Abstract
Background: Determining somatic models and profiles in young athletes has recently become a fundamental element in selecting basketball playing positions. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the body build of young and adult elite male basketball players at different playing positions. Methods: Participants consisted of 35 young (age: 14.09 ± 0.30 years, n = 35) and 35 adult professional basketball players (age: 24.45 ± 5.40 years, n = 35) competing in elite leagues. The anthropometric characteristics assessed included body mass, body height, skinfolds, somatotypes, girths, and breadths. Results: The centers in both age groups were significantly taller and heavier (p < 0.001) compared to forwards and guards. The greatest difference between categories were in the guards’ personal height (from 169.36 to 186.68 = 17.32 cm). The guards from the professional team were closest in height to the forwards (difference = 7.17 cm) compared to young players where the difference between guards and forwards was 13.23 cm. Young competitors were more ectomorphic (2.12-3.75-4.17), while professional players were more mesomorphic (2.26-4.57-3.04). Significant criteria for center selection at professional level seems to be personal height and arm span ratio. Conclusions: The results indicate that the selection for basketball playing positions should include the analysis of body height and mass, shoulder breadth, humerus breadth, femur breadth and specifically for centers the difference between personal the height and arm span.
Highlights
Performance in basketball depends on many factors, with the most important one being players’somatic build, as well as technical, tactical, motor, physiological, and psychological preparation.A basketball coach must supervise balanced development of players, i.e., physique, visual and motor coordination improvement and development of necessary motor abilities, considering evolutionary processes connected with the pace of growth and maturation of players [1,2,3]
Shapiro-Wilktest testrevealed revealedno nogrounds groundsfor forrejecting rejectingthe thehypothesis hypothesisofofnormality normalityininboth both groups without specification of playing position, and further in body height, body mass, fat groups without specification of playing position, and further in body height, body mass, fat percentage, percentage, breadth parameters and somototypes if players considering players position
Anthropometric characteristics characteristics of young and adult male players revealed that young demonstrated of young and adult male players revealed that young players demonstratedplayers significantly (p < 0.001)
Summary
Performance in basketball depends on many factors, with the most important one being players’somatic build, as well as technical, tactical, motor, physiological, and psychological preparation.A basketball coach must supervise balanced development of players, i.e., physique, visual and motor coordination improvement and development of necessary motor abilities, considering evolutionary processes connected with the pace of growth and maturation of players [1,2,3]. Anthropometric measurements, determination of somatic build models, and somatic profiles have recently become fundamental research areas for sports training specialists [4,5,6,7,8]. Sports 2018, 6, 9 performance predictor [5,9,10,11] Anthropometric characteristics, such as body fat, skinfold thickness, body height, arm span, and body circumferences, were determined to be principal components in elite basketball players; they are often regarded as indicators of the level of play [8]. Determining somatic models and profiles in young athletes has recently become a fundamental element in selecting basketball playing positions. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the body build of young and adult elite male basketball players at different playing positions. Young competitors were more ectomorphic (2.12-3.75-4.17), while professional players were more mesomorphic (2.26-4.57-3.04)
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