The change of direction speed performance of hearing-impaired netball players

Abstract

The ability to change body direction in varying speed efficiently serves as an important attribute for netball players. It is also influenced by a variety of physical factors. This study aims to compare the change of directions speed (CODS) between young, hearing-impaired netball players and young, normal netball players. Seventy-five young, netball players (32 hearing-impaired - HI group, 43 normal netball players) aged 13 to 18 years (HI, M = 15.28 yr., SD = 1.35; Normal, M = 16.02 yr., SD = 1.2) underwent three CODS testing: T-Test agility, Zigzag agility test, and 505 agility tests. Results indicated significant performance differences between groups in which the younger HI netball players performed lower than the older HI netball players and the normal netball players. Postural stability and balance ability might have rendered the HI CODS performance, especially in the T-Test agility. Complexity of movement should be considered in selecting suitable CODS testing instrument for the HI population.