Investigation of the effect of high intensity exercise on bilateral deficit and inter-limb asymmetry in young male football players according to age and biological maturation

KOCA, C., Investigation of the Effect of High Intensity Exercise on Bilateral Deficit and Inter-Limb Asymmetry in Young Male Football Players According to Age and Biological Maturation, Hacettepe University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, MSc. Thesis in Movement and Training Sciences Program, 2024, Ankara. This study was conducted to examine the effect of high-intensity exercise on bilateral deficit and inter-limb asymmetry in young male football players according to age and biological maturation. 79 volunteer young male football players aged between 10-15 years who actively play football for at least two years participated in this study. Participants were divided in 3 different groups according to age: U-12 (n=27), U-14 (n=27) and U-16 (n=25); and were classified into 3 different groups according to their biological maturation levels, which were determined by calculating their distance from the peak height velocity (PHV) periods as pre-PHV (n=23), circa-PHV (n=12) and post-PHV (n=15). After anthropometric measurements, the descriptive information was recorded and biological maturation levels were determined. Participants performed bilateral and unilateral countermovement jump tests in random order before and immediately after the high-intensity exercise for the determination of bilateral deficit and inter-limb asymmetry. Running Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST), which is a 6 x 35 m running test separated by 10-second rest intervals, was performed as a high-intensity exercise. One-Way Analysis of Variance was performed to compare the results between independent groups and the difference between the groups was determined with the Scheffe Test. Changes in bilateral deficit and inter-limb asymmetry due to high-intensity exercise according to age and biological maturation was performed using a 3x2 (age/maturation x exercise) mixed design ANOVA with repeated measures. When the F statistic was found to be significant, Scheffe Multiple Comparison Test was applied. Results indicated no significant age effect and age x exercise interaction in bilateral deficit according to age (p>0,05) however, the exercise effect was found to be significant (F(1;76)=9,373; p=0,003; η2= 0,110). Similarly, in bilateral deficit, the maturation effect and maturation x exercise interaction were not significant according to biological maturation (p>0,05) while the exercise effect was found to be significant (F(1;76)=8,834; p=0,005; η2= 0,158). In inter-limb asymmetry, the age effect and age x exercise interaction were not significant (p>0,05) however, the exercise effect was significant F(1;47)=4,503; p=0,037; η2=0,056) according to maturation. Finally maturation effect, exercise effect and maturation x exercise interaction in inter-limb asymmetry were not statistically significant when groups were classified according to level of maturation (p>0,05). In conclusion, the findings of this study indicated that bilateral deficit and inter-limb asymmetry did not show variations according to age and biological maturation however they were affected from high-intensity exercise.