Tamás Szabó

Purpose: The assessment of endocrine status in elite athletes is typically linked to training load and perceived stress; however, the relationship between hormonal parameters and psychosomatic and stress indicators remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate the associations between endocrine status and stress, mood, and psychosomatic status indicators in elite handball players. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, salivary cortisol (with no strict control over wake-up time), testosterone, and—in female athletes—17-β-estradiol concentrations were assessed in 584 elite handball players aged 14–35 years using ELISA. Psychological variables were evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the Health Behavior in School-aged Children Symptom Checklist (HBSC-SCL). Associations were examined using non-parametric tests and general linear models adjusted for age. Results: Hormonal and psychological variables demonstrated significant age-related trends. No significant associations were observed between hormonal parameters and perceived stress or mood disturbance (values for the general linear model (GLM) were all p > 0.05). In contrast, psychosomatic symptom severity was significantly associated with cortisol levels in male athletes (GLM, p < 0.001) and testosterone levels in female athletes (GLM, p = 0.009). Multivariate analyses confirmed the relevance of psychosomatic symptoms and indicated interaction effects between stress-related factors. Conclusion: Psychosomatic symptoms were more closely associated with endocrine status than with perceived stress or mood disturbance in elite handball players. However, these associations were characterized by relatively small effect sizes, indicating that psychosomatic symptoms explain only a limited proportion of the variance in hormonal parameters. These findings suggest that psychosomatic indicators may provide a more sensitive reflection of physiological strain and support the use of integrated monitoring approaches combining endocrine and psychosomatic measures in elite sport. In practical terms, routine monitoring of psychosomatic symptoms alongside hormonal measures may help practitioners to identify early signs of physiological strain and support timely adjustments in training load and recovery strategies.

Change-of-direction (COD) ability is a key determinant of performance in youth basketball, yet the relative contribution of braking, re-acceleration, trunk motion, and body composition remains unclear. Thirty-two male U18 national-team level players (17.6 ± 0.7 y; 194.8 ± 4.5 cm; 89.1 ± 9.4 kg) completed whole-body and segmental DEXA assessment, bilateral countermovement jump (CMJ) testing and a 505 agility test (505) instrumented with a local positioning system. Mean COD times were 2.36 ± 0.09 s (505) and 1.84 ± 0.08 s (303), with maximal deceleration (DcMax) of −7.26 ± 0.52 m·s⁻². Paired t-tests showed no significant differences between right- and left-leg turns for any variable (all p > 0.25), indicating symmetrical COD performance. General linear models revealed that DcMax was the only consistent predictor of COD time (505: R² = 0.53, F (7,24) = 3.91, p = 0.006, partial η² = 0.31; 303: R² = 0.49, F(9,22) = 2.34, p = 0.050, partial η² = 0.34), with a smaller additional effect of approach speed for the 303 segment (p = 0.049). Body-composition indices and CMJ variables showed only weak, non-significant correlations with COD time (|r| < 0.30, p > 0.05), and neither centripetal force nor trunk angular speed was associated with performance. These findings indicate that high-intensity braking capacity, rather than muscle mass or jump power per se, is the primary mechanical determinant of COD in elite youth basketball, suggesting that deceleration-focused training should be prioritized in performance development.

