MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS ASTHE PREDICTORS OF SITUATIONAL SUCCESSFUL IN THE WATER POLO

Abstract

At the sample of 39 water polo players, aged 12 years (± 6 months), the research was conducted todetermine the impact of morphological characteristics on the situational performance in the waterpolo. In this paper, a set of 12 anthropometric measures as a predictor set of variables was applied,while the criterion variables were situational motor tests; swimming speed at 25 meters with andwithout a ball, vertical jump from the water and side swimming 8 times 2.5 meters. On the basis of theobtained results it was concluded that the morphological characteristics significantly influenced theperformance of situational motoric tasks in water polo, depending on the test from 39% to as much as71%. The most significant applied variables from the morphological space of water polo players werevariables; the volume of the thorax, the height of the body, the width of the hand and the foot with apositive effect, while the weight of the body and the subcutaneous fatty tissue were aggravating factorsfor the performance of situational motoric tasks for the 12-year-old water polo players.