Kinanthropometric profile of Cuban women Olympic volleyball champions.

INTRODUCTION: Athletes' kinanthropometric profiles are widely addressed in the scientific literature. Such profiles are particularly important in volleyball because absolute size contributes a significant percentage of total variance associated with athletic success. As in other team sports, volleyball players' kinanthropometric attributes correlate with the game's tactical demands. From 1992 through 2000, the Cuban women's volleyball team achieved top global performance, winning first place in three successive Summer Olympic Games. OBJECTIVE: Describe the kinanthropometric profiles of Cuban women Olympic volleyball champions during 1992-2000 and compare these by position played. METHODS: Measurements were taken of body composition, somatotype, proportionality and several anthropometric indicators in 41 Cuban women volleyball players, grouped by playing position. All were members of the national team that participated in the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000). Mean and standard deviations were calculated for all study variables. Analysis of variance was used to compare means for different positions for the variables weight; height; percent adipose, muscle and bone mass; body mass index; and muscle-to-bone ratio. Discriminant analysis was performed to identify anthropometric dimensions differentiating playing positions (center, spiker and setter), using p<0.05 as significance threshold. Results were presented in tables and figures. RESULTS: Centers presented greater absolute size and higher average adipose (22.8±1.7 kg) and bone (7.1±0.6 kg) mass. The mean somatotype of all volleyball players was balanced mesomorphic (2.7-3.6-2.9). Classified by position, centers (2.9-3.4-3.4) and spikers (2.8-3.6-2.9) presented an average mesomorphic-ectomorphic somatotype, and setters (2.6-3.7-2.6) were balanced mesomorphic. On assessing Somatotype Attitudinal Mean (SAM), centers and spikers showed more intrapositional homogeneity than that of setters. Centers were significantly taller (187.1±2.5 cm) than players in other positions. Centers' percent adipose tissue mass (28.9±2.7%) was significantly higher than that of setters (24.3±2.7%), who were leanest of all positions. CONCLUSIONS: The kinanthropometric profile of Cuban women Olympic volleyball champions was defined by considerable muscular-skeletal development, with a predominantly mesomorphic somatotype and low endomorphy. Height and body composition varied significantly by playing position.

Estimación antropométrica de la forma corporal de bailarines profesionales de ballet / Anthropometrical estimation of the human shape of professional ballet dancers

Las diferencias morfológicas entre los bailarines de ballet, danza moderna y folklórica están bien confirmadas en los criterios empíricos de evaluación técnica de los maestros de especialidad. El propósito de esta investigación es determinar si las características de la forma corporal de los bailarines elites de ballet son específicas de esta manifes- tación artística. Se estudiaron antropométricamente bai- larines de las compañías Ballet Nacional, Danza Nacional y Folclórico Nacional de Cuba. Siguiendo el criterio de selección de los maestros, en cuanto a figura y desempeño técnico artístico, se midieron los mejores bailarines de cada compañía; edades entre 18 y 40 años. Para determinar la forma corporal, se aplicó un protocolo antropométrico de 10 mediciones y se utilizó el método del somatotipo de Heath-Carter. El somatotipo de las bailarinas de ballet, Ecto-Mesomórfico en promedio, fue significativamente diferente al de las bailarinas de danza folklórica. El soma- totipo de los bailarines, Meso-Ectomórfico en promedio, fue similar estadísticamente al de las otras especialidades de danza. Las categorías somatotípicas más representadas para las bailarinas de ballet fueron la Ectomórfico Balan- ceado (50%) y la Ecto-Mesomórfico (40%); en el sexo mas- culino fue predominante la categoría Meso-Ectomórfico (90%). Los bailarines de ballet de ambos sexos presentaron distribuciones de frecuencias somatotípicas en menos categorías y significativamente diferentes que las de danza moderna y folklórica. La forma corporal fue específica para los bailarines elites de ballet Se reafirmaron los criterios empíricos que sustentan las diferencias morfológicas entre los tipos de bailarines para la estimación antropométrica de la forma corporal (AU)

The morphological differences among ballet, modern and folkloric dancers are well confirmed in the empirical criterions of technical evaluation for specialty teachers. The purpose of this research is assessing if the human shape of professional ballet dancers are specific for this artistic spe- cialist. It was anthropometrical studied dancers of National Ballet, National Dance and National Folkloric companies from Cuba. It was measured the best dancers, ages between 18 and 40 years old, following the selection criterions of expert teachers about figure and technical-artistic perfor- mance. An anthropometric protocol of 10 measurements was applied in order to determine the human shape, using the Heath-Carter somatotype method. The somatotype of female ballet dancers, Ecto-Mesomorfic on average, were significantly different that those of female folkloric dancers. The somatotype of male ballet dancers, Meso-Ectomorfic on average, were statically similar that those of others dan- cer specialties. The somatotypes of female ballet dancers were mainly distributed in 2 categories, Balanced Ectomor- fic (50%) and Meso-Ectomorfic (40%) while most of male dancers were classified like Ecto-Mesomorfic (90%). Both sexes of ballet dancer registered somatotypic frequencies distributions in few categories, significantly different, than modern and folkloric distributions. The human shape was specific for the elite ballet dancers. There were confirmed the empirical criterion of specialty teachers which support differences among kinds of dancers for the anthropometric estimation of human shape (AU)