Fisioterapia no brasil

Original Scientific Articles Research & Practice

Body Type and Performance of Elite Cuban Baseball Players
Wiliam Carvajal, MS, Andrés Ríos, MD, Ivis Echevarría, Miriam Martínez, Julio Miñoso, MD, Dialvis Rodríguez, MS

ABSTRACT
Introduction Appropriate stature and adequate somatotype are not the only attributes determining athletic performance, but they are important prerequisites for sports participation and success. However, there is scant literature on baseball players’ kinanthropometric profiles and their association with performance. Given that Cuban baseball players have been among the world’s top performers in recent decades, characterization of their morphological features linked to their performance may contribute to developing the evidence base in this area. Objective Describe the kinanthropometric profile related to sports performance of elite Cuban baseball players, classified by playing position. Methods Body composition, somatotype, proportionality, and performance were measured in 100 elite baseball players grouped by playing position and performance. Data from the 2002–2003 baseball season was gathered for players participating in the 43rd Cuban National Baseball Series (November 2003–May 2004). Slugging percentage (SLG) was used to measure performance of all players except pitchers, whose performance was measured as end-of-season win-loss record. Mean and standard deviation values were calculated for anthropometric and performance results, presented in tables for comparison. ANOVA and MANOVA analyses were applied to determine magnitudes of difference between the variables studied, as well as statistical significance of the differences established (p≤0.05 and p≤0.01). Results Performance and body type varied by playing position, and statistically significant differences were found in performance, body

composition and somatotype variables between some positions. No significant differences in proportionality were found. First basemen and