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Abstract Background Diminished balance is associated with the incidence of ankle and lower extremity injuries in adolescents. Although flexible flatfoot is a common foot condition in pediatric and adolescent populations, the association between balance control and foot morphology remain unclear in adolescent athletes. Methods Rearfoot angle in the double-limb standing position, body mass index (BMI), and isometric muscle strength related to the knee joint were retrospectively reviewed in 101 adolescent athletes (75 boys and 26 girls) with a mean age of 14.0 years (range 12–17). Postural stability during single-leg standing on static and dynamic platforms was investigated using Balance System SD in 119 feet without functional ankle instability. The participants were divided according to their rearfoot angle into control (less than 7°) and valgus (greater than or equal to 7°) groups. The measured parameters were compared between the control and valgus groups using Welch’s t-test, and P values

We assessed whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related disruptions impacted the physical fitness of adolescent athletes. We reviewed the age-, sex-, and sports category-matched data of 78 adolescent athletes (divided into two groups: 2019 group = 37; 2020 group = 41) from the clinical database and investigated their height, weight, body composition, flexibility muscle strength, and jump height. We also provided questionnaires to the teams’ coaches to collect data on the duration of practice suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the practice hours per week in August 2019, immediately after the suspension ended, and in August 2020; and the guidelines for the players after resuming their practice. For data analyses, we considered p ≤ 0.05 as statistically significant. The strength of knee flexion and extension was significantly lower in the 2020 group than in the 2019 group; there was no difference in the other physical fitness parameters. The practice duration in August 2019 and August 2020 was the same. COVID-19-related interruptions did not alter the athletes’ jump height, upper-limb strength, and flexibility but reduced lower-limb muscle strength. We recommend that basic strength training protocols be followed to prevent sports-related injuries after such unexpected practice interruptions.