Abstract
Background and objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution in female volleyball players with regards to (a) variation by anatomical site, (b) differences among age groups and playing positions, and (c) physiological characteristics associated with performance. Materials and Methods: Participants were adolescent (n = 89, age 15.6 ± 0.9 years, mean ± standard deviation) and adult female volleyball players (n = 78, 24.8 ± 5.3 years), who performed a series of anthropometric and performance tests including skinfold thickness in 10 sites, Abalakov jump (AJ) and handgrip test (HG). Results: Chin had the smallest thickness, and iliac crest and abdomen the largest. The largest correlations of skinfold thickness were shown with regards to AJ ad HG. Coefficient of variations in skinfold thickness correlated with performance indices with small magnitude. Triceps and chin were the most frequent predictors of performance indices. The anatomical site of skinfold was near the active muscle groups related to performance in HG. Conclusions: In conclusion, performance indices such AJ and HG were related with thickness of specific skinfolds and with the variation of thickness by anatomical site (i.e., the less the variation, the better the performance). Considering the relevance of specific skinfolds (e.g., triceps and chin) for performance, their further use would be recommended for purposes of training monitoring, volleyball players’ selection and talent identification.
Highlights
The relationship of fat mass and percentage of body fat (BF) with performance in volleyball has been identified since many decades [1,2], where it was observed that women of high performance level had low BF
No difference in skinfold thickness among playing positions was observed for any anatomical site
The main findings of the present study was that (a) the chin had the smallest thickness, and iliac crest and abdomen the largest; (b) no difference was observed in skinfold thickness between adolescent and adult participants; (c) neither age x anatomical site nor playing position × anatomical site interaction on skinfold thickness were observed; (d) the largest correlations of skinfold thickness were shown in Abalakov jump (AJ) ad handgrip test (HG); (e) Coefficient of variation (CV) correlated with performance indices with small magnitude; (f) triceps and chin were the most frequent predictors of performance indices; and (g) the anatomical site of skinfold was near the active muscle groups related to performance in HG
Summary
The relationship of fat mass and percentage of body fat (BF) with performance in volleyball has been identified since many decades [1,2], where it was observed that women of high performance level had low BF. It has been shown that BF varied by playing position in national level volleyball players with the largest score in setters [8]. The aim of the present study was to examine subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution in female volleyball players with regards to (a) variation by anatomical site, (b) differences among age groups and playing positions, and (c) physiological characteristics associated with performance. The largest correlations of skinfold thickness were shown with regards to AJ ad HG. Coefficient of variations in skinfold thickness correlated with performance indices with small magnitude. Conclusions: In conclusion, performance indices such AJ and HG were related with thickness of specific skinfolds and with the variation of thickness by anatomical site (i.e., the less the variation, the better the performance). Considering the relevance of specific skinfolds (e.g., triceps and chin) for performance, their further use would be recommended for purposes of training monitoring, volleyball players’ selection and talent identification
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