The effect of hand grip strength on dexterity in specific sport branches

In this study, the effect of hand grip strength on hand dexterity was examined in basketball, volleyball and handball players who use their hands intensively. A total of 45 volunteered male players from each branch equally between the age of 18-25 at Gaziantep University Faculty of Sport Sciences was contributed to this research. The demographic information (age, height, weight) of the players included in this cross-sectional study were taken. Subsequently, Bioelectrical Impedance analysis (BIA) and Tanita-BC 418 MA device were used to measure body fat percentage. Jamar brand dynamometer was used for measuring hand grip strength and nine-hole peg test was used to measure hand skills hand grip strength measurements were taken 3 times and then the average was evaluated. Also, the dexterity measurements were taken from the right and left hand twice and the mean was evaluated. In all branches, Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between hand grip strength and dexterity. As a result of this study, it was conducted that there was no statistically significant relationship between hand grip strength and dexterity in basketball players. However, it was identified that there was significant relationship in negative way between right hand grip strength and left hand skill in handball players (r=-0.505; p=0.050) and right hand grip strength and right hand skills in volleyball players (r=-0.549; p=0.034). Therefore, it was conducted that there was no statistically significant relationship between hand grip strength and dexterity in basketball players. İt was determined that left hand skills were lower in handball players whose right hand grip skills were higher and right hand skills were lower in volleyball players whose right hand grip skills were higher.