Somatotipo de Judo Argentino de Elite

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of the study was to determine the somatotype of the Argentine judokas of the senior category, who took part at the Argentine national championship of 2021, and to compare them between groups of body weight division. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 91 judokas participating in the national championship (24 women and 67 men). The somatotype was calculated using the Heath-Carter method. Results: The mean value of the female somatotype was 4.24-5.75-1.05 for the endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic components, respectively. The mean male somatotype value was 2.44-5.1-1.7. Each group was divided into 4 categories: light, medium, heavy, and weightless. The somatotype values of the women's lightweight category were 2.9-4.5-2.2, women's medium 4.1-5.2-1.5, women's heavy 4.8-5.8-0.6 and, women's free weight 6.8-10.1--2.3. For males, the values were: light 1.7-4.2-3, medium 2.4-5.2-1.4, heavy 4.5-6.8--0.2 and free weight 7.8-10.7--2.5. Conclusion: Differentiation by division of body weight makes it necessary to classify the somatotype more specifically since differences are found between the groups. The highest value of the endomorphic component was found in the weight-free categories, for both sexes. The highest ectomorphy scores were given in both lightweight categories. There is a coincidence of the mesomorphic component of the medium-weight group for both sexes. The data presented constitute a specific reference useful for evaluating and monitoring elite national judokas. It is considered relevant to link the somatotype with body composition, specific physical tests, and, sports results, to establish a better profile of the Argentine judoka.