Abstract
Background: The aim of the study was to determine the specificity of somatic build among girls practicing artistic gymnastics at the basic stage of training. Material/Methods: The study involved 12 8.9-year-old girls practicing artistic gymnastics at BKSG "Zawisza". The girls had 3.4 years of professional training experience and were affected by a six-week training (3-4 hours a day). They had the level of youth class. Anthropometric measurements of selected somatic characteristics have been taken. The results were subject to anthropology-specific classifications and statistical analysis. With the use of an expert method, the rating of technical preparation among gymnasts was made. The evaluation was performed by a team consisting of five experts - licensed referees. Results: The values of selected features and morphological indicators showed to be related to the gymnastsf technical level. Interdependence (p ≥ 0.05) was revealed in the body height, shoulders width and the shoulders indicator (a directly proportional character of correlation) and by the hips width (an inversely proportional correlation). The size of the critical correlation coefficient close to statistical significance was observed also for the body weight and for the thigh and lower leg perimeters. The results showed that during the early stages of training, requirements of the discipline favoured girls with bigger parameters of height, and weight - which does not coincide with the somatic model occurring among adult gymnasts. Conclusions: In artistic gymnastics at early stages of education the requirements and specificity of the discipline (concerning the body height and the body weight) were not contiguous to the somatic model of mature artistic gymnasts. This aspect should be taken into account when conducting level-based assessments and projecting the development of young adepts of artistic gymnastics as well as developing classification programs in the youngest sport classes (choosing exercise elements which would be associated as little as possible with a somatic factor deviating from the model of the discipline) or enabling their performance on modified gymnastic equipment specially adapted to the children' capabilities.
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