14-15.

Table 1

Anthropometric indicators of athletes

Indicators/Groups	Boys		Girls
	12-13 years	14-15 years	12-13 years	14-15 years
HEIGHT	143,5±8,1	153,6±9,6*	149,4±8,2	151,5±8,5
BODY MASS	35,6±1,9	46,3±1,8*	34,1±1,5	34,7±1,7
BMI	17,28±0,9	19,70±1,1	15,29±0,8	15,09±0,9

Note: * - significant differences of indicators in athletes by the age of 14-15 years  regarding values registered in the age of 12-13 years, р˂0,05

Table 2

Indicators of coordination abilities and special agility

Indicators/Groups	Boys		Girls
	12-13 years	14-15 years	12-13 лет	14-15 years
SLALOM WEAVE	5,17±0,31	4,74±0,20	6,56±0,35	5,76±0,29
LSAR	18,34±0,96	17,16±0,89	19,51±1,03	18,54±1,10
LSAH	6,93±0,34	8,85±0,47*	5,82±0,29	7,97±0,38*

Note: SLALOM WEAVE – 30-meter slalom weave (s); LSAR – the level of special agility based on the results of running across the perimeter of the one side of the field (s); LSAH – the level of special agility based on the precision of hitting the target (times)

Changes in stabilographic indicators by the age of 14-15 also have an insignificant manner (Table 3). However, during the factor analysis, a correlation of age- and sex-related indicators with dependent variables was registered. Moreover, a relationship was identified between the sex of athletes, the speed of 30-meter slalom weave, the level of special agility based on the precision of hitting the target, the lineal and, especially, angular movement in the process of performing the “Target” stabilographic test. A connection of age with examined dependent variables, excluding the level of special agility based on the results of running across the perimeter of the one side of the field, was also registered (Table 4).

The indicator of height of athletes has a profound effect on the success of performing tests of the level of coordination qualities and special agility. The indicator of height has the most significant effect on the equilibrium function quality and angular velocity when performing the “Target” test, when this anthropometric indicator does not have any effect on the linear velocity. A relation between the body mass of athletes, the speed of 30-meter slalom weave and the level of special agility based on the precision of hitting the target was established. Moreover, a connection between the BMI, the average linear and angular velocity, when performing the stabilographic test, and also the value of LSAH was revealed (Table 5) which adds to the previously obtained data [4]. During the multifactor analysis, a close connection between the age, height and the coordination qualities and agility indicators in athletes was established (Table 6).

Table 3

Stabilographic indicators in athletes

Indicators/Groups	Boys		Girls
	12-13 years	14-15 years	12-13 years	14-15 years
EFQ	79,12±4,56	84,74±4,83	78,23±3,77	87,65±4,59
LV	10,17±0,61	9,96±0,53	10,22±0,59	7,13±0,38
AV	27,31±1,27	29,65±2,01	17,47±1,67	20,75±0,93

Table 4

The level of relation between the dependent variables and the age and sex of athletes

Variables	Boys-girls		12-13 years -14-15 years
	F	p	F	p
SLALOM WEAVE	5,67	0,01	4,31	0,04
LSAR	1,58	0,21	1,95	0,18
LSAH	3,82	0,05	6,62	0,01
EFQ	3,47	0,06	8,49	0,003
LV	4,97	0,03	5,37	0,02
AV	9,28	0,002	11,62	0,0007

Table 5

The level of relation between the dependent variables and the anthropometric indicators of athletes

Variables	HEIGHT		BODY MASS		BMI
	F	p	F	p	F	p
SLALOM WEAVE	4,04	0,04	4,09	0,04	0,52	0,47
LSAR	4,93	0,03	2,27	0,13	2,62	0,11
LSAH	5,85	0,01	3,88	0,05	5,08	0,02
EFQ	8,07	0,004	3,11	0,07	1,30	0,25
LV	2,54	0,11	0,82	0,36	3,95	0,04
AV	6,79	0,009	2,70	0,10	6,54	0,01

Table 6

Results of the factor ANOVA of values of analyzed independent and dependent variables in athletes

Factors	F	p
SEX*TEST	3,49	0,06
AGE*TEST	4,29	0,04
HEIGHT*TEST	2,75	0,03
BODY MASS*TEST	2,59	0,12
BMI*TEST	2,11	0,15

Thus, results of this study confirm the connection between inherent coordination qualities, which include anthropometric indicators, and achievements in complicated coordination sports, which include gymnastics and cheerleading [5, 9, 10]. Since it was proven, that there is a close connection between sex-, height- and body mass-related indicators and coordination characteristics, which remains up to the age of 17 years [1], the results of this study could be used for solving the issue of early specialization in gymnastics and cheerleading.

Conclusion. Up to the age of 14-15 years, a change in anthropometric indicators was registered in boys; an increase in specific characteristics of special agility was also registered in girls of that age. Sex-related differences of stabilographic indicators were registered within the range of 12-15 years: values of average linear velocity were decreased profoundly in girls, values of angular velocity, when controlling equilibrium during the “Target” test, were increased in boys. Change in the height indicator is related to the improvement of coordination qualities of athletes, which are manifested through the increase of the equilibrium function quality by the gradual decrease of linear and increase of angular movement of the center of gravity when performing the stabilographic test.

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9. Brazier J. Anthropometric and Physiological Characteristics of Elite Male Rugby Athletes / J. Brazier, M. Antrobus, G.K. Stebbings, S.H. Day, P. Callus, R. Erskine, M. Bennett, L. Kilduff, A. Williams // J Strength Cond Res. – 2020. – 34. – № 6. – Р. 1790-1801.
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13. Williams G.K. Coordination as a function of skill level in the gymnastics longswing / G.K. Williams, G. Irwin, D.G. Kerwin, J. Hamill, R.E. Van Emmerik, K.M. Newell // J Sports Sci. – 2016. – Vol. 34. – № 5. – Р. 429-439.

Information about the authors: Aleksandr Markovich Mendzeritskij – Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Biology and General Pathology of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Don State Technical University", Rostov-on-Don, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Andrej Vladimirovich Kravchenko – President of the Southern District Cheerleading Federation, Taganrog, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Elena Viktorovna Bokaryova – President of the Southern District Cheerleading Federation, Taganrog,  e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;  Larisa Mikhajlovna Dmitrenko – Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Sports Disciplines of the Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Southern Federal University", Rostov-on-Don, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..