Comparison of Motor Skills and Postures of Elite Male Teenage Volleyball and Basketball Players

Objective: To achieve the excellent levels of athletic performance, professional athletes need to do continuous exercises and strengthen special muscles of the body and have to spend a lot of time training in that sport. As a result, depending on the prevailing condition of each sport, the physical orientation and the degree of abnormalities of the athletes in that sport are affected. Methods: The current study is descriptive and cross-sectional. The statistical population was 12-14 years old boys in middle and high school. The statistical sample of this study included 30 people (13 volleyball players and 17 basketball players) with a targeted training rate of at least three sessions per week. The Chippaux Smirak Index (CSI) method was used to evaluate the arch of the foot and to determine the angles and degrees of kyphosis and lordosis in radiographs. Independent t-test and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare the variables of motor skills and posture by SPSS V. 18 at a significant level of 0.05. Results: The results of independent t-test to compare the variables of motor skills in the two groups of volleyball and basketball show that there is a significant difference between the two groups in the Sargent test and 4mX9m (P=0.000) (P≥0.05). The results were different in strength test (P=0.41) and Sit-up (P=0.75) so that there was no significant difference between the two groups (P≥0.05). The results of Mann-Whitney test to compare posture-related variables showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the parameters of varus, valgus, pronation, supination, lordosis, kyphosis, foot flat (P≥0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that volleyball players have more impressive and explosive power than basketball players, but in terms of muscle strength and endurance, there is not much difference between these two groups, which is probably due to the nature and specific characteristics of their sports. Therefore, it seems necessary to pay more attention to athletes’ training programs to improve their motor skills and physical condition. In this study, the behavior and common habits of the subjects in interaction with the environment and hereditary characteristics have not been studied, so more research is needed in the etiology of musculoskeletal abnormalities.