Exploring differences in body composition and physical fitness between U11 and U12 soccer players: Implications for health promotion and athletic performance

Authors

  • Rafael Callejas Rosales Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences. University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
  • Alfonso Castillo-Rodriguez Department of Didactics of Languages, Arts and Sport, Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía-Tech, IBIMA, 29010 Málaga, Spain.
  • Omar Sánchez-Abselam Department of Didactics of Languages, Arts and Sport, Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía-Tech, IBIMA, 29010 Málaga, Spain.
  • Francisco Tomás González-Fernández Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences. University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.707751
Keywords: Youth Soccer, Physical Performance, Body Composition, Sports Development, Physical Fitness

Abstract

Soccer is a highly demanding sport requiring the integration of physical, technical, and tactical skills. This study aimed to compare anthropometric characteristics and physical performance between Spanish male soccer players aged 11 (U11) and 12 (U12), and to examine the relationships between body composition and fitness variables. Forty-two participants (21 U11 and 21 U12) underwent assessments of height, weight, body fat percentage, BMI, countermovement jump (CMJ), 10-meter sprint, 505 change-of-direction test (505 COD), and estimated VO₂max. Results showed that U12 players were significantly taller, heavier, and had lower body fat percentages than U11 players (p< 0.05). Physically, U12 players outperformed U11 in CMJ height (+27.7%), sprint speed (+3.4%), change-of-direction ability (+3.9%), and aerobic capacity (+9.5%). Correlation analysis revealed that better body composition profiles, specifically lower fat percentage and BMI, were associated with superior physical performance metrics (p<0.05). These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring growth and body composition in youth soccer for optimizing training and talent identification. Early physical development appears critical for enhancing athletic performance, supporting individualized training programs that integrate physical and technical preparation.

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Published
21-03-2026
How to Cite
Callejas Rosales, R., Castillo-Rodriguez, A., Sánchez-Abselam, O., & González-Fernández, F. T. (2026). Exploring differences in body composition and physical fitness between U11 and U12 soccer players: Implications for health promotion and athletic performance. SPORT TK-EuroAmerican Journal of Sport Sciences, 15, 10. https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.707751
Issue
Vol. 15 (2026)
Section
Articles

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The works and papers that are published in this Journal are subject to the following terms:

1. The Publication Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) has the Publication Rights (Copyright) to the published papers and works, and favors and permits the reusing of the same under the license indicated in point 2.

© Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2013

2. The papers and works are to be published in the digital edition of the Journal under the license Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No Comercial-Sin Obra Derivada 3.0 España (legal text). The copying, using, spreading, transmitting and publicly displaying of the papers, works or publication are permitted as long as: i) the authors and original sources (Journal, publisher and URL of the publication) are quoted; ii) it is not used for commercial benefit; iii) the existence and specifications of this users license are mentioned.

3. Conditions of Self-Archiving. It is permitted and encouraged that the authors spread electronically the pre-print (before printing) and/or post-print (the revised, evaluated and accepted) versions of their papers or works before their publication since this favors their circulation and early diffusion and therefore can help increase their citation and quotation, and also there reach through the academic community.