Investigation of Functional Movement Assessment Scores of Athletes in Different Branches According to Their Biological Maturation Status

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effect of athletes' biological maturation levels on their functional movement assessment (FMS) scores. FMS tests were applied to 243 male athletes in different sports branches in Kırıkkale province according to their biological maturation levels. Data on age, height, sitting height, body weight, BMI and FMS test were collected. FMS tests were scored between 0-3. Statistical data were analyzed in IBM SPSS 28.0. The findings showed that early-maturing athletes had higher scores than timely- and late-maturing athletes in height, sitting height, body weight, and body mass index scores according to the maturity status and branches of the athletes, and early- and timely-maturing athletes had higher performance than late-maturing athletes in Functional Movement Screening (FMS) total scores according to their sports branches and maturity status. As a result, it was seen that early maturing athletes achieved higher FMS scores. Early biological maturation is associated with better muscle control, improved motor skills, and a lower risk of injury. The study reveals that the level of biological development directly affects the movement quality and performance of athletes. The study emphasizes that customizing training programs according to the biological maturation levels of athletes is important for athlete health and safety. These findings suggest that by monitoring the developmental processes of young athletes, training programs can be made more efficient and injury risks can be reduced. Keywords: Young athletes, biological maturation, functional movement assessment (FMS)