Somatic Characteristics and Special Motor Fitness of Young Top-Level Polish Table Tennis Players.

In the present study, we aimed to identify the impact of chosen anthropometric measurements on the special physical fitness of elite junior table tennis players at different stages of sport training. A total of 87 table tennis players aged 13.4 ± 1.74 years (43.7% girls and 56.3% boys) from two Polish teams were analyzed. The anthropometry measurements included height, sitting height, body weight, arm span, humerus and femur breadths, five skinfold thicknesses, and five girths were assessed. Participants' somatotypes were also calculated using the Heath-Carter method as well as body mass index (BMI), which was constructed using the lambda, mu, sigma (LMS) method. Body composition via a bioelectric impedance analysis was also analyzed. The level of special fitness of athletes was determined using tests from the Table Tennis Specific Battery Test, assessing reaction and displacement speeds. Mesomorphic (4.1) and ectomorphic (3.8) profiles were registered for boys and girls, respectively. Boys achieved higher scores than girls for almost all variables, with the exception of ectomorphic somatotype (p = 0.274), skinfold triceps (p = 0.444), and calf skinfold medial (p = 0.609). The relationship between the body height, thickness of the skinfolds of the triceps and suprailiac, biceps, and waist circumference and arm span in all three motor tests was observed, simultaneously significantly higher results were obtained by competitors at the specialist stage of training. Knowledge of the somatic and motor characteristics of young athletes can help coaches in creating a specific training program for improved health and performance, taking into consideration the athletes' biological development, potential, and pre-disposition.

Morphological asymmetry, sex and dominant somatotype among Polish youth.

The aim of the present study was to determine the level of morphological asymmetry among the general population of Polish youth as it correlates to sex and body type. The anthropometric characteristics of a group of 618 Polish youths (354 males aged 19.5 ± 1.2 years and 264 females aged 19.2 ± 1.2 years) were evaluated to assess their somatotypes using the Heath-Carter method. Body composition was calculated using the bioelectrical impedance method, and the absolute asymmetry index was used for comparisons between the right and left sides of the body. Significant differentiation was observed between all morphological characteristics (≤ 0.0001) and two body types (≤ 0.0001) among sexes. Females and males largely exhibited endomorphic and mesomorphic somatotypes, respectively. The findings demonstrated that dominant somatotype and sex both affect the level of fat mass asymmetry in the arms and legs. Furthermore, significant variations in the levels of asymmetry between sexes were observed in fat mass in both the arms and legs, with greater variation observed in the arms. In the case of muscle mass, no great differences were observed between men, women, or body types. This study provides new data on the morphological asymmetry of given body composition according to somatotype and sex. This study has potential medical implications, given that a large degree of inter-limb imbalance could be shown to have a negative effect on health; the findings of the present study would therefore be important for arriving at an understanding of how to prevent such imbalances, or to mitigate their negative effects.