Relationship between Physical Fitness and Match-Play Performance among Youth Netball Players

Abstract

Physical fitness has long been shown to be crucial for athletes due to its contribution to decrease injury and health risks. In sport, physical fitness is important to increase athletes’ ability to perform technical movement and follow coaches’ tactical plan in the game. This study aims to investigate the anthropometric, physiological, and match-play performance of netball players and examine the relationship between physical fitness and game characteristics among netball players. Material and Methods: A total of ninety-one female netball players (mean ±SD: age 18.78 ±5.41 years, height 1.60 ±0.01 m, and weight 56.13 ± 6.40 kg) participated in this study. Participants underwent standard anthropometry measurement (height, weight, and body mass index) and physical fitness evaluation (standing long jump, 20-meter sprint, agility T-test, sit and reach test, and multistage fitness test). Results: The findings of anthropometric and physical fitness showed that qualified players had significantly superior performance in agility, flexibility, and VO2 max components than non-qualified players, p