Indirect Role of Sprint Performance in the Relationship Between Explosive Power and Change-of-Direction Ability in Adolescent Athletes: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

Background: This study examines the hierarchical determinants of change-of-direction (COD) ability in adolescent athletes to assess whether sprint performance functions as a potential intermediate variable of the relationship between explosive power and COD performance. Methods: The study recruited 86 high school athlete participants. Explosive power was assessed using the countermovement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ). Sprint performance was evaluated using 10 m and 20 m sprint tests. COD performance was assessed using the 505 pre-planned COD test. Body composition was also recorded. Results: Correlation analyses indicates that 20 m sprint time was positively associated with COD performance (r = 0.67–0.82), whereas CMJ performance was significantly and negatively associated with COD performance (r = −0.65 to −0.68). Multiple regression analysis explained 63.6% of the variance in COD performance; sprint performance emerged as the strongest predictor. Indirect effect analysis showed that the effect of explosive power on COD performance is consistent with an indirect pathway by sprint performance. Structural equation modeling supported a hierarchical model: Explosive power was associated with sprint performance, which in turn was associated with COD ability. Conclusions: The findings suggest that improvements in COD performance among adolescent athletes may depend on enhancing explosive power while optimizing acceleration and speed-transfer capacity. These findings provide practical implications for athlete selection and training program design in youth sports.