Research summary · Youth development
Fitness development trajectories in male youth athletes
A longitudinal meta-analysis estimates age-related trajectories for jumping, sprint and endurance performance during male adolescence.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Longitudinal systematic review and Bayesian multilevel meta-analysis
- Journal
- Sports Medicine - Open
- Population / context
- Male youth athletes · Nine sports
What the publication reports
Twenty-eight studies supplied 41 independent samples across nine sports. Estimated improvement peaked around age 13.2 for vertical jump and 13.8 for endurance, while 10-m sprint performance improved more linearly from ages 12 to 17.
Limits and interpretation
Eligible female data were insufficient, and trajectories are population-level estimates rather than maturation tests or selection cut-offs. Sport-specific absolute values and test protocols differed.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Development of Physical Fitness in Young Athletes: A Longitudinal Meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42811200DOI: 10.1186/s40798-026-01109-7Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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