Variations in cricket players' upper body dynamic balance across different levels of competition

BACKGROUND

Balance ability has been associated with performance and injury prevention in athletes. Previous studies have investigated the differences in lower body dynamic balance abilities among male high school, collegiate and professional soccer players.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the differences on the Upper Quarter Y-Balance Test (UQYBT) in school, collegiate and employed cricket players.

SUBJECTS

Dynamic balance data were collected for school (SCH; n = 22), collegiate (COL; n = 19) and employed (EMP; n = 15) cricket players of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India using the UQYBT standardized protocol.

METHODS

For the UQYBT, the participant reached with one hand in the medial, superolateral and inferolateral directions while maintaining three points of contact (other hand and both feet). The test was performed for both non-dominant and dominant hands.

RESULTS

The SCH group had the least medial reach distance than the other two groups (p = 0.010). Also, SCH players tended to exhibit a lower composite reach score than the other groups, but this difference was not significant (p > 0.05). No bilateral differences were observed among the three groups in any of the reach directions.

CONCLUSIONS

Upper body dynamic balance performance varied with the competition level. This may indicate that athletes' movement strategies may be different depending on the competition level and that normative values may need to be established for each competition level.

Correlation Between Upper Body Balance, Muscle Strength, and Power in Cricketers Belonging to Different Age Groups

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess correlation between variables of upper body balance, muscular strength, and power in cricketers belonging to different age groups.

Methods

Forty-eight healthy male cricketers (26 adolescents aged 14-17 years and 22 adults aged 18-25 years) were recruited from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. After a warm-up, the participants underwent Upper Quarter Y Balance Test, backward overhead medicine ball throw test, and back-strength testing in a random order.

Results

Values of the Pearson correlation coefficient for muscle strength and upper body power were found to be 0.397 and 0.499 for adolescent and adult cricketers, respectively. Correlation coefficient values for upper body balance and strength range from -0.008 to 0.05 and 0.325 to 0.414 and for upper body balance and power range from 0.059 to 0.062 and 0.133 to 0.153 for adolescent and adult cricketers, respectively.

Conclusion

Statistically significant, moderate-sized correlations were demonstrated between muscular strength and upper body power in adolescent and adult cricketers. However, no correlations existed between upper body balance and power and upper body balance and muscular strength in these athletes.