Digitus Secundus and Digitus Medicinalis Ratio: Examination of Sporting Ability Predictor in Male Youth

Abstract

The phalangeal ratio of the digitus secundus (index finger) and digitus medicinalis (ring finger), widely known as the digit ratio (2D:4D), primarily acts as a marker for the amount of hormone testosterone exposure during the prenatal period. Higher prenatal testosterone exposure leads to a low digit ratio, which has been found to be correlated with a good level of performance in sports. Evidence shows that testosterone attributes such as aggression, masculinity, and high physical fitness contribute to sports performance. The process of identifying sports talent among youth is very important as recognizing sporting ability early can be advantageous, providing a longer time frame to develop elite athletes in the future. We examined the digit ratio of male youth subjects aged 17.0 ± 0.69 years (n = 60) by putting them through a series of physical fitness measures to examine the relationship of the digit ratio with performance in the tests. We found negative correlations between aerobic capacity and muscular power and the 2D:4D ratio. There was a positive correlation between the 2D:4D ratio and agility. However, there was no significant correlation between 2D:4D ratio and abdominal core strength. The positive results present more opportunities to be explored in talent identification, especially in the younger population; establishing the value of using the 2D:4D ratio as part of the process of identifying sporting ability could be highly beneficial and useful to the sports development agenda.