Is explosive performance influenced by androgen levels in young male soccer players?

Objective: There is growing interest in the implementationand assessment of strength and conditioningprogrammes among young children. The purpose of thisstudy was to examine the association between givenanthropometric characteristics, pubertal development,salivary androgen hormones and explosive leg power inyoung soccer players.Methods: 51 (age range 10–14 years) soccer playerswere investigated. The relations between age, pubertaldevelopmental stages, testicular volume, weight, height,body fat, fat free mass, salivary DHEAS concentrations,salivary testosterone concentrations and lower limbexplosive power were evaluated.Results: Standing long jump length was positivelycorrelated (p,0.05) with age (11.7 (SD 1.2) years,r=0.66), pubertal developmental stages (mode andrange: 1 (1–4), r=0.64), testicular volume (8.8 (5.2) ml,r=0.58), height (1.50 (0.10) m, r=0.34), weight (43.7(9.1) kg, r=0.34), fat free mass (35.4 (7.2) kg,r=0.67), salivary DHEAS concentrations (4.4 (1.2) ng/ml,r=0.38) and negatively correlated with body fat (18.6(7.0) kg; r=20.49, p,0.05). There was no significantcorrelation between salivary testosterone concentrations(0.3 (0.1) ng/ml, r=0.12) and standing long jump.Conclusions: Results of the present investigationdemonstrated that age, pubertal developmental stages,testicular volume, weight, height, fat free mass, andsalivary DHEAS concentrations were associated withstanding long jump performance. In addition, salivarytestosterone concentrations were not related to explosiveleg power. Results of the present investigation suggestthat the teacher/coach should evaluate long jumpperformance relative to the subject’s given biologicalcharacteristics, and not simply established standardsbased on chronological age.