Relationship of Speed, Agility, Neuromuscular Power, and Selected Anthropometrical Variables and Performance Results of Male and Female Junior Tennis Players.

The aim of the study was to analyses the relation between the selected speed, agility, and neuromuscular power test items. The sample of subjects consisted of 154 male and 152 female young tennis players. Using six motor and three anthropometrical tests we investigate differences between males and females and between two age categories. Finally, we analyzed the relation between motor and anthropometrical tests and a player's tennis performance. The correlation between the two agility test items and 5-m sprint is very large in male players, while only moderate with 20-m sprint in female category. Male tennis players have higher correlations between speed test items and neuromuscular test items. The speed test item (5-m sprint) has large correlation with a player's tennis performance. One-way analysis of variance results indicated that young male tennis players performed significantly better than females in all motor test items. Significant differences between genders have not been revealed only in the body mass index. Differences between the males aged 18& under and 16& under have been noted as significant in all test items, except the vertical jump, while differences between the females have been noted as significant in three anthropometrical tests, quarter jump, and the fan-drill test. Regression analyses have shown that the system of prediction variables explains a relatively small part of variance (46%--males and 40%--females). In both genders, it has been revealed that test items measuring speed significantly influence a player's tennis performance.