Age-Related Variation in Change-of-Direction Performance and Deficit Among Late Childhood Boys

Effective coaching strategies for enhancing change-of-direction (COD) ability in older elementary school boys require innovative assessment approaches due to the pivotal role of this skill in motor control programs. We aimed to (a) conduct a cross-sectional comparison of differences in COD total time (CODT) and COD deficit (CODD) according to chronological age among boys aged 10–12 years and (b) investigate the association of CODT and CODD with height, body mass, and jumping ability. Seventy-eight Japanese boys with chronological age 10–12 years (10.0–10.9 years, n=26; 11.0–11.9 years, n=26; 12.0–12.9 years, n=26) performed 20-m sprint, 505COD, counter-movement jump (CMJ), and rebound jump (RJ) tests; their height and body mass were recorded. Unpaired one-way ANOVA was used to compare each variable between the three groups. CODT (F(2, 75) = 6.21, p = 0.003) and 10-m time (F(2, 75) = 9.49, p = 0.001) were significantly shorter in 12-year-olds than in 10-year-olds; however, no significant differences were observed in CODD, CMJ, and RJ-index. Regarding partial correlation coefficients, CODT showed a significant positive correlation with CODD and 20-m time (r = 0.67 to 0.76, p = 0.001) and a significant negative correlation with CMJ, RJ-index, and RJ-height (r = -0.43 to -0.53, p = 0.001). CODD demonstrated a significant positive correlation with height (r = 0.29, p = 0.011), body mass (r = 0.30, p = 0.008), and sprint momentum (r = 0.28, p = 0.013). These findings suggest that regarding CODD, the development of COD ability did not vary with age, indicating its association with morphological growth. Therefore, COD training should be provided according to children’s morphological and linear sprint speed development.