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1) Laboratory of Health Science and Nanophysiotherapy,
Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School, Yongin University, Republic of
Korea
2) Commercializations Promotion Agency for R&D Outcomes,
Republic of Korea
3) Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Welfare,
Wonkwang Health Science University, Republic of Korea
4) Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Science,
Honam University, Republic of Korea
5) Department of Taekwondo Instructor Education, College of
Martial Arts, Yongin University, Republic of Korea
6) Department of Combative Martial Arts Training, College of
Martial Arts, Yongin University, Republic of Korea
7) Department of Physical Therapy, College of Public Health
and Welfare, Yongin University, Republic of Korea
*
Corresponding author. Junghwan Kim, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Public Health
and Welfare, Yongin University: Yongin 449-714, Republic of Korea. (E-mail: junghwankim3@yongin.ac.kr)
a
First two authors (Noh JW and Kim MY) contributed equally to this work.
Received 2014 Oct 3; Accepted 2014 Nov 28; Issue date 2015 Apr.
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the somatotype and physical
characteristic differences among elite youth soccer players. [Subjects and Methods] In the
present study, we evaluated twenty-two Korean youth soccer players in different playing
positions. The playing positions were divided into forward (FW), midfielder (MF), defender
(DF), and goalkeeper (GK). The participants’ lean body mass (LBM), fat free mass (FFM),
fat mass (FM), and basal metabolic rate (BMR) were measured and their somatotype
determined according to the Heath-Carter method. [Results] The youth soccer players had
twelve ectomorphic, eight mesomorphic, and two central predominant types. The DFs were
taller than, but otherwise similar in physical characteristics to the FWs and MFs. The GKs
were taller and heavier than the other players; however, their somatotype components were
not significantly different. LBM, FFM, and BMR were significantly higher in GKs than in
FWs and MFs. Although LBM, FFM, and BMR values between GKs and DFs showed large
differences, they were not statistically significant. [Conclusion] The present study may
contribute to our understanding of the differences in somatotype and body composition of
Korean youth soccer players involved in sports physiotherapy research.
Key words: Korean youth soccer players, Somatotype, Sports physiotherapy
INTRODUCTION
Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. A variety of age groups, from youth
to senior, play it1, 2). Soccer is a team sport played for at least 80–90 minutes in
official games3). The game requires a high
level of skill and stamina, and participants tend to show particular physical and
physiological characteristics4). Soccer
players are divided into four playing positions: forward (FW), midfielder (MF), defender
(DF), and goalkeeper (GK). Activity distance and time in soccer competition are different
among the playing positions. The GK, in particular, has the lowest activity in the game and
the shortest activity distance5). Many
studies have examined the different physical and physiological characteristics of soccer
players based on playing position3, 4, 6).
Somatotype is determined by the physical characteristics of the body. Heath and Carter
determined somatotype by measuring body size, width of bone, and thickness of skin. The
basic somatotypes can be further divided into 13 subtypes7,8,9). The somatotypes of athletes suggest the physical characteristics of
their sports10,11,12,13). Heath-Carter’s classification can be applied to youth soccer
players. By evaluating the somatotypes of youth soccer players, the effect of their sport
can be seen. This is also true of body composition. Sports players and non-players have
different body compositions2, 14). Furthermore, the body compositions of athletes of each
sport are different, depending on the characteristics of the sport. The adaptation to
physical effort, developed during training and the process of selection, results in a
decrease of somatotype and body composition diversity among athletes in similar sports or
using similar skills15, 16). Therefore, somatotype and body composition is a
meaningful characteristic of sports events. A great deal of research is being done on the
physical characteristics of soccer players. However, the study of youth soccer players,
especially Korean, is limited. Our study measured the physical characteristics of Korean
youth soccer players to establish a reference for the study of training and injury
rehabilitation of youth soccer players.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
The subjects were 22 Korean youth soccer players with no physical or psychological
conditions. All the volunteers provided their informed consent prior to participation.
Measurements were performed in October 2013. The participants also completed a questionnaire
in an individual in-depth interview, which took 20 to 30 minutes per person17). The characteristics of the participants
are shown in Table 1. The characteristics of the youth soccer players according to playing position
can be found in Fig. 1 and Table 2. The subjects wore only shorts for the measurements, and the measurements were
taken by a single person. Before being measured, all participants rested for thirty minutes.
First, height and weight were measured. Then the girths (flexed and tensed) of the upper arm
and thickest part of the calf were determined with a tape measure. The breadths of the
biepicondylar humerus and biepicondylar femur were measured with a large anthropometer.
