Senior lecturer Jovica Peulich¹
Senior lecturer V.S. Timofeyev¹
PhD, Associate Professor M.L. Borokhin¹
PhD, Associate Professor N.P. Olesov^1
1Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk

Keywords: students, basketball, anthropometric measurements.

Background. Competitive progress in many sports is known to depend on the individual anthropometric measurements; and body composition analysis is instrumental in many areas of practical interest and sport studies [1]. Anthropometry may be described as a human body metering method. Developmental effects of some sets of physical practices may be rated by variations of anthropometric measurements and, hence, regular anthropometrical tests need to be used to profile these variations [5].

It is important to have due morphological data flow in a junior athletes’ training process since different body parts grow and develop at different paces and attain developmental peaks at different times. This is the reason why a basketball player’s body morphology normally varies from one growth stage to the other, with inputs of some morphological parameters showing different variations with time in the overall individual morphology of a basketball player [7].

Objective of the study was to, first, find the range of the body structure variations in the first and second strings of basketball team versus the beginner team; and, second, rate the bodily morphology variations in the basketball training process to lay a sound practical foundation for the basketball training, education and players’ qualification processes.

Methods and structure of the study. The article analyses the morphological data of 40 academic basketball players from North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) aged 18-23 years and split up into the following groups: Group 1 (n=13); Group 2 (n=15); and Group 3 (beginner players, n=12). The students’ anthropometric measurements were obtained by the basketball-specific tests as recommended by the International Biological Program (IBP).

The students’ anthropometric measurements were as follows:

(1) Longitudinal skeletal measurements: body length; body length with arms stretched; sitting body length; arm length; leg length; foot length.

(2) Transversal body measurements: pelvis width; shoulder width.

(3) Body volume and mass measurements: body mass; chest circumference; abdomen circumference.

(4) Subcutis measurements: chest/ dorsal/ abdominal/ biceps/ triceps/ upper arm/ thigh and shin skinfold thicknesses.

The combined anthropometric measurements were performed at the Health Improvement and Rehabilitation Centre of the Physical Culture and Sport Institute using the following test equipment: anthropometer; Tanita scales; flexible ruler; and John Bull caliper. The test data were processed by the SPSS 20 statistical data processing toolkit.

Study results and discussion. Analyses of the available statistical data give the means to assume that the basketball players’ qualification process is driven by the body height (i.e. longitudinal skeletal measurements) rather than the body volume and mass measurements. Furthermore, it should be noted that all the study groups were found fairly consistent in the transverse bodily anthropometric measurements. The skinfold thickness data showed notable intergroup differences apparently due to the environmental and nutritional factors plus the genetic predispositions.

The Wilks lambda rates showed no statistically significant intergroup differences (p = 0.76) in the morphological range of F = 0.74. Analyses of test data variations gave the means to conclude that most important for the study purposes are the following anthropometric measurements: body length; body length with the arms stretched; arm length; leg length and foot length.

The analyses failed to find any significant variations of the other variables under the study, with the data arrays being similar in the sample (р>0.05). Having analysed the data arrays using the Bonferroni correction, we found significant intergroup differences in Groups 1 versus Group 2 in favour of Group 1 in the following anthropometric measurements: (1) body length variations; (2) arm length variations; (3) leg length variations; and (4) foot length variations.

Based on the above study data, we found the reasons to conclude that the prior players’ qualification to the first string was dominated by the longitudinal skeletal measurements. The Group 1 subjects were found dominating in every analysed variable. It is important that the beginner Group 3 showed fairly little differences in the test data versus the Group 1 and 2; and it means that some of the beginner players have a chance to qualify for the second or even first string of the team.

The skinfold data variations showed some statistically significant differences, and it should be noted that Group 1 still has opportunities to improve in this aspect.

Conclusion. Athletes’ morphology rating studies give the means to develop certain ideal anthropometric models for different sport disciplines, as the bodily anthropometric measurements are often rather specific for sport disciplines as a result of both the qualification process and special sport-specific physical development processes. It is only natural that many bodily measurements are found to change with the sport progress – including body volume, mass, shoulder width etc., with body length, for instance, staying the same.

The practical anthropometric measurements and analyses confirmed the importance and practical value of some of the traditional basketball qualification practices that give the top priority to tall, long-handed and long-legged rather than thick-skinfolds-tested candidates, followed by individualised trainings that may increase or decrease the body mass [3]. Average genetic bone size is 0.98; genetic body volume is 0.90; and genetic subcutis is 0.50. It was found that the trainees with the lowest genetic indices show the highest anthropometric variations in a training process [4]. The higher is the athletic fitness the lower is the bodily fat rate [6]. The individual overall fat rate variations are somewhat determined by the relevant genetic factors albeit much more by the nutrients, endocrinal factors and physical activity.

The study found the body morphology of successful players being dominated by the higher body and limb lengths, with the high subcutis fat rates being of negative effect on the competitive progress on the whole and the motor activity and functionality rates in particular.

The successful basketball players’ morphological types were found to vary within certain ranges specific for the players’ playing positions (playmaker, forward, back or centre). On the whole, a potentially successful basketball player needs to be qualified with a top priority given to the following data: high body length; long arms; high anaerobic endurance rate; high coordination qualities; high tolerance to fatigue and stress; high tactical qualities; and good team spirit [2].

References

1. Baščevan S., Vučetic V., Rodić S. Usporedba razlicitih sustava za procjenu sastava tijela. Antropološki aspekti sporta, fizickog vaspitanja i rekreacije, Banja Luka. Zbornik radova 165-169. 2010.
2. Bompa T. Talent identification. Science periodical on research and technology in sport. Ottawa: Coaching Association of Canada, 1985.
3. Karalejić M., Jakovljević S., Lazarević LJ. ( 2010 ). Latente structure of conative dimensions of elite senior and junior basketball players. Psyhical education and sport, vol. 8., pp. 21-30.
4. Milanović D. i sar. (1996). Dijagnostika funkcionalnih i motoričkih sposobnosti kao kriterij za selekciju košarkaša nacionalnih selekcija. Kineziologija 2, 42-45.
5. Pavlović D., Grujić I., Rupčić T. Kinantropometrijska analiza morfoloških obeležija različito telesno aktivnih grupa studenata. 2012. Zagreb: Kineziološki fakultet.
6. Sokolović M. Sve o košarci. Gornji Milanovac: NIP „Dečije novine.“ 1975.
7. Trunić N. Trening mladih košarkaša različitih uzrasnih kategorija. Beograd. 2007, Visoka škola za sport i Dta d.o.o.

corresponding author: fizkult@teoriya.ru

Abstract

Body composition rating tests are obligatory for any coaching/ educating specialists willing to design the education and training process on the most efficient basis to facilitate competitive successes of the trainees. The tests are also helpful for the athletic qualification and selection processes. Subject to the study were 40 academic basketball players from North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk city of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The students’ anthropometric measurements analysis found statistically significant differences of the players in many aspects important for their qualification for the first strings of basketball teams.