Physical Characteristics of Adolescent Male Wrestlers in Kerala

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:The purpose of the study was to evaluate the anthropometric and somatotype characteristics of adolescent male wrestlers in Kerala. METHODS: 32 male adolescent wrestlers were chosen for the investigation. Their mean age was 17.1 (+/-1.3) years, height 158.1 (+/-4.91) cm and weight 66.4 (+/-4.84) kg. Anthropometric measurements included triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, abdomen and calf skinfolds, biceps and calf circumferences and humerus and femur breadths. The body fat percentage was calculated using the formula prescribed by Faulkner. The somatotype of the subjects was calculated by the Health and Carter method. RESULTS: The wrestlers under this study have a body fat percentage of 12.7 (+/-1.15) % and mean Lean Body Mass (LBM) of 87.3 (+/-1.35) %. Their Total Weight of Fat was 8.03 (+/-1.01) kg and Lean Body Weight 58.9 (+/-3.41) kg. . Regarding the somatotype, they fell into the somatotype category of endomorphic mesomorphs with a value of 3.5-4.9-1.6. CONCLUSION: The higher value of mesomorphy indicates that they are capable of creating greater force on the opponents and that they are suitable for a power sport like wrestling. Moreover, shorter body stature results in lower level of center of gravity which in turn may facilitate greater stability during the competition.Key Words: Wrestling, adolescent, body mass, mesomorphy INTRODUCTIONPhysique can be characterized by the interactive sum of its parts, body structure, body size and body composition. Body composition, anthropometric dimensions, and morphological characteristics play a vital role in determining the success of a sportsperson. Proper evaluation of these parameters reflects the quantification of the body"s major structural components, which are required in different proportions for various games to achieve excellence [1].Somatotyping deals with the body type or physical classification of human body in which the terms endomorphy, mesomorphy and ectomorphy are used to describe a person in terms of his or her somatotype. The first component endomorphy is charectarised by roundness and softness of the body. It denotes fatness of the body. The second component mesomorphy is characterised by square body with hard rugged and prominent musculation. The bones are large and covered with thick muscles. The third component ectomorphy represents the leanness of the body. The limbs are relatively long and trunk short, the bones are small and the muscles thin [2]. Percent body fat (% fat) has been defined as the percentage of total weight that composed of fat [3,4]. Lean Body Mass (LBM) refers to all the body tissues like muscles, bones etc. excluding the stored deposit fat. That means LBM is the total body weight minus the weight of the stored fat [5].Studies on somatotype of athletes, elite athletes and Olympic athletes have generally shown that strength dependent athletes tended to be basically mesomorphic while distance dependant athletes were found to be more ectomorphic with limited amount of mesomorphic muscularity. In reference to the ...

Body physique and nutritional status of Naga wrestlers: A case study of the Chakhesang tribe of Nagaland, India

“…From the time of the inception of the somatotyping method and its modifications by the likes of Sheldon, Carter, Heath and their associates, the importance of studying body physique in relation to sports was widely recognized and numerous studies have been reported in different disciplines. On the somatotype studies of the wrestlers in India, Kapoor and Singh [9] reported among the Indian wrestlers and Olympic wrestlers, Madhavan [10] among the adolescent wrestlers of Kerala, while, Choudhary et al [11] showed the somatotype distribution of sportsmen specializing in different events including wrestling. In North-East India, very few anthropological studies have been conducted on sports viz., Dkhar [12] on male footballers of Meghalaya, Blah [13] on female basketball players of Meghalaya, Devi [14] on female weightlifters of Manipur and Devi and Singh [15] on footballers of Manipur.…”