Finally, skinfold thicknesses of the triceps brachii, subscapular, superior iliac, and calf
were determined with a medical skinfold caliper (Jamar, USA). Measurement results were used
to calculate the somatotype with the modified somatotype method7,8,9). The somatotypes were classified as endomorphic, mesomorphic,
ectomorphic, and balanced types, according to Heath-Carter’s modified somatotype method, and
further broken down into thirteen subcategories. Balanced endomorphs have a dominant
endomorphic component, and the values the mesomorphic and ectomorphic components do not
differ by more than 0.5. Mesomorphic endomorphs have a dominant endomorphic component, and
the mesomorphic component is higher than the ectomorphic component. Mesomorph-endomorphs
mesomorphic and endomorphic components do not differ by more than 0.5, and the ectomorphic
component is lower than the other values. Endomorphic mesomorphs have a dominant mesomorphic
component, and the endomorphic component is higher than the ectomorphic component. Balanced
mesomorphs have a dominant mesomorphic component, and the values of the endomorphic and
ectomorphic components do not differ by more than 0.5. Ectomorphic mesomorphs have a
dominant mesomorphic component, and the ectomorphic component is higher than the endomorphic
component. Mesomorph-ectomorphs by between their mesomorphic and ectomorphic components do
not differ by more than 0.5, and the endomorphic component is lower than the other values.
Mesomorphic ectomorphs have a dominant ectomorphic component, and the mesomorphic component
is higher than the endomorphic component. Balanced ectomorphs have a dominant ectomorphic
component, and the values of the endomorphic and mesomorphic components do not differ by
more than 0.5. Endomorphic ectomorphs have a dominant ectomorphic component, and the
endomorphic component is higher than the mesomorphic component. Endomorph-ectomorphs
endomorphic and ectomorphic components do not differ by more than 0.5, and the mesomorphic
component is lower than the other values. Ectomorphic endomorphs have a dominant endomorphic
component, and the ectomorphic component is higher than the mesomorphic component). Lastly,
central types do not differ by more than 1 among the components values7,8,9).
Table 1. Characteristics of Korean youth soccer players.
Data are presented as the mean ± SE. aPercentage of athletes in playing
position. bPercentage of all participants. BMI, body mass index; Endo C,
endomorphic component; Meso C, mesomorphic component; Ecto C. ectomorphic component;
BEc, balanced ectomorph; EcM, ectomorphic mesomorph; MEc, mesomorphic ectomorph; EnEc,
endomorphic ectomorph; BM, balanced mesomorph; EnM, endomorphic mesomorph; Cen,
central type; M-En, mesomorph-endomorph. *†#: p < 0.05.
The Heath-Carter formula using our study is as follows:
∑SF = (sum of skinfold thickness
of triceps brachii, subscapular, and superior iliac) × [170.18/height
(cm)]
2) Mesomorphic component
=
0.858 × breadth of biepicondylar humerus + 0.601 × breadth of biepicondylar femur + 0.188
× modified girth of upper arm + 0.161 × modified girth of calf − height ×
0.131+4.5
Modified value is [value − (1/10 skinfold
thickness)]
3) Ectomorphic
component
The ectomorphic component is the difference
according to the value of the height-weight ratio (HWR, HWR = height /
3√weight).
HWR ≥ 40.75 = 0.732 × HWR −
28.58
38.25 < HWR < 40.75 = 0.463 × HWR −
17.63
HWR ≤ 38.25 = 0.1
The
formula marked on the somatotype chart is as follows:
X =
Ectomorphic component − Endomorphic component
Y = 2 ×
Mesomorphic component − (Endomorphic com ponent + Ectomorphic
component)
To confirm body composition, a 4-pole-8-pole contact electrical method was used2, 14).
The lean body mass, fat free mass, fat mass, and basal metabolic rate of the participants
were measured using a precision body composition analyzer (InBody 520, Biospace, Korea).
Participants were measured in a standing position with both arms abducted.
Statistical analyses were conducted using the SAS software (version 6.12) to calculate
averages and standard deviations. The data were expressed as mean ± standard error (SE) of
the measurements. A significance level of α = 0.05 was chosen when performing the
independent t-test for group comparisons. The protocol for this study was approved by the
Committee of Ethics in Research of the University of Yongin, in accordance with the terms of
Resolution 5-1-20, December 2006.
