Anthropometric characteristics of handball adult athletes

Abstract

Rua Desenhista Luiz Guimaraes, 260 apt. 601 Barra da Tijuca Rio de Janeiro CEP: 22793-916 Brazil ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to characterize the anthropometric aspects and also the body composition of the athletes who have taken part at the Amazon Adult Male Cup of Clubs, in the year of 2002. Besides defi ning the athletes’ position per game, it was considered the characteristics of the best player per game in each position. Therefore, some measures were taken: body mass, stature, width of the sail, hand size, wrist width, lower extremity length, sitting height, forearm circumference, abdominal circumference, % fat, fat mass, lean body mass. For the results analysis it was used score Z, considering the results of the best player and the average obtained by the others players of the same position. The results have shown that the best players and the others players of distinct positions presented values lower than the suggested average for the players of this sport, except for the left and right wings and the background central, in fat percentage. Despite the scarcity of data about this sport, these can be taken as initial parameters, and more studies should be developed aiming to characterize not only adult athletes, but also athletes of different age levels, what later on will serve as reference parameters for the improvement of athletes that practice this modality of sport, in Brazilian north region.