Laboratory-based assessment of cardiorespiratory function is a widely applied method in sports science. Most performance evaluations focus on oxygen uptake parameters. Despite the well-established concept of oxygen deficit introduced by Hill in the 1920s, relatively few studies have examined its behavior during submaximal exercise, with limited exploration of deficit dynamics. The present study aimed to analyze the behavior of oxygen deficit in young female handball players (N = 42, age: 15.4 ± 1.3 years) during graded exercise. Oxygen deficit was estimated using the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) algorithm, restricted to subanaerobic threshold segments of a quasi-ramp exercise protocol. Cardiorespiratory parameters were measured with the spiroergometry test on treadmills, and body composition was assessed via Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Cluster and principal component analyzes revealed two distinct athlete profiles with statistically significant differences in both morphological and physiological traits. Cluster 2 showed significantly higher relative VO₂ peak (51.43 ± 3.70 vs. 45.70 ± 2.87 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; p < 0.001; Cohen’s d = 1.76), yet also exhibited a greater oxygen deficit per kilogram (39.03 ± 16.71 vs. 32.56 ± 14.33 mL·kg⁻¹; p = 0.018; d = 0.80). Cluster 1 had higher absolute body mass (69.67 ± 8.13 vs. 59.66 ± 6.81 kg; p < 0.001), skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.001), and fat mass (p < 0.001), indicating that body composition strongly influenced oxygen deficit values. The observed differences in oxygen deficit profiles suggest a strong influence of genetic predispositions, particularly in cardiovascular and muscular oxygen utilization capacity. Age also emerged as a critical factor in determining the potential for adaptation. Oxygen deficit during submaximal exercise appears to be a multifactorial phenomenon shaped by structural and physiological traits. While certain influencing factors can be modified through training, others especially those of genetic origin pose inherent limitations. Early development of cardiorespiratory capacity may offer the most effective strategy for long-term optimization.

In an earlier report, bone mineral reference values for young athletes were developed. This study addressed variations in bone mineral parameters of young athletes participating in sports with different mechanical loads. The bone mineral status of 1793 male and female athletes, 11 to 20 years of age, in several sports was measured with DEXA. Specific bone mineral parameters were converted to z-scores relative to age- and sex-specific reference values specified by the DEXA software. Z-score profiles and principal components analyses were used to identify body structural components in the young athletes and to evaluate the associations between the identified component and type of sport defined by mechanical load. A unique skeletomuscular robusticity of male wrestlers, pentathletes, and cyclists was noted: wrestlers had significantly more developed skeletomuscular robusticity and bone mineral density compared to the age-group average among elite athletes, while pentathletes and cyclists had lower bone mineral parameters than the age-group references among elite athletes. Among female athletes, bone mineral parameters of both the trunk and extremities of rhythmic gymnasts and pentathletes were significantly lower compared to the age-group means for elite athletes. The bone mineral development of elite young athletes varies with the impact forces associated with their respective sports. The skeletal development of cyclists, pentathletes, and rhythmic gymnasts should be monitored regularly as their bone development lags behind that of their athlete peers and the reference for the general population.

Talent selection is often affected by the relative age effects (RAEs), resulting in the overrepresentation of relatively older (vs. relatively younger) players among those selected. The use of sport-specific tasks is suggested to reduce RAEs during talent selection. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that talent selection including only sport-specific tasks is not affected by the RAEs and to analyse the body size and biological maturity of the top selection level according to relative age. Methods: Participants were U14 female (n = 5428) and U15 (n = 4408) male handball players participating in four programs consisting of four selection levels (local, county, regional, and national) grouped in bi-annual age. Handball-specific generic skills, position-specific technical drills and in-game performance were the selection criteria evaluated by experts and coaches. Body dimensions were measured and bone age, as an indicator of maturity, was estimated. The relative age quartile distributions within the bi-annual cohorts were examined using Chi-square and Odds Ratios. Results: In terms of all the registered players no RAEs were evident. However, the RAEs of moderate effect size were evident at the county level; χ² = 53.2 (girls) and 66.4 (boys), OR = 2.5 and 3.3, respectively. The RAEs of a large effect size were found at the regional level; χ² = 139.5 (girls) and 144.9 (boys), OR = 8.2 and 5.2, respectively. At national level, RAEs were still present, but with no further increase in the effect size. At the highest selection level, there were no differences in the anthropometric measures between the relatively older and younger players. Conclusion: The findings provide support to the hypothesis that the selection process exacerbates RAEs even when using only sport-specific selection criteria. The performance metrics in technical skills, but also coaching assessments are likely involved. In addition, an advanced maturity and/or an above-average body size increases the selection odds for relatively younger players.