While watching certain national or professional sporting
events have you ever noticed that the athletes seem to share similar body
types? In basketball for instance most of the athletes are taller than the
average person. And in sports like soccer, hockey and track and field for the
most part the athletes have similar builds. Which leads to the question how relevant is body type to
athletic success?
At the elite level of sports, such as the Olympic games,
body type can account for 25-60% of an athlete’s success. *
With this bit of information in mind should body type be a
factor in the development of young athletes? Before I answer that question let’s first examine the
process of indentifying and describing an athlete’s body type.
Body typing or more scientifically speaking somatotyping is
a physique rating system used to identify and organize athletes into categories
associated with various levels of genetic potential or limitation for specific
activities. An individual is genetically programmed to demonstrate components
of each of the three body types but may demonstrate predominance toward one of
them.
The first body type is the endomorph. This body type tends
to be large in size and carry more fat mass and muscle mass. They excel in
areas of pure or brute strength. Think offensive lineman in football or a
discus thrower in track and field. They tend to be less and agile and lack
endurance qualities.
The ectomorph would best be described as thin and tall or
long limbed. Think professional basketball players, wide receivers in football
and long and high jumpers in track and field. Their long limbs provide advantages in generating speed and
power in short burst activities like jumping, top end-running speed and
throwing velocity. These athletes often have slouched posture and may lack stability
at certain joints (knees, elbows, lumbar).
The third and final body type is termed the mesomorph. The
mesomorph tends to be well muscled and looks mature for their age while
possessing an ideal blend of all athletic qualities such as speed, power,
strength and endurance. Think running backs or linebackers in football and
short sprinters in track and field.
According to the Medford Boys Growth Study, outstanding junior high
school athletes tended toward mesomorphy. * Athletes in this category may also
prove to be more durable. A study of national soccer players based on their
body type showed that injury rates increased as body types moved from the stronger,
sturdier mesomorphs toward the more fragile ectomorphs. *
In my experience as a coach working with large groups of
children it becomes clear that rarely does a single body type predominate.
Rather most children present with a combination of the three main body types.
Though these athletes are fully matured let’s look at the Detroit Tigers to
provide examples of “hybrid” body types. Doug Fister (ectomorph) and Prince
Fielder (endomorph) are clear examples of a dominant body type but most of the
other players have multiple qualities. Justin Verlander is a tall and long limbed
athlete but also has the all around qualities of the mesomorph. Miguel Cabrera
is predominately an endomorph but has trained himself toward more mesomorphy.
Verlander and Cabrera serve as prime examples of the
influence strength and conditioning can have on an athlete’s body type.
Verlander has gained significant muscle mass since his early days with the
Tigers when he was very thin and it has enhanced his performance and durability.
Cabrera entered the sport as a 19 year-old with more of a mesomorphic build but
as he matured he grew into more of an endomorph. Last season he was forced to
switch to a position on the field that required more agility and quickness and
he transformed his body toward more of an balanced build.
In prepubescent athletes training can most definitely
improve their strength and endurance but likely will not push an ectomorph
toward a more well muscled build, the hormonal environment is just not present
at this stage of development for that to happen. The most common change is
associated with a decrease in body fat that would influence a change toward
decreasing endomorphy.
As children mature and now possess the hormonal environment
to build muscle mass more significant changes can be made for the taller,
thinner athlete (as well as in the other body types as well). However,
especially for the thinner and thicker athletes, training and other influences
such as nutrition and rest/recovery must be continued to maintain these changes
to their body type.
Now on to the question of whether or not a child’s body type
should influence their sport of choice…
In countries that adhere to a long term athletic
developmental model (LTAD) body type certainly plays a distinct role in guiding
a child to participate in activities that they are more suited for from a body
build perspective. However, this only occurs in the later stages of development
after the young athlete has experienced a warehouse of athletic and movement
skills. This also allows the coach
time to see what body type and skills the athlete will eventually show, and
prevents a late start in an event in which an athlete may eventually become a
champion.
Why should we continue to encourage children to participate
in a variety of sports early on if body type is so influential in long-term
success?
We want to expose all kids to as many movement patterns and
sporting activities as possible because we want to develop the complete athlete
without regard to their body type. However as coaches and parents we must have
an underlying understanding that their body type significantly influences the
chances of them becoming an elite athlete.
That said we still want to expose them to a variety of
activities to develop their nervous system so when it is the right time to
specialize in an activity that they are ideally suited for his/her problem
solving capabilities are going to be superior. This is in contrast to the
course of “pigeon-holing” a child into activities only because it “fits” their
body type. A single-minded focus early on will shrink their overall athletic
base and will leave them with little margin for error.
In the United States we need to re-embrace the idea that
children should be exposed to a variety of sports not only to improve their
overall athleticism but as importantly once the world of athletic discovery has
been “seen” through their eyes they would naturally gravitate toward the
activities they are most suited for.
The more things they are exposed to and the more things they
learn to like will increase the odds that they will find activities that they
are good at. This leads to adherence and a life long love of sport and physical
fitness and that is and should be the ultimate goal in youth athletic
development.
An early and diverse athletic/movement experience is
absolutely critical for young athletes to reach their potential whether that is
on the field of play or in the game of life. This early diverse exposure
ultimately creates a buffer zone that allows children to discover alternatives
that may not seem like a great fit at first but they will grow to appreciate as
they mature. But if they put all of their athletic eggs in one basket early in
life and discover in the teen years that they no longer like that sport they
may be left without a physical outlet.
So while a child’s body type should be a consideration,
particularly if you are ascribing to a long-term plan it should never be used
from discouraging a child from playing a port they enjoy. Because you never know,
there are always exceptions. A child may experience a massive growth spurt that
changes everything or they may be inspired by an Olympic performance from a
non-traditional sport while some sports like baseball have athletes of all
shapes and sizes. The broader their athletic base is the better their chances are
for becoming one of those exceptions to the rule.
Reference:
* Hartman. Bill. (2007).
Developmental Essentials. 2nd
Edition.
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