Anthropometric measurements, body composition and physical parameters of Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan field hockey players

Introduction

Physical characteristics and body composition have been known to be fundamental to excellence in athletic performance [15]. Specific athletic events require different body types and weights for maximal performance [1]. Today it has been widely accepted by the experts that top performance in sports is achieved if an athlete possesses the basic anthropometric characteristics suitable for the event.

Therefore, the athletes in a particular sport must possess such typical characteristics which are of advantage to their performance. Body composition also makes an important contribution to an individual’s level of physical fitness for performance, particularly in such sports that require one to carry one’s body weight over a distance, which is facilitated by a large proportion of active tissue (muscle) in relation to a small proportion of fat tissue [12].

As far as morphology of the field hockey players is concerned, very few references can be found in the literature. The present study, therefore, aims to evaluate the physical parameters, anthropometric measurements and body composition of hockey players in three diverse nations, viz: India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (hereafter mentioned as Indian subcontinent). A plethora of research work is available on the anthropometric measurements and body composition of players belonging to different sports in diverse nations [see e.g. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23]; however, scant literature is available on the same topic for hockey players of Indian subcontinent. The present study, thus, fills up the existing void of literature in Indian concern.

Materials and Methods

Samples

Fifty three hockey players from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were investigated for the study. The data on the hockey players were collected during the First South Asia Universities Hockey Tournament which was conducted under the aegis of the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi, from 13th to 16th March 2008 at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

Instrumentation and Procedure

Body weight of the subjects was measured with a portable weighing machine to the nearest 0.5 kg. Height measurements were taken using the standard anthropometric rod to the nearest 0.5 cm (HG-72, Nexgen ergonomics, Canada). Widths and diameters of body parts were measured using a digital caliper. Girths and lengths were taken with the steel tape to the nearest 0.5 cm. Grip strength of both hands was measured with the help of hand dynamometer (Fabrication enterprises Inc. NY, USA). Skinfold thickness measurements were taken with Harpenden Skinfold Caliper (British Indicators, UK) to the nearest 0.1 mm. Total body fat was estimated from the sum of four skinfold values taken at the biceps, triceps, sub-scapular and suprailiac as recommended by Durnin and Rahaman [8] and using Durnin and Womcrsley equation [9].

Variables

Variables are presented at Table 1.

Statistical analysis

Values are presented as mean values and SD. The results were compared between the teams using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Data were analyzed using Excel 2003 (Microsoft corporation) software. The significance level was established at p< 0.05.

Results and discussion

The physical parameters of the three teams are presented in Table 2. Table 3 represents the length measurements and grip strength of the three teams, whereas Table 4 indicates the circumferences of the various body parts. The values of diameters and widths of different body parts are presented in Table 5 and values of different components of body build are presented in Table 6.

The Sri Lanka team had a significantly lower hand width than the India and Pakistan teams. The Bi-humerus diameter of the Pakistan team was found to be significantly higher than in the India and Sri Lanka teams. The wrist diameter of the India team was found to be significantly higher than that of Sri Lanka.

The body fat percentage of the Indian team was found to be significantly lower than that of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Forbes [10] and Malina [14] have also compared the body composition of different ethnic groups and found that these differences may be a direct result of lifestyle factors, most notably diet as well as differences in activity and training levels. The lean body mass was found to be significantly lower in the Sri Lanka team than in the India and Pakistan teams.

Table 7 with the F-ratio values shows significant difference between the players of the three teams in the body measurements and components of body build. The age of the Sri Lanka team was found to be significantly higher than that of the India and Pakistan teams. On examination, the players of the Pakistan team tended to be slightly taller and heavier although the difference is not statistically significant. The upper arm length of the Pakistan team was found to be significantly higher than in the India and Sri Lanka teams. In all the circumference measurements the Pakistan players had higher values but not statistically significant except for wrist circumference. The Sri Lanka team had significantly lower wrist circumference than the India and Pakistan teams.

In handling the stick and ball in the game situation, optimal grip strength in both hands is required. The subjects in the present study had a mean grip strength of 46.8 kg for the right hand and 46.1 kg for the left hand (Table 3). The grip strength for both right and left hands of the India team was found to be significantly higher than the Sri Lanka team.

Table 8 presents a comparison of the physical characteristics of the players in this study with those reported in earlier studies in selected countries. The Indian and the Sri Lankan hockey players in comparison with the players from other selected countries appeared to be lighter. The Pakistani players in comparison with the players in other studies appeared to be lighter than the players from Poland, Switzerland, South Africa, and South Australia. However, they were slightly heavier than Malaysian and Chinese players. The players in the present study were shorter than the players of Poland, Switzerland and South Africa. However, they appeared to be of comparable height with respect to other selected teams. Although the body composition estimation methods vary, the hockey players in the present study had a lower fat percentage as compared to the players in selected countries except for South Africa. Pakistani and Sri Lankan players had more fat percentage than South African players whereas Indian players had a lower fat percentage than South African players.

Conclusions

Generally, there were many differences in various variables among the players of the three teams. The age of Sri Lanka team was found to the significantly higher than in the India and the Pakistan teams. The upper arm length and Bi-humerus diameter of Pakistani players were found to be significantly higher than in the Indian and Sri Lankan players. The Indian players had significantly lower body fat when compared to the Pakistani and the Sri Lankan players. However the Sri Lankan players had significantly less lean body mass when compared to the other two teams. There are many factors that may account for these differences, notably climate, diet and differences in aerobic and hockey specific training sessions.

It would be of interest to continue such a study to document the changes in anthropometry and body composition during the season and out of season and also to attempt an analysis of characteristics specific to field positions.

Practical Application

The findings of the study will help to understand the anthropometric characteristics and body composition of hockey players of the sub-continent.
It will serve as reference data for physical education teachers and coaches for the selection of young players.
This will help to understand the relationship among the variables under study.