Second to Fourth Digit Ratio Is a Predictor of Sporting Ability in Elite Indian Male Kabaddi Players

Abstract

Background:To determine the 2D:4D ratio in elite Indian male kabaddi players and compare them with non-athletes.Objectives:Our study was undertaken to find out a possible relation between digit ratio and sporting ability of male kabaddi players. This study also gives an insight into the possible ethnic differences between Indian sports personnel and other populations.Patients and Methods:Both right and left hands of 33 male kabaddi players attending training camp at the Bangalore regional centre of Sports Authority of India were scanned. Lengths of second and fourth digits were measured and their ratio calculated. Age, weight, height and body mass index matched subjects (25 males) who did not participate in any sports formed the control group.Results:A highly significant difference was found in 2D:4D ratios of both the hands with Kabaddi players having a lower ratio compared to their controls. There was no statistically significant difference in 2D:4D (Δ r-l) between Kabaddi players and controls.Conclusions:Kabaddi is an intermediate sport not requiring a high level of endurance but at the same time requires masculine traits because of combating nature of the game. 2D:4D ratios can be used as reliable additional criteria when screening for prospective players to be inducted into the team.

Relationships between the digit ratio (2D:4D) and game‐related statistics in professional and semi‐professional male basketball players

“…2D:4D has consistently been shown to be a negative correlate of sports performance, athletic performance and physical fitness; individuals with low 2D:4Ds are more likely to perform better than individuals with high 2D:4Ds (Dyer, Short, Short, Manning & Tomkinson, ; Frick, Hull, Manning & Tomkinson, ; Hönekopp & Schuster, ; Hull, Schranz, Manning & Tomkinson, ; Manning & Taylor, ; Tomkinson & Tomkinson, ). This relationship was first demonstrated in English professional football (soccer) players by Manning and Taylor () and subsequently across a range of sports including (but not limited to) American football (gridiron) (Schorer, Rienhoff, Westphal & Baker, ), basketball (Dyer et al, ; Frick et al, ), cross‐country running (Manning, Morris & Caswell, ), fencing (Voracek, Reimer & Dressler, ), handball (Baker et al, ), kabaddi (an Indian contact sport) (Sudhakar, Majumdar, Umesh & Panda, ), rowing (Hull et al, ), rugby (Bennett, Manning, Cook & Kilduff, ), sprinting (Manning & Hill, ), slalom skiing (Manning, ), sumo wrestling (Tamiya, Lee & Ohtake, ), surfing (Kilduff, Cook & Manning, ), swimming (Perciavalle, Corrado, Scuto, Perciavalle, & Coco, ), tennis (Hsu et al, ), and volleyball (Panda, Majumdar, Umesh & Sudhakar, ).…”

Relationships between digit ratio (2D:4D) and basketball performance in Australian men

“…In a meta‐analysis of 25 studies, Hönekopp and Schuster () reported that the overall relationship between 2D:4D and sporting performance was negative and small ( r = −0.26, P < 0.001) indicating that athletes with a lower 2D:4D perform better athletically. Many of the studies reviewed by Hönekopp and Schuster () examined the 2D:4D‐performance link in individual sports, with subsequent studies linking 2D:4D to team sports performance showing similar relationships (Panda et al, ; Schorer et al, ; Sudhakar et al, ). Of these studies, nearly all of the attention has been on field‐based team sports performance (e.g., soccer and rugby), with little known about the links between 2D:4D and court‐based team sports performance.…”

Digit Ratio and its Influence on Physical Performance: A Literature Review

“…In a study by Moffit & Swanik [6], football and gymnastics athletes showed these results with high levels of significance (p = 0.000 and p = 0.001, respectively). Kabbadi players (similar to rugby) also have a lower value of 2D:4D compared to the control group (population in general, non-athlete) [41]. The same situation was observed in women, where amateur athletes have lower values of 2D:4D compared to women not engaged in sports [42].…”