RESULTS
The general characteristics of the twenty-two youth soccer players are noted in Table 1. Some variation in the characteristics of
somatotype was observed among the playing positions (Table 2). The DFs were taller than the FWs and MFs, but had physical
characteristics similar to the other field players. While GKs were taller and heavier than
the other players their somatotype components were not significantly different from those of
the other players (Table 2). On the somatotype
chart, the subjects are all located slightly to the left side (the ectomorphic side),
regardless of the players’ positions (Fig. 1). The
participants consisted of twelve ectomorphic, eight mesomorphic, and two central predominant
types. Subdividing the youth soccer player’s somatotypes resulted in seven balanced
ectomorphs, four mesomorphic ectomorphs, three ectomorphic mesomorphs, three balanced
mesomorphs, two central types, one endomorphic ectomorph, one endomorphic mesomorph, and one
mesomorph-endomorph (Table 2). Body composition
results were not different in terms of somatotypes. LBM, FFM, FM, BF, and BMR were not
significantly different among the field players. However, LBM, FFM, and BMR were
significantly higher in GKs than in FWs and MFs (Table
3). LBM, FFM, and BMR values among GKs and DFs showed large differences but they
were not statistically significant (Table
3).
Table 3. Differences in body composition among the positions of the Korean youth soccer
players.
Data are presented as the mean ± SE. LBM, lean body mass; FFM, fat-free mass; FM, fat
mass; BF, body fat; BMR, basal metabolism rate. *†#: p < 0.05.
DISCUSSION
We compared the somatotypes and body compositions of Korean youth soccer players according
to their playing positions. The DFs were taller than the other field players, but they were
similar in other physical characteristics. The GKs had higher values of height, weight, LBM,
FFM, and BMR than the other players; however, the BMI and somatotype components were not
significantly different among the positions. Although the GKs were taller and more muscular
than the other players, the ratio of their height to muscle was similar to that of the other
positions. As a result, their somatotype components were not different from those of the
other players. The subjects had predominantly ectomorphic and mesomorphic somatotypes.
According to our data, the somatotype components were not different among the playing
positions, but FWs and DFs had a greater difference between the ectomorphic and mesomorphic
components. Thus, FWs and DFs were more likely to have a thin body type than MFs and GKs.
Soccer players rely heavily on aerobic endurance due to the game’s intermittent high
intensity activity4). As a result, soccer
players tend to have low body fat. Our study showed that all the subjects had low body fat,
and it was very low in comparison with non-players. According to a study of obesity in male
Asian college students, their body fat mass averaged 14.26 kg, and their percentage of body
fat had a mean of 18.86%18). While obesity
rates are increasing, the typical Korean youth soccer player has very lean body
characteristics. Studies of somatotype and physical characteristics of adult soccer players
have reported that soccer players have a mesomorphic predominant somatotype3, 4, 19). More than half the participants in our
study had an ectomorphic predominant somatotype, and the remaining players had mostly
mesomorphic body types, likely because youth soccer players have not reached their full
growth. Another study of young soccer players showed that they had a higher ectomorphic
component value than older age groups20).
It has also been reported that adult soccer players have obviously different physical
characteristics according to playing position6, 21). This is also seen in other ball games.
Handball and basketball players have different physical characteristics for each playing
position22, 23). However, the physical characteristics of youth soccer players in
this study had no significant differences, except for the GKs. Thus, young field players
should be able to change their position more easily than adult players. In fact, players
frequently change position in youth soccer teams. Similar results were reported for the
somatotypes and physical characteristics of Zimbabwean youth soccer players24). However, the subjects in the current
study were taller than those in the Zimbabwean study. Thus, the Zimbabwean youth soccer
players had a higher mesomorphic component than the Korean youth soccer players, despite the
Korean youths having a higher FFM value than the Zimbabwean youths. The Korean youth soccer
players had ectomorphic and mesomorphic predominant somatotypes and very low body fat for
their athletic performance. According to a study of minimizing injury rate in soccer players
by somatotype, the injury rate of mesomorphic players is less than that of ectomorphic
players25). Therefore, fat reduction and
increased skeletal muscle mass would be beneficial for the safety of the young soccer
players. In summary, Korean youth soccer players tend to have lean builds with predominantly
ectomorphic and mesomorphic somatotypes while adult soccer players have a predominantly
mesomorphic somatotype. This allows younger soccer players more flexibility over the
position they play than adult players. In addition, the injury rate of mesomorphic players
is less than that of ectomorphic players, so the somatotype of the players should be
considered during training. According to our data, we suggest that youth soccer players
focus on reducing fat and building up skeletal muscle to prevent injury and aid in recovery.
This study provides reference data of the physical characteristics of youth soccer players,
but further research is needed to assist in the proper training of athletes returning from
injury, and to support sports physiotherapy research.
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