Influence of basketball training on the features of women's physique

Abstract

High levels of physical loadings in modern women’s sports increase the demands to the organism of athletes. In order to achieve high sports results, and at the same time to improve women’s health, it is necessary to deepen the research of morphological and functional features of an athlete's body. The subjects of our research were 12 female basketball players with more than 5 years sports experience. The aim of the study was to analyze their characteristics of physical development. We found that the body height of the basketball players can be estimated as high for the forwards (more than 97 centiles), and average and higher than the average for the defenders (within 50-75 or 75-90 centiles). The body weight exceeds the 75 centile interval (higher than average for healthy people of the corresponding age). The longitudinal dimensions were dominant in the proportions of the body of basketball players, shoulders and pelvis are narrow. The thorax was narrow but the respiratory muscles are well developed. We found that the body proportions of players can be classified as dolihomorph by P. N. Bashkirov, but predominantly with not long hands. According to V.V. Bunak they were theinoid (long). The male type of proportions was indicated by indices of sexual dimorphism. The muscular component of the body of players was well developed, while the bone component was the same, and the body fat was less than that of untrained women. We have determined that the endomorphic component prevails in the constitution of basketball players, mesomorphy and ectomorphy are less significant. Average somatotype of athletes was estimated as balanced endomorph - 4.9-3.2-2.9. Thus, it was found that basketball can be recommended to increase the level of physical development of girls. The obtained results describe the morphological portrait of the basketball player and can be used both during sports selection and in the training process.