Body physique and dominant somatotype in elite and low-profile athletes with different specializations

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Authors

Gutnik, B.I.
Zuoza, A.
Zuozienė, I.
Alekrinskis, A.
Nash, Derek
Scherbina, S.

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Degree

Grantor

Date

2015-07-31

Supervisors

Type

Journal Article

Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)

Keyword

somatype
morphology
athletes
anthropometry
anthroprometric indices

Citation

Gutnik, B., Zuoza, A., Zuoziene, I., Alekrinskis, A., Nash, D., & Scherbina, S. (2015). Body physique and dominant somatotype in elite and low-profile athletes with different specializations. Medicina (Kaunus), 51(4), pp.247-252. doi:10.1016/j.medici.2015.07.003

Abstract

Background and objective: Somatotyping is helpful in sports in which the body shape could influence the resulting performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the somatotype of high profile Lithuanian athletes in kayaking, basketball and football and to compare between disciplines and with low level sportsmen of the same age. Materials and methods: A total of 72 young male sportsmen aged from 18 to 24 years were divided into three groups (kayakers, basketball and football players). Each group contained almost equal numbers of low level and elite, international level sportsmen. Anthropometric measurements of the players were used to establish somatotypes. Results: The greatest difference was observed in the mesomorphic component of elite kayakers compared to the low profile sportsmen. Mesomorphy could also be used to predict sport ability. The range of mesomorphy for elite footballers was from 0 to 4.6, for basketball players from 4.6 to 5.9, and for kayaking, from 5.9 and higher. Individual groups of elite sportsmen displayed different modes of somatotype. The kayakers were predominantly endomorphic; the basketball players mostly endomorphic and the footballers most often ectomorphic. No distinguishable patterns of somatotype were displayed by the low level sportsmen. Conclusions: Morphometric characteristics of the athlete's body and the fractional somato- type can be used as guiders and markers of the chosen sport and method of training.

Publisher

Elsevier

Link to ePress publication

DOI

10.1016/j.medici.2015.07.003.

Copyright holder

© 2015 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

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Production and hosting by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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