Morphological Characteristics of Elite-Level Cadet Female Handball Players in European Competition/Caracteristicas Morfologicas de Jugadoras de Balonmano Cadetes de Elite en Competicion Europea

• Published in: International journal of morphology Vol. 42; no. 5; p. 1233
• Main Authors: Nokic, Aldijana, Ljubojevic, Milovan, Bojanic, Danilo, Malovic, Pavle, Vrevic, Erol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de La Frontera, Facultad de Medicina 01-09-2024
• ISSN: 0717-9367

This study aimed to determine differences in morphological characteristics and body composition between female handball players from the national teams of Montenegro and Kosovo (U16). Thirty-four participants were included in the study, divided into two subgroups. The first subgroup consisted of 18 players from the Montenegro national team, with an average age of 14.68[+ or -]0.58 years. The second subgroup consisted of 16 players from the Kosovo national team, with an average age of 15.33[+ or -]0.66 years. Testing was conducted during the qualification rounds for the European Championship took place in Podgorica in 2021. All players were assessed for anthropometric measurements and body composition, with a total of twelve variables: Body height, body weight, hand length, arm span, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, abdominal skinfold, calf skinfold, thigh skinfold, body mass index (BMI), and body fat percentage (BF).The Tanita - model BC-418MA was utilized for the assessment of body composition. Differences in morphological characteristics and body composition of the female handball players from the two national teams were determined through discriminant parametric procedures using the T-test for independent samples with statistical significance set at p < .05. The results indicated that the players from the Montenegro team were significantly younger, had significantly greater average body height, body weight, and hand length compared to players from the Kosovo team. Statistical differences between the two treated teams were found in the variable thigh skinfold, while no significant differences were observed in BMI and BF.