Determinants of agility in youth basketball: age-stratified hierarchical regression in 6–13-year-old boys

Abstract

Background: Agility in youth basketball reflects the interplay between body dimensions and motor abilities. Age-specific prediction models guide age appropriate training design and evidence based talent identification. Methods: Ninety-eight male players (6–13 y) from a basketball school were classified into 6–9 y (n = 44) and 10–13 y (n = 54) groups. Anthropometry included height, mass, and the triponderal mass index (TMI). Motor performance comprised the 20 m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), and the Hexagon test. Agility was assessed with the V-CUT test. Pearson (and, where normality was violated, Spearman) correlations were computed; age-stratified hierarchical regressions identified determinants of V-CUT. Hierarchical regression was performed by adding TMI, 20 m sprint, CMJ, and Hexagon, respectively. Results: V-CUT time correlated strongly and positively with 20 m sprint in both groups (6–9 y: r =.807, p