Comparison of Sport Type on the Handgrip Strength Change in Young Athletes

Whether or not an athlete plays with sports equipment in their hands may influence handgrip strength (HGS) changes during development, but longitudinal studies have not confirmed this. This study compared one-year HGS changes between two sports types (soccer vs. kendo) in children and adolescent athletes. One hundred sixty-eight young athletes (86 kendo boys and 82 soccer boys) had two HGS measurements separated by 1 year. A 2 (sports) by 2 (timepoints 1 and 2) repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine whether HGS changed differently between sports. There was no evidence for a sport × time interaction in HGS (p = 0.14); however, the mean difference and 95% CI were in the direction of favoring a greater change in kendo athletes [difference of 0.6 (95% CI: -0.2, 1.5) kg]. There was a main effect of time and sport. Kendo athletes had a 4.6 (95% CI: 1.8, 7.5) kg greater HGS than soccer athletes. There was no evidence that the change in HGS between sports depended on the initial age of the athlete (p = 0.205). Using sports equipment during play may positively affect HGS.