Body composition is related to motor abilities of female volleyball players

Abstract

Success in volleyball certainly depends on the morphological characteristics of the volleyball player, while no technical element can be properly performed without adequate motor abilities. Most of the previous researches only studied the body composition of volleyball players or the researches were conducted on volleyball players in the elite level of the competition. In this regard, the aim of this research was to determine the relationship between body composition and motor abilities in female volleyball players of lower level competition. The sample of respondents consisted of female volleyball players of the women’s voleyball club “Student” from Niš who play in the second league “Istok” with an average chronological age of 21.4 ± 2.95 years, who trained volleyball for an average of 10 ± 2.73 years. First, the subjects’ body composition parameters were measured (body height, body mass, BMI, fat percentage, muscle percentage), followed by agility tests (Agility T-test, Illinois, Change of direction and acceleration Test (CODAT)), speed ( sprint at 10m, 20m and 30m), and explosive strength (Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), Counter Movement Jump With Arm Swing (CMJwas), Squat Jump (SJ)). Based on the obtained results, it could be concluded that there was a statistically significant correlation between body composition parameters and motor abilities of volleyball players in the area of explosive strength and agility. Female volleyball players who had lower body mass and body height achieved better results on explosive strength tests, while volleyball players who had lower body fat and muscle mass % achieved better results on agility tests.