Abstract

Background: Inter-limb asymmetry is a key factor in evaluating performance in unilateral sports such as volleyball. However, its behavior across different functional performance measures has not been fully established.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine upper limb inter-limb asymmetry in female collegiate volleyball players and to compare throwing power and dynamic balance between the dominant and non-dominant limbs.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 52 female collegiate volleyball players (age: 22.71 ± 3.26 years; height: 166.37 ± 4.55 cm; body mass: 60.50 ± 6.29 kg) selected through purposive sampling. Upper limb performance was assessed using the unilateral medicine ball throw test and the upper quarter Y-Balance Test. Data normality was confirmed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, and paired t-tests were applied to compare performance between limbs. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: The dominant limb demonstrated significantly greater performance in the medicine ball throw test compared with the non-dominant limb (p < 0.05). In contrast, no significant difference was observed between limbs in the Y-Balance Test (p > 0.05). The asymmetry index was 5% for throwing power and 0.5% for dynamic balance.
Conclusion: Female collegiate volleyball players exhibited a low magnitude of inter-limb asymmetry despite the unilateral nature of the sport. Although a significant difference was observed in throwing power, it remained within a functionally acceptable range. Given the cross-sectional design of the study, these findings should be interpreted with caution, particularly with respect to changes over time. The interpretation of these findings should take into account the characteristics of the study population.