Unilateral Isometric Force Development; a Determinant of Acceleration, in Adolescent Female Rugby Union Players

Davies, Jack ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0276-3728, Small, Anya, Mills, Claire D ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4156-4593 and Ware, Fiona (2026) Unilateral Isometric Force Development; a Determinant of Acceleration, in Adolescent Female Rugby Union Players. The Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 10 (1). pp. 71-77.

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Abstract

Introduction: Despite the growth in female participation within rugby union, research surrounding the assessment of force and acceleration remains underdeveloped. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between rate of force development and 5-metre sprint times in female rugby union players. Methods: n = 9 female athletes (age = 17 ± 0.5 years; height = 164.8 ± 4.24 cm; mass = 67.2 ± 13.16 kg) performed three maximal isometric pushes, followed by three maximal effort 5-metre sprints. Rate of force development at epochs of 30, 50, 75 and 100 milliseconds were correlated with sprint times. Statistical analysis included Pearson Correlation Coefficient, coefficient of variance and regression models. Results: Rate of force development the coefficient of variance (32.6 – 51.0%) data indicated poor reliability compared to 5-metre sprint data (6.8%). No significant relationship was found between variables (P = 0.428 – 0.902). However, rate of force development at 30ms had a moderate positive correlation with 5-metre sprint times (r = 0.303), compared to small, or less than, found at 50ms (r = 0.075), 75ms (r = 0.048) and 100ms (r = 0.127). A regression model found the results with a high variance inflation factor (30ms = 60.55) had no statistical significance (30ms P = 0.428). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that rate of force development could not be used to predict sprint times. Future research should aim to improve run-specific ankle isometric push protocols and use alternative metrics, such as peak force, in female youth rugby union athletes at a college level. Subsequently, more female rugby union athletes can gain experience in force expressing practices, aiding academically informed athletic programming for power and acceleration improvements specific to female populations.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Female athletes; Rugby union; Isometric force; Sprint acceleration; Adolescent
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology Q Science > QP Physiology > QP301.H75 Physiology. Sport
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education, Health and Sciences
Depositing User:	Claire Mills
Date Deposited:	14 Sep 2026 16:01
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2026 09:15
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16247

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