Nikola Daničić1, Teodora Rakočević1, Borko Katanic2, Predrag Ilic3, Miljan Hadzovic4, Rada Rakocevic5
1University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2Montenegrin Sports Academy, Podgorica, Montenegro
3Association for Equine-Assisted Therapy "Let’s Ride Together", Belgrade, Serbia
4University of Nis, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Nis, Serbia
5Faculty of Education, Podgorica, Montenegro
Differences in Anthropometric Characteristics and Motor Abilities Between Youth Female Volleyball Players and Non-Athletes, and Their Interrelationships in the Total Sample
J. Anthr. Sport Phys. Educ. 2026, 10(2), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/jaspe.260401
Abstract
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine potential differences in body characteristics and motor abilities between young girls enrolled in a volleyball school and those not participating in any organized sports activities. Additionally, the study sought to investigate the relationships between anthropometric and motor parameters. The anthropometric evaluation included three morphological variables: body height (BH), body mass (BM), and body mass index (BMI). For the assessment of motor abilities in girls, a battery of standardized field tests was used, including the following tasks: Plate Tapping Test, Flying 20 m test, Japan Test, 2 kg seated medicine ball throw, Standing Broad Jump, 30-second sit-up test, 30-second squat test, shoulder rotation with stick test, and Side Steps test. The results of the Mann–Whitney U test indicate that volleyball players achieved significantly better results in most of the examined variables (p<0.05), particularly in speed, agility, explosive and repetitive strength, as well as coordination. The effect sizes, which were moderate to very large in most variables, suggest that the observed differences are not only significant but also practically meaningful, representing the outcome of a systematic and continuous volleyball training process. The correlation test revealed a strong relationship between body dimensions and strength-related tests, as well as pronounced interconnections among speed- and agility-related abilities. In contrast, flexibility appears to represent a relatively isolated motor component within the analyzed model. Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that volleyball, as a sports activity, represents an effective model of physical exercise for improving motor abilities and the overall physical development of girls.
Keywords
morphological composition, motor performance, physical fitness, youth athletes, volleyball
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