Contributing Factors to Sensorimotor Adaptability in Reactive Agility Performance in Youth Athletes

Teresa Zwierko; Anna Nowakowska; Wojciech Jedziniak; Marek Popowczak; Jarosław Domaradzki; Joanna Kubaszewska; Mariusz Kaczmarczyk; Andrzej Ciechanowicz

doi:10.2478/hukin-2022-0067

Contributing Factors to Sensorimotor Adaptability in Reactive Agility Performance in Youth Athletes

J Hum Kinet. 2022 Sep 8:83:39-48. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2022-0067. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

Teresa Zwierko¹, Anna Nowakowska¹, Wojciech Jedziniak¹, Marek Popowczak², Jarosław Domaradzki³, Joanna Kubaszewska¹, Mariusz Kaczmarczyk⁴, Andrzej Ciechanowicz⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Physical Culture Sciences, Functional and Structural Human Research Centre, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.
² Department of Team Games, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University School of Physical Education in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
³ Department of Biostructure, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University School of Physical Education in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
⁴ Department of Clinical and Molecular Biochemistry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.

Abstract

Sensorimotor adaptability facilitates adjusting behaviour for changing environmental stimuli to maintain appropriate goal-directed motor performance. Its effectiveness is associated with perceptual-cognitive modulation. As the factors affecting it are still not completely known, the aim of our study was therefore to analyse the association between selected variables (demographic, training, anthropometric, genetic) and sensorimotor adaptation in reactive agility tasks in youth team-sport athletes. The study group consisted of 85 youth athletes (aged 12.61 ± 0.98 years). Based on an initial evaluation, participants were divided into faster and slower agility groups. The resultant differences between change of direction speed tests and reactive agility tests provided the REAC-INDEX as a dependent variable. The independent variables were as follows: gender, calendar age, body mass, height, BMI, maturity offset, training status and the BDNF rs6265 polymorphism. Multiple linear regression showed that the maturity offset (ß = 0.269; p = 0.012) and calendar age (ß = -0.411; p < 0.001) significantly contributed to the REAC-INDEX of all participants (R² = 0.13). In the slower group, the c.196G BDNF allele had a significant influence (ß = -0.140; p = 0.044) on the REAC-INDEX. The best predictive model comprised female gender (ß = 0.799; p < 0.001), maturity offset (ß = -0.586; p < 0.001) and training experience (ß = -0.225; p = 0.009), contributing to 49% of RA variance. Sensorimotor adaptability is mainly dependent on gender and age, and can be improved through systematic sports training. The BDNF rs6265 polymorphism may be considered a contributing factor to SA variability in the initial stages of training, although polymorphism-related differences blurred as the effect of participation in sports training increased.

Keywords: age; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; gender; maturity; team sport games.