Abstract
Background: An aspect that influences sport performance is maturation status, since, within the same chronological age group, boys who have advanced maturation outperform their late maturing peers in tests of muscular strength, power, and endurance. Therefore, the aims of the present study were: (i) to investigate the differences in biological maturation and anthropometric and morphological characteristics among three groups of Italian adolescents, two of which were sportive (practicing basketball and football) and one non-sportive, and (ii) to identify the anthropometric and morphological predictors that best discriminate these three groups. Methods: Sixty-one basketball and 62 soccer players and 68 non-sportive youths were measured (mean age = 13.0 ± 1.1 y). Anthropometric characteristics were taken and body mass index, cormic index, body composition parameters, and somatotype were derived. An estimation of maturity status was carried out considering the years from peak height velocity (PHV). Two-way 3 × 3 ANOVAs was performed on all anthropometric characteristics to test the differences within sport groups and maturity status groups. Discriminant function analysis (stepwise criteria) was then applied to anthropometric and body composition variables to classify subjects into the three different sport categories. Results: Differences in anthropometric characteristics were detected among the three groups. For somatotype, differences among all of the considered groups were higher for endomorphy (p < 0.001; effect size = 0.13). Biological maturity influences the differences in the anthropometric characteristics and body composition among subjects of the same chronological age during adolescence. The variables that best discriminated the three groups were represented by body composition parameters, body proportions, and body build. Conclusions: This study confirms that boys who practice sport present healthier body composition parameters, with lower level of fat parameters. The assessment of maturity status is a fundamental factor in explaining anthropometric and body composition differences among peers in this period. Its comprehension may assist coaches and technical staff in optimizing competitive efficiency and monitoring the success of training regimes.
Highlights
Soccer and basketball are among the most played team sports worldwide [1,2]
The anthropometric characteristics are decisive for an optimal physical level and, a good level in the game, and can be different depending on the type of sport practiced and on the game position [6,7,8]
The importance of a basketball player’s body size is well-documented: anthropometric characteristics, such as body fat, skinfold thickness, body height, arm span, and body circumferences, were determined to be the principal components in elite basketball players; they are often regarded as indicators of the level of play [1,17,18,19]
Summary
Both are team sports that depend on a combination of high levels of physical, technical, and tactical skills Their popularity is due to players’ athleticism, expressed by an optimal combination of body size, physique, motor abilities, and technical skills [1,3,4]. Measurements of individuals’ linear dimensions, body diameters, body mass, and skinfolds, which are considered the key components of the somatic build profile of an elite player, have been monitored [6,9]. Arnason et al [13] have shown that the anthropometrical profile of the soccer players has been associated with measures of matchrelated performance, and reported that teams with the highest fitness levels and the lowest percentage of body fat (%BF) had a higher league ranking. The variables that best discriminated the three groups were represented by body composition parameters, body proportions, and body build
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