Peculiarities of the somatotype of athletes with different directions of the training process.

The reaction of the athletes' organism on the physical loads is mostly determined by the peculiarities of their somatotype and plays an important role in the selection of sport activities. Therefore we have used the Heath-Carter somatotyping to describe the peculiarities of somatotypes of the athletes, representing 12 different sports (188 males with sport experience more than 5 years). The aim of the study was to compare the somatotypes of athletes with different directions of training process. It was found the two dominant somatotypes for combat sports athletes: balanced mesomorph (average somatotype for gopak fight is 2.39-4.44-2.71; for fencing - 2.53-5.28-2.18) and endomorphic mesomorph (karate WKF - 3.67-5.27-2.85; boxing - 3.66-4.58- 2.81). The mesomorphy dominates in somatotype of the athletes, who participate in strength sports, wrestling, rowing and swimming. The most frequently observed somatotype in the groups of weightlifters (2.89-5.68- 2.26), wrestlers (5.11-5.70-1.84), rowers (4.48-5.38-2.23) and swimmers (3.65-4.52-2.76) was endomorphic mesomorph. In the group of athletes, who participate in game sports, the somatotypes of balanced mesomorph (volleyball - 3.09-4.54-3.08 and tennis - 3.60-4.62-3.27) or endomorphic mesomorph (football - 3.75-4.34- 3.16) prevail. The average somatotype of high jumpers is 2.73-2.73-4.89 (balanced ectomorph). We can suppose the increase of ectomorphy in the case of high amount of vertical jumping elements during competitive and training activity (games, high jumping). The mesomorphy becomes dominant when the speed and strength loadings prevail (combat sports, weightlifting, wrestling, rowing and swimming). In this case the highest endomorphy has been found among the athletes, engaged in the sports without essential amount of vertical body movements (wrestling, rowing and swimming). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]