{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T05:20:42Z","timestamp":1774416042322,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]],"date-time":"2022-04-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1650326400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Due to the growing engagement of youth in water polo practice, we aimed to characterize age-grouped players across anthropometric, general and specific motor abilities and contextual domains. We have also examined the associations of players\u2019 specific skills with their anthropometric and general motor characteristics. One-hundred-and-one male water polo players, grouped into 12-, 13- and 14-year age cohorts were recruited. One-way ANOVA explained age-cohort variance, and a multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between variables. The variance in cohorts was explained by arm span (25%), stature, hand breadth and length (17%) fat-free mass (18%), 20 m sprint (16%), sit-ups (18%), medicine ball throw (27%), anaerobic (31%) and aerobic performance (21%), change of direction (18%), and in-water vertical jump (14%). The variance of in-water vertical jump, 10 m sprint, change of direction and aerobic fitness for players\u2019 anthropometric characteristics were, 32, 25, 14 and 10% (respectively). The players\u2019 upper-limb explosive power explained 30, 22 and 17% of variance for in-water vertical jump, 10 m sprint and aerobic fitness, respectively. Body mass had an inverse, and arm span had a direct association with in-water vertical jump and swim velocity capability, arm span had an inverse and direct association with change of direction and aerobic fitness, respectively. The upper limbs\u2019 explosive power related directly to in-water vertical jump and aerobic fitness skills, but inversely with 10 m sprint scores.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19094938","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]],"date-time":"2022-04-19T02:39:31Z","timestamp":1650335971000},"page":"4938","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Youth Water Polo Performance Determinants: The INEX Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9847-791X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco","family":"Noronha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8124-3087","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sofia","family":"Canossa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4109-2939","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o P.","family":"Vilas-Boas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2038-393X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Afonso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0848-8226","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fl\u00e1vio","family":"Castro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Aquatic Sport Research Group, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5811-0443","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo J.","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"928","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsm.2006.029652","article-title":"A multidisciplinary selection model for youth soccer: The Ghent Youth Soccer Project","volume":"40","author":"Vaeyens","year":"2006","journal-title":"Br. 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