BODY PROPORTIONS AND SOMATOTYPE OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED FEMALE HANDBALL PLAYERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2221-1217-2025-2-17Keywords:
anthropometry, handball players, somatotype, body proportions, endomorphy, mesomorphy, ectomorphyAbstract
In the modern world of sports, handball holds an important place among women’s sports, combining high dynamism, tactical complexity, and physical demands. The aim of this study is to determine body proportions according to the method of P.N. Bashkirov and the sexual dimorphism index, as well as to define the somatotype of high-performance female handball players using the Heath– Carter method. Research methods included: analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature; anthropometry; the index method; somatotype assessment based on the scheme of B.H. Heath and J.E.L. Carter using the calculation method; and methods of mathematical statistics. The objectives of the study were to perform anthropometric measurements of female handball players; to assess total and partial body dimensions; to determine the athletes’ body proportions according to the P.N. Bashkirov method and the sexual dimorphism index; and to establish the somatotype using the Heath–Carter approach. Results. The study analyzed the body proportions and somatotype of highly qualified female handball players. The analysis of physique according to P.N. Bashkirov revealed a predominance of an intermediate type between dolichomorphic and mesomorphic, with characteristic features such as long legs, medium arm length, and average shoulder and pelvic dimensions. It was found that most athletes had a mesomorph-endomorph somatotype (mean values: 4.22–4.15–2.59), indicating a predominance of muscularity with a moderate level of adipose tissue. Conclusion. The examined handball players demonstrated an intermediate body proportion type according to P.N. Bashkirov’s classification, combining features of mesomorphic and dolichomorphic types, with only a few athletes showing brachymorphic traits. The prevailing mesomorph-endomorph somatotype indicates well-developed muscle mass (mesomorphy) alongside moderate fat mass (endomorphy), with a relatively low level of linearity (ectomorphy).
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