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Morphological advantages and disadvantages in Croatian U-16 and U-18 tennis players

Purpose: The main purpose of the study was to explore variations in the body constitution of Croatian tennis players (age categories under 16 and under 18), and to gain a better insight into advantages and disadvantages originating from morphological characteristics. Morphological differences between the dominant and non-dominant arm were also analyzed. Methods: Forty-nine Croatian elite junior tennis players, all right-handed, participated in the study. The sample was divided into two groups: players under 16 and players under 18 years of age. As instructed by the International Biological Program, the following anthropometrical variables were measured: body height, body mass, leg length, arm length, biacromial and bicristal diameters, knee, elbow and wrist diameters, upper arm girth, forearm girth, chest girth, abdomen girth, thigh and calf girth. Upper arm girth was measured in the flexion and extension positions. Somatotypes were calculated using Heath-Carter equations. Differences between the dominant and non- dominant arm in elite Croatian tennis players were analyzed according to their age category using the Paired samples t-test and statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: According to their body constitution, under 16 and under 18 year old Croatian tennis players were found to be predominantly meso-ectomorf. The differences between the dominant and non- dominant arms (arm length, elbow diameter, wrist diameter, upper and lower arm girth and forearm girth) were statistically significant in both tested age groups. Conclusions: As U16 and U18 Croatian tennis players are predominantly meso-ectomorf and being of that somatotype they should have an advantage while playing on the net, in addition to having powerful strokes and an ability to achieve high stroke speed. Also, they need a smaller number of steps when trying to position themselves in the desired spot on court. As expected, long- term exposure to training stimuli resulted in larger circumferences and diameters in the dominant arm. We can conclude that, in world class tennis, body constitution posses no limitations on maximal achievements for a vast majority of tested players.

tennis ; body constitution ; morphological characteristics ; somatotype

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