Relationships Between Shot Velocity and Selected Performance and Anthropometric Characteristics in Football Players

This study examined the relationships between shot velocity and lower extremity volume, inter-limb asymmetry, anaerobic power output, vertical jump performance, sprint speed, and basic an-thropometric indicators in trained football players. Using a correlational research design, height and body mass of the voluntarily participating active players (n=24) were measured, body mass index was calculated, lower limb volumes were determined, and asymmetry ratios between the legs were obtained. Vertical jump performance was assessed using a digital jump measurement system, while sprint performance was evaluated through a 20-meter sprint test with photocell timing gates. An-aerobic performance was measured with the Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test, and shotveloc-ity was recorded using a radar-based speed measurement device while participants performed max-imal power shots with a standard football from a predetermined distance. All statistical analyses were conducted using GraphPad Prism software (Version 10.3.1). The findings demonstrated that there were no statistically significant relationships between shotvelocity and any of the evaluated physical or performance variables. The low correlation coefficients indicated that these variables do not strongly or directly predict shooting performance. These results support the notion that shoot-ing performance is multideterministic in nature. Shotvelocity cannot be explained by a single phys-ical or morphological parameter; rather, it appears to be influenced by the integrated interaction of technical skill, neuromuscular coordination, joint angular velocity of the lower limbs, kinematic movement quality, and the player’s cognitive-motor strategy.