Are Scapular Muscle Strength and Endurance Associated with Performance-Related Physical Fitness in School Age Amateur Handball Players?

Purpose: To examine the relationship between scapular muscle strength and endurance, motivation to participate in sports and performancerelated physical fitness parameters in school-age amateur handball players.

Methods: The strength of the scapular muscles was evaluated with a digital dynamometer (Model-01165, Lafeyette Instrument®, USA), and muscular endurance was evaluated with the Scapular Muscular Endurance Test (SMET). Upper limb function and anaerobic power of athletes; Medicine Ball Throw Test (MBTT), reaction times; Nelson’s Hand Reaction Test (NHRT), upper limb agility and stabilization; Davies Test (DT) and Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKC UEST), arm motion speed; The Touching Discs Test (TDT) and motivation for participation in sports were evaluated using the Motivation for Participation in Sports Scale (MPSS). Spearman Correlation Analysis was applied, and the level of significance was accepted as p <0.05.

Results: A total of 27 amateur handball players, 18 (66.7%) female and 9 (33.3%) males, with a mean age of 10.52 ± 1.55 years participated in the study. Positive and significant relationships were found between scapular muscle strength values and DT, CKC UEST and MBTT values (p<0.05). Also, significant positive relationships were found between scapular muscular endurance values and DT, CKC UEST and MBTT values (p<0.05). No significant correlation was found between the MPSS values and performance-related physical fitness tests (p> 0.05)

Conclusion: In order to increase the athletic performance and upper extremity functionality in handball players, besides exercises aimed at developing scapular muscular endurance, strengthening exercises for scapular muscles should be included in training programs to increase arm movement speed and upper extremity agility and anaerobic power. Consequently, the authors believed that physical fitness levels and sportive success of handball players can be positively affected.

Keywords:Endurance; Handball; Participation in Sports; Physical Fitness; Strength.