Relationship Between Agility, Change of Direction Ability, and Competitive Level in Youth Female Soccer Players: A Case Study of a High School Soccer Team
Hironaga Ito and Yuto Naito
[Received November 27, 2024; Accepted May 19, 2025]
This study examined the relationship between agility, change of direction (COD) abilities, and competitive level in youth female soccer players. Additionally, it examined the relationship between agility and COD abilities and physical capacity. Twenty-eight female high school soccer players participated in this study. All participants completed the reactive shuttle test, pro-agility test, linear sprints, counter movement jump, rebound jump, and standing long jump. The first team’s players demonstrated significantly better results in the reactive shuttle test (first team, 5.74 [5.56-5.89]; second team, 5.92 [5.81-5.97]) and pro-agility test (first team, 5.00 [4.91-5.03]; 5.08 [5.07-5.21]), with large effect sizes. Although the pro-agility test was significantly correlated with physical capacity and COD deficit, the reactive shuttle test showed no correlation with these metrics. The findings indicate that the reactive shuttle and pro-agility tests can effectively distinguish competitive levels among youth female soccer players. However, when the difference in competitive level is pronounced, COD abilities may further emphasize this disparity. Although physical capacity contributes to pro-agility test times, the reactive shuttle test appears to be influenced more by factors such as technical skills and cognitive decision-making rather than solely by physical capacity.
Keywords: reactive shuttle test, pro-agility test, female soccer player, agility, change-of-direction
[Football Science Vol. 22, 37-44, 2025]
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