Strength and speed differentiation abilities in young athletes.

The aim of this study was to assess the trends and the different variability of performances in 6 coordinative tests of Movement Differentiation Ability (MTA). 1470 males and 692 females, 11 to 14 years old, practising 30 different sports, were involved in the study. The performed test were: handgrip with 2 hands and dynamometry of leg extensor muscles, standing long jump, basketball sitting throw, and 60-m speed. After determining the maximal performance, sub-maximal trials equal to the 75% of the maximal were required to the subjects. The results showed that in the dynamometric trials the subjects were more accurate, while in the speed test the actual sub-maximal performance was very different compared to the target. The trends of the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile showed a peculiar outcome for each kind of trial. In conclusion, each MTA test presents developmental trends differing from the others, and from the other coordinative abilities.