Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42440644›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in sports and active living2026

Athletic performance levels across biological maturity status in youth soccer players.

Giuseppe Scardina, Guglielmo Pillitteri, Domenico Savio Salvatore Vicari, Alberto Canzone, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Valerio Giustino, Antonino Bianco

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Giuseppe ScardinaSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Guglielmo PillitteriSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Domenico Savio Salvatore VicariSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Alberto CanzoneSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Filipe Manuel ClementeEscola Superior Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico deViana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
Valerio GiustinoSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Antonino BiancoSport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Biological maturation can produce substantial inter-individual variability in physical performance among youth soccer players. However, whether its influence differs in magnitude across physical domains has been little examined within a testing battery. Methods: Forty-four youth male soccer players (13.12 ± 1.75 years; U13-U16) were assessed for countermovement jump (CMJ) height, lower limb peak power, sprint speed over 10 and 30 m (reflecting acceleration and maximal velocity, respectively), and VO2max. Predicted maturity status was classified into pre-, circa-, and post-PHV (peak height velocity) groups using the modified Mirwald equation. Group differences were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA. Results: Post-PHV group outperformed both pre- and circa-PHV groups across all outcomes ( Conclusion: Maturity status is associated with large performance advantages across all tested domains in youth soccer players. Post-PHV players demonstrated significantly higher performance in jumping, sprinting, aerobic capacity, and lower limb peak power and support the integration of predicted maturity assessments in physical profiling, training program design, as well as for facilitating talent identification.

Indexed as

biological maturationfootballmaturationmaturity offsetpeak height velocityperformancesoccertalent identification

Identifiers

PMID42440644
PMCPMC13333697

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.