Does the Background of a Long Term Involvement in Extra Curricular Sports Affect the Physical Fitness Differences between Preadolescent Boys and Girls?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in physical fitness between 10-12 year-old preadolescent boys and girls and whether these differences are affected by the children’s background of involvement in sports. Preadolescent students (198 boys and girls) participated in the study. The basic components of physical fitness were measured by using part of the Eurofit battery test for children, including the sit and reach, the standing broad jump, the shuttle run 10×5m and the shuttle run 20m. Τhe agility T-test, and the single-handed overhead throw were also used. A two-way analysis of Variance, conducted for each physical fitness component, indicated a sports background and gender interaction effect on standing broad Jump (F(2,192)=3.54, p<.05), on 20m shuttle run (F(2,192)=5.02, p<.01), and single-handed overhead throw (F(2,192)=6.73, p<.01). The study indicated that there were no performance differences between boys and girls, in power of upper and lower limbs, as well as in aerobic capacity, when both genders did not have a background in sports. However, the boys’ performance was superior to girls’ when both genders had the same background in sports and boys significantly improved their performance in these fitness components, when their background in sports increased.