BODY COMPOSITION AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCCER PLAYERS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the differences among the top soccer players of the two clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, FC Sarajevo and FC Zeljeznicar, both from Sarajevo in the body composition and morphological characteristics. A sample of 51 subjects was divided into two sub-samples. The first sub-sample of the subjects consisted of 25 players FC Sarajevo of the average age 23.60±4.66, who occupied the first position on the table after the semi-season 2018/19, while the other sub-sample consisted of 26 players of FC Zeljeznicar of the average age of 23.58±4.93, who occupied the fourth position on the table after the semiseason 2018/19. Soccer players were tested between the two semi seasons of the championship 2018/19. Body composition and morphological characteristics in the were evaluated by a battery of 11 variables: body height, body weight, body mass index, fat percentage, muscle mass, upper leg skinfold, lower leg skinfold, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back and abdominal skinfold. The standard central and dispersion parameters of all variables were calculated. The significance of the differences between the players of the top two soccer clubs in the variables for assessing body composition and morphological characteristics was determined by a t-test for independent samples. It was found that the soccer players of the two mentioned clubs have statistically significant differences by the two variables that estimate the upper leg skinfold and triceps skinfold, in favor of FC Sarajevo.