title: Generic anthropometric and performance characteristics among elite adolescent boys in nine different sports.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Flemish Sports Compass (FSC), a non-sport-specific generic testing battery. It was hypothesised that a set of 22 tests would have sufficient discriminant power to allocate athletes to their own sport based on a unique combination of test scores. First, discriminant analyses were applied to the 22 tests of anthropometry, physical fitness and motor coordination in 141 boys under age 18 (16.1 ± 0.8 years) and post age at peak height velocity (maturity offset = 2.674 ± 0.926) from Flemish Top Sport Academies for badminton, basketball, gymnastics, handball, judo, soccer, table tennis, triathlon and volleyball. Second, nine sequential discriminant analyses were used to assess the ability of a set of relevant performance characteristics classifying participants and non-participants for the respective sports. Discriminant analyses resulted in a 96.4% correct classification of all participants for the nine different sports. When focusing on relevant performance characteristics, 80.1% to 97.2% of the total test sample was classified correctly within their respective disciplines. The discriminating characteristics were briefly the following: flexibility in gymnastics, explosive lower-limb strength in badminton and volleyball, speed and agility in badminton, judo, soccer and volleyball, upper-body strength in badminton, basketball and gymnastics, cardiorespiratory endurance in triathletes, dribbling skills in handball, basketball and soccer and overhead-throwing skills in badminton and volleyball. The generic talent characteristics of the FSC enable the distinction of adolescent boys according to their particular sport. Implications for talent programmes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Movement and Sports Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pion
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Segers
authors.forename: Job
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fransen
authors.forename: Gijs
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Debuyck
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deprez
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haerens
authors.forename: Roel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vaeyens
authors.forename: Renaat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Philippaerts
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenoir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Testing; athletes; sports; talent detection; talent orientation