AUTHOR=Pradas de la Fuente Francisco , Toro-Román Víctor , Ortega-Zayas Miguel Ángel , Moreno-Azze Alejandro TITLE=Physical fitness in young top level table tennis players: differences between sex, age and playing style JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living VOLUME=5 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1308960 DOI=10.3389/fspor.2023.1308960 ISSN=2624-9367 ABSTRACT=
Understanding the physical fitness of table tennis (TT) players could be interesting in improving the training process and evaluating talent. This study aimed to assess the physical fitness of U14 TT players and differentiate between sex, age and playing style. A total of 352 players (203 males and 149 females) aged between 9 and 13 years participated in the present study. Furthermore, the sample was divided according to playing style: offensive (OFF) and mixed + defensive (M + D). A battery of tests was carried out to assess cardiorespiratory capacity, speed, strength, flexibility and power. Both sexes reported significant differences in cardiorespiratory capacity and speed (