Motor-functional profile of footballers of junior and cadet age

• Published in: Turkish journal of kinesiology Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 31 - 38
• Main Authors: ANĐELIĆ, Milan, VASIĆ, Goran, KARIŠIK, Siniša, GORANOVIĆ, Kosta, RAJIĆ, Branislav, JOKSIMOVIC, Marko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 31.03.2021
• ISSN: 2459-0134; 2459-0134
• DOI: 10.31459/turkjkin.894737

Football is probably the most popular game around the world, having taken over the globe with 256 million registered players in 208 countries. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in motor and functional abilities between football players of junior and cadet age. The research included a sample of 39 football players of the Kicker Football Club from Kraljevo, divided into two subsamples: 20 football players of junior age of chronological age of 17 ± 0.6 years and 19 football players of cadet age of chronological age of 15 ± 0.6 years. The following tests were used to assess motor skills: Starting acceleration at 10 m, Starting acceleration at 10 m flying start, maximum running speed during the test at 10 m, maximum running speed during the test at 10 m flying start, Illinois Agility test, while the following tests were used to assess functional abilities: Maximum oxygen consumption and maximum heart rates. The results of the study indicate that statistically significant differences were recorded only in motor abilities. The emphasis on working with younger categories should be placed on the long-term development process, to enable better success in senior age.