Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories
<b>Background</b>: Lower limb asymmetry is a critical factor influencing performance and injury risk in football players. Despite the increasing popularity of women’s football, limited research has examined how asymmetry varies across different age categories. This study aimed to investi...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/10/2/158 |
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| author | Elena Mainer-Pardos Rafael Albalad-Aiguabella Víctor Emilio Villavicencio Álvarez Santiago Calero-Morales Demetrio Lozano Alberto Roso-Moliner |
| author_facet | Elena Mainer-Pardos Rafael Albalad-Aiguabella Víctor Emilio Villavicencio Álvarez Santiago Calero-Morales Demetrio Lozano Alberto Roso-Moliner |
| author_sort | Elena Mainer-Pardos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background</b>: Lower limb asymmetry is a critical factor influencing performance and injury risk in football players. Despite the increasing popularity of women’s football, limited research has examined how asymmetry varies across different age categories. This study aimed to investigate countermovement jump (CMJ) and horizontal jump (HJ) asymmetry in female football players across four age categories (U14, U16, U18, and +18). <b>Methods</b>: Seventy-six female football players from the same club participated in the study. Players performed unilateral CMJ and HJ tests to assess inter-limb asymmetry. A one-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests were conducted to examine age-related differences in asymmetry levels. <b>Results</b>: CMJ asymmetry significantly varied across age groups (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with the highest asymmetry observed in U14 and the lowest in +18. In contrast, HJ asymmetry remained consistently low across all age groups (<i>p</i> = 0.113). No significant correlation was found between CMJ and HJ asymmetry. Additionally, asymmetry levels in CMJ were significantly associated with age (<i>p</i> = 0.003), whereas no such association was observed for HJ. <b>Conclusions</b>: CMJ asymmetry is more prevalent in younger female football players and tends to decrease with age, suggesting that neuromuscular development plays a role in reducing asymmetry over time. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring asymmetry levels across different age groups to optimize training interventions and injury prevention strategies. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2411-5142 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-f2048c2e2fc94bea92fa7fdfdf9e90682025-08-20T03:27:22ZengMDPI AGJournal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology2411-51422025-05-0110215810.3390/jfmk10020158Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age CategoriesElena Mainer-Pardos0Rafael Albalad-Aiguabella1Víctor Emilio Villavicencio Álvarez2Santiago Calero-Morales3Demetrio Lozano4Alberto Roso-Moliner5Health Sciences Faculty, University of San Jorge, Autov A23 km 299, 50830 Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, SpainHealth Sciences Faculty, University of San Jorge, Autov A23 km 299, 50830 Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Human and Social Sciences, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas-ESPE, Quito 171103, EcuadorDepartment of Human and Social Sciences, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas-ESPE, Quito 171103, EcuadorHealth Sciences Faculty, University of San Jorge, Autov A23 km 299, 50830 Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, SpainHealth Sciences Faculty, University of San Jorge, Autov A23 km 299, 50830 Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, Spain<b>Background</b>: Lower limb asymmetry is a critical factor influencing performance and injury risk in football players. Despite the increasing popularity of women’s football, limited research has examined how asymmetry varies across different age categories. This study aimed to investigate countermovement jump (CMJ) and horizontal jump (HJ) asymmetry in female football players across four age categories (U14, U16, U18, and +18). <b>Methods</b>: Seventy-six female football players from the same club participated in the study. Players performed unilateral CMJ and HJ tests to assess inter-limb asymmetry. A one-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests were conducted to examine age-related differences in asymmetry levels. <b>Results</b>: CMJ asymmetry significantly varied across age groups (<i>p</i> < 0.001), with the highest asymmetry observed in U14 and the lowest in +18. In contrast, HJ asymmetry remained consistently low across all age groups (<i>p</i> = 0.113). No significant correlation was found between CMJ and HJ asymmetry. Additionally, asymmetry levels in CMJ were significantly associated with age (<i>p</i> = 0.003), whereas no such association was observed for HJ. <b>Conclusions</b>: CMJ asymmetry is more prevalent in younger female football players and tends to decrease with age, suggesting that neuromuscular development plays a role in reducing asymmetry over time. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring asymmetry levels across different age groups to optimize training interventions and injury prevention strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/10/2/158female footballasymmetrycountermovement jumphorizontal jumpinjury riskage categories |
| spellingShingle | Elena Mainer-Pardos Rafael Albalad-Aiguabella Víctor Emilio Villavicencio Álvarez Santiago Calero-Morales Demetrio Lozano Alberto Roso-Moliner Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology female football asymmetry countermovement jump horizontal jump injury risk age categories |
| title | Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories |
| title_full | Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories |
| title_fullStr | Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories |
| title_short | Investigating Countermovement and Horizontal Jump Asymmetry in Female Football Players: Differences Across Age Categories |
| title_sort | investigating countermovement and horizontal jump asymmetry in female football players differences across age categories |
| topic | female football asymmetry countermovement jump horizontal jump injury risk age categories |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/10/2/158 |
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