Evaluation Of Anthropometric Features Of Elite Volleyball And Basketball Female Players

Introduction
Many researchers agree that the basic precondition for female athletes to distinguish in high level performance is that
they have the anthropometric features that are appropriate for the sport which they are involved. The aim of the present
study was to record and evaluate the anthropometric characteristics and body composition of elite Volleyball and
Basketball female players.

Methods
The study involved 22 Greek National team women athletes (age 24.1±2.9 yrs, training age 11.5±2.4 yrs). 14 of them
were Volleyball (VB) players (age 23.8±3.3 yrs, training age 11.2±2.6 yrs) and Basketball (BB) players (age 24.6±2.5
yrs, training age 11.7±2.4 yrs). In total the athletes trained 10.8±0.7 months/yr, 6.4±1.3 sessions/wk and 2.2±0.4
hours/session. The body anthropometric measurements recorded were body mass, height, lengths, body girths, breadths
as well as body composition. Body fat was calculated by using the equation of Jackson et al. (1980) (3) and, also, waisthip-
ratio (WHR) was estimated (2). The independent t test was used to evaluate the differences between VB and BB
players. Statistical significance was set up at p<.05.

Results
The total body mass was 74.7±7.2 kg (78.2±5.8 kg and 70.6±6.6 kg for VB and BB players, respectively) and height
was 182.0±5.8 cm (184.0±4.7 cm and 179.0±6.3 cm for VB and BB players, respectively). BB had significantly (p<.05)
less body mass compared to VB players. Also, VB players showed significant greater values in height with two arms
raised and sitting height, iliac and thigh girths as well as trochander breadths and lower values in WHR, compared to
BB players (p<.05). Regarding body composition, VB also presented significant (p<.05) higher values in relation to BB
players in body fat percentage (%BF) (23.1±1.9% and 19.2±3.8% respectively) (figure 1).

Discussion/Conclusions
The results revealed that top VB players presented higher values in body mass, WHR, as well as iliac and thigh girths
compared to BB players (p<.05). This difference is possibly due to their significant higher level of %BF and to its
distribution related to heredity (2). The significant differences that VB athletes showed in height with two arms raised
and sitting height in relation to the corresponding BB athletes can be attributed to the specialized training requirements
of the game (1). Furthermore, the differences (p<.05) between the two subgroups in trochander breadths is probably
due to the specific excessive training load during adolescence (4). In conclusion, the anthropometric features which
Greek BB National team women players presented in height and segment lengths fell behind compared to those of VB
players in contrast to %BF that was at better levels. Body fat levels are not in line with international literature especially
for elite Greek VB women players where scientific dietary consultation is of crucial importance in order to maximize
athletes’ performance (5).

References
[1]Bosco P.C. (1990). Volleyball, 26-101.
[2]Heyward V.H. & Stolarczyk L.M. (1996). Applied body composition assessment. Human Kinetics.
[3]Jackson A.S. et al. (1980). Med Sci Sports Exerc 12: 175-182
Papadopoulou S.D. (2001). Anthropometric characteristis of Greek top volleyball players.
[4]The effect of demographic and socioeconomic factors on the differentiation between
competition levels. PhD Dissertation. Thessaloniki, Greece.
[5]Papadopoulou S.D. (2003). International Journal of Volleyball Research, 5(1), 26-29

NOTA: O texto com a iconografia está no anexo

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