Differences in Anthropometric Characteristics among Junior Basketball and Volleyball Players

Introduction Understanding the morphological characteristics is considered as an essential part of the total management process (Popovic, Bjelica, Jaksic, & Hadzic, 2014; Bjelica i Fratric, 2011). Th e need to investigate the anthropometrical characteristics numbers of basketball and volleyball players is important, because among other factors, contribute to optimal exercise routines and performance (Spaic, Vukasevic, & Masanovic, 2018). It is widely known in the scientifi c literature that adequate profi les are primarily important in various sports, mostly due to the reason that absolute size contributes a signifi cant percentage of total variance associated with athletic success (Rađa, Erceg, & Grgantov, 2016; Vukotic, 2018). According to previous studies, successful participation in both basketball and volleyball games, requires not only a high level of technical and tactical skills, but also suitable anthropometrical characteristics and body composition from each athlete (Monson, Brasil, & Hlusko, 2018; Hurst et al., 2017; Pojskic, Separovic, Muratovic, & Uzicanin, 2014; Masanovic, Spaic, & Vukasevic, 2018). In sports like basketball and volleyball, players tend to be tall because they handle a ball above their heads (Popovic et al., 2013; Popovic et al., 2014). Muscle-skeletal mass is an indicator of sports performance, because it contributes to the energy production during high-intensity activities and provides absolute strength to athletes. On the contrary, excessive fat mass compromises the physical performance, acts as a dead body mass in activities where the body must be repeatedly lift ed during motion and jumping, decreasing performance and increasing energy demands (Ramos-Campo et al., 2014; Bjelica, Popovic, & Gardasevic, 2016; Masanovic, Milosevic, & Corluka, 2018). Mentioned facts acknowledge that profesionaly engaging with basketball and volleyball beside high level of tehnical and tactical skills and high level of atletic abilities it is necessary to have certain anthropomtric characteristics. Basketball is considered an acyclic sports game, with extremely complex movements, specifi c and functional characteristics, defi ning it as anaerobic-glycotic activity, characterized with a large number of repetitive explosive-velocity moving structures, of extremely high intensity. Due to the constant changes in the intensity of movement, which is manifested through diff erent off ensive and defensive situations, the average intensity of basketball players during the compeAbstract