Investigation of the Relationship Between Trunk Muscle Endurance and Flexibility and Athletic Performance in Elite Adolescent Tennis Players
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 38
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- 20-Meter Sprint Time
研究概览
简要总结
This study aims to examine how trunk (core) muscle endurance and flexibility relate to athletic performance in elite adolescent tennis players aged 11-18 years. Tennis requires speed, balance, strength, coordination, and repeated high-intensity movements. The trunk region plays an important role in transferring force between the upper and lower body and in maintaining posture and stability during sports activities. However, there is limited research on how trunk physical characteristics influence performance in young elite tennis players.
Participants who actively compete in tennis tournaments and train regularly will complete a set of standardized tests assessing flexibility, trunk muscle endurance, balance, sprint speed, agility, and strength. The results will help researchers understand whether trunk flexibility and endurance are associated with better athletic performance. Findings may guide coaches and health professionals in designing training programs that improve performance and potentially reduce injury risk in young athletes.
详细描述
This cross-sectional descriptive study investigates the relationship between trunk muscle endurance, trunk flexibility, and athletic performance parameters in elite adolescent tennis players. Tennis is a high-intensity intermittent sport requiring rapid acceleration, deceleration, directional changes, and explosive movements. Physical performance depends on multiple components, including strength, flexibility, endurance, and neuromuscular coordination. The trunk region is biomechanically important because it provides proximal stability, supports postural control, and facilitates force transmission between upper and lower extremities during sport-specific movements.
Despite evidence suggesting that trunk function contributes to athletic performance and injury prevention, limited research has focused specifically on elite adolescent tennis players, whose neuromuscular characteristics may differ due to growth and maturation. Therefore, this study aims to clarify associations between trunk physical characteristics and performance outcomes in this population.
Elite tennis players aged 11-18 years who train regularly and compete in official tournaments will be recruited. After informed consent procedures, participants will undergo standardized testing on regular training days following a supervised warm-up protocol.
Assessments include:
Demographic measures: age, sex, height, body weight, body mass index, training frequency, and years of tennis experience.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Observational
- 观察模型
- Cohort
- 时间视角
- Cross Sectional
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 11 Years 至 18 Years（Child, Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Aged between 11 and 18 years
- •Elite tennis players actively competing in official tournaments
- •Minimum of 3 years of regular tennis training experience
- •Participating in tennis training at least 4 days per week
- •Ability to understand and follow instructions
- •Written informed consent provided by participant and parent/guardian (if under 18)
排除标准
- •History of musculoskeletal injury within the past 6 months affecting performance
- •Presence of neurological, orthopedic, sensory, or motor disorders
- •Any medical condition limiting physical activity
- •Current pain that may affect test performance
- •Pregnancy
研究组 & 干预措施
Elite Adolescent Tennis Players
Elite tennis players aged 11 to 18 years who actively compete and train regularly. Participants undergo standardized assessments of trunk muscle endurance, flexibility, and athletic performance. No intervention is applied; all measurements are observational and conducted under standardized conditions.
干预措施: Physical Performance Assessment (Other)
结局指标
主要结局
20-Meter Sprint Time
时间窗: Baseline
Sprint performance is assessed using a 20-meter sprint test. Participants perform a maximal sprint over a 20-meter distance, and time is recorded in seconds using a stopwatch. Lower time values indicate better sprint performance.
T-Drill Agility Test Time
时间窗: Baseline
Agility performance is measured using the T-drill test. Participants complete a standardized agility course involving forward sprinting, lateral shuffling, and backward running. Completion time is recorded in seconds. Lower time values indicate better agility performance.
Vertical Jump Height
时间窗: Baseline
Lower extremity explosive power is assessed using a vertical jump test. Jump height is measured in centimeters. Higher jump height values indicate better explosive strength performance.
Medicine Ball Throw Distance
时间窗: Baseline
Upper extremity explosive power is evaluated using a medicine ball throw test. The distance the ball is thrown is measured in centimeters. Greater distances indicate better upper body explosive strength performance.
Dynamic Balance Performance (Y Balance Test)
时间窗: Baseline
Dynamic balance is assessed using the Y Balance Test. Reach distances in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions are measured and normalized to leg length (expressed as percentages). Higher percentage values indicate better dynamic balance performance.
次要结局
- Sit-and-Reach Test Distance (cm)(Baseline)
- Biering-Sørensen Test Duration(Baseline)
- Trunk Lateral Flexion Distance(Baseline)
- Trunk Extension Distance(Baseline)
- Trunk Rotation Distance(Baseline)
- Plank Test Duration(Baseline)
- Side Plank Test Duration(Baseline)
研究者
Sumeyye Zehra Guler
Research Assistant
Ondokuz Mayıs University