Strength, Agility, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Elite Male Futsal Players.
Huynh Viet Nam, Vo Van Vu, Bui Trong Toai and 3 others
PMID 41048415WHAT IT FOUND
In 18 elite male futsal players, greater knee flexor strength asymmetry related to higher functional strength but not to agility or balance.
Most strength measures showed no link to aerobic capacity, suggesting these qualities act independently in this group.
Key findings
01Knee flexor asymmetry showed a large positive correlation with functional strength in leg extension and leg curl, and a large negative correlation with agility asymmetry.
02Most lower limb strength measures, including asymmetry indices, showed no significant correlation with dynamic balance, agility, or aerobic capacity.
03The study found poor reliability for unilateral strength asymmetry indices and dynamic balance tests, indicating high variability in these measures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (18 players), which limits the stability of the correlation estimates. The study included only elite male players, so results cannot be generalized to female athletes or lower-level competitors. Several key measures, specifically asymmetry indices and dynamic balance, demonstrated poor reliability (high variability), making them less useful for clinical assessment. Strength was assessed only in the sagittal plane (forward/backward movements), ignoring hip abduction/adduction and rotation which are critical for multiplanar control. The cross-sectional design cannot determine cause and effect, only association.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted by researchers at a university and a professional sports club.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that correcting strength asymmetry will improve agility or balance. The study found no link between most asymmetry measures and dynamic performance, and the asymmetry tests themselves were unreliable.
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