Comparison between individual and team sports in physical fitness during the pre-competition phase / Nurshammeza Mohd Shamsul ... [et al.].

Periodization divides training into phases. The pre-competition phase focuses on sport specific skills and intensity. This study compared individual and team sport athletes. Results showed no significant differences in body composition, flexibility, muscular power, or cardiovascular endurance. However, individual sport athletes had lower muscular endurance than team sport athletes. This suggests that training programs should be tailored to each sport’s needs during the pre-competition phase. Further research is needed to understand factors and evaluate the effectiveness of tailored interventions. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests to compare the physical fitness variables between individual and team sports athletes. The independent t-test analysis revealed that there were no significant differences between individual and team sports athletes in body composition (BMI: individual sports = 21.17 ± 3.05, team sports = 21.39 ± 2.83, t (90) = -0.346, p = 0.730), flexibility (sit-and-reach test: individual sports = 37.48 ± 6.59cm, team sports = 39.61 ± 5.69cm, t (90) = -1.658, p = 0.101 muscular power (countermovement jump test: individual sports = 41.17 ± 11.16, team sports = 41.68 ± 13.85, t (90) = - 0.195, p = 0.846), and cardiovascular endurance (yoyo endurance test: individual sports = 43.28 ± 7.89ml/kg/min, team sports = 40.33 ± 7.43ml/kg/min, t (90) = 1.846, p = 0.068). However, a highly significant difference was found in muscular endurance between the two groups during the precompetition phase (1-minute push-up test: individual sports = 27.65 ± 12.24, team sports = 40.33 ± 7.43, t (90) = 4.357, p < 0.01). This study indicates that while body composition, flexibility, muscular power, and cardiovascular endurance do not significantly differ between individual and team sports athletes during the pre-competition phase, muscular endurance does show a marked difference. These findings suggest that training programs during the pre-competition phase may need to be tailored differently for individual and team sport athletes to address specific fitness components effectively. Future research should explore the underlying factors contributing to these differences and evaluate the long-term impacts of tailored training interventions on athletic performance.