Comparison of the anthropometric profile and physical fitness of men of Iran's national kayak team with world elites

Academic Thesis for obtaining a master's degree Field: Physical Education and Sports Sciences Major: Sports Physiology

Abstract

Anthropometric profile, physical fitness and related capabilities play a significant role in championship sports, and several indicators such as age, height, etc. can influence the amount of these variables. In this research, based on a descriptive-field research and using a checklist for measuring indicators, it has been tried to compare the anthropometric profile and physical fitness of the men of the Iranian national kayak rowing team with the elites of the world. The statistical population of the present research was made up of male rowers of the national team kayak (n = 8) in 1992-93. Therefore, the statistical sample was equal to the desired statistical population. The results of the present study have shown that there is a significant difference between height, arm length, body mass, fat-free mass, body mass index, fat percentage, absolute VO2max, relative VO2max, lactate threshold value, heart rate to VO2max ratio, and the average absolute power of the world elites and men of the Iranian national kayak rowing team (P?0.05) so that the mentioned indicators are more in the world elites than the men of the Iranian national kayak rowing team. Also, no significant difference was observed between the age and sitting height of the world elites and the men of the Iranian national kayaking team (P?0.05). These differences show that a training program for strengthening strength, endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity should be considered.

Key words: anthropometric profile, physical fitness profile, kayak style="direction: rtl;">

1-1. Introduction

In order to promote championship sports, it is first necessary to know the effective factors in increasing the efficiency and performance of athletes in each sports field and even the different subjects of a sports field, in order to avoid wasting time, money, and financial and human resources by recognizing individual differences and selecting talented people.   Today, sports science experts seek to find the causes of sports success through scientific research to find effective factors that help coaches to reach the peak of athletes. Since the main criterion of talent identification and training design is the awareness of the main needs of different sports fields, so knowing the anthropometric characteristics and physical fitness of each sports field should be given special attention. By choosing talented people for special sports fields, in addition to preventing waste of money, significant progress can be made in the field of championship sports. Therefore, according to the opinion of many sports specialists, talent scouting is one of the main components of the development programs of various sports fields at the professional levels.

In order to reach the peak of performance in international scenes, it is necessary to examine the anthropometric characteristics and physical fitness. Available information shows that there is a close relationship between anthropometric characteristics and physical fitness of athletes in most sports. The more and stronger this relationship is, the progress of athletes in that field can be guaranteed by using experience and technical skills; Kayaking is no exception to this rule. Knowledge and awareness of these contents will help the coaches and sports practitioners to take an effective step in the direction of discovering and finding talents and leading the athletes towards championship with proper planning. In the present research, an attempt has been made to take a step towards the development and improvement of the current conditions of men's rowing sports, especially kayaking, with the knowledge of anthropometric profiles and physical fitness.

1-2. Statement of the problem

There are several factors for success in modern sports, one of these factors is the identification of innate talent, identifying and developing sports talent is not impossible as much as it is challenging. According to Thomson and Boyce [1] (1985), giftedness is a process by which children are encouraged to participate in sports that are likely to succeed based on the results of selected tests of that sport.Systematic talent search programs have started since the 1960s, and Eastern Bloc countries such as the former East Germany, the former Soviet Union, Bulgaria and Romania have been among the countries that have seriously pursued talent search programs, for example, 80% of Bulgarian medal-winning athletes were selected through the systematic method of talent search programs. The results of the talent search project have been evident in the success of elite athletes from different countries. As an example, most of the Romanian and East German medalists in the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics were the product of the sports talent program.

Talent is divided into two internal and external parts, the first part is related to heredity and the second part is related to the environment. Also, psychological variables are important factors that affect the results. Of course, another evolved model was presented by Gimbel [2] in 1982, in which the morphological information of elite athletes was used. Thomas Bompa[3] considers the heredity of athletes to be important in finding talent, because hereditary factors (height, length of limbs, speed, coordination) are not affected by the environment or training, and if an athlete has limitations in hereditary factors for a specific field, it is futile to try to increase his performance level. Of course, all traits that have a hereditary aspect, potentially also have the ability to be affected by training and can develop. Haar [4], a German researcher (1982), based his sports talent identification model on the basis that talents can only be identified in real competition conditions (9). According to Haar, the first step in finding talent is to include a large number of teenagers in training programs. Sports training directs the growth process in teenagers and enables their creativity and talents to emerge. According to Haar, in addition to the training environment, external social conditions can also affect talent acquisition and development. In fact, as Bloomfield [5] (1995) pointed out, sports talent should be encouraged and nurtured by parents and friends (21). In Romania, in 1976, a group of rowing experts and specialists selected young girls for this field, first 100 girls were selected from among 2700 girls, until 1978, this group of 100 people was reduced to 25 people. These 25 people actually constituted the majority of the team sent to the Moscow Olympic Games, which resulted in one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. The Australian Sports Organization follows extensive programs for finding talent in sports. In the field of rowing and in both canoe and kayak sections, these programs are being implemented, and generally, in the centers designed for this purpose, teenagers of 12-17 years old are given the relevant tests, and then the growth and development of specialized rowing skills is discussed. The results of this research, which was published in the South African Journal of Sports Research in 2002, showed that there is a significant relationship between some anthropometric factors such as height, arm length, as well as some physical fitness tests, such as sit-ups, with the performance of kayakers, and based on regression equations, the performance of athletes can be predicted to some extent. The researchers of this plan have suggested that these factors can be used in the talent search programs of the kayak field and according to these indicators, talented people for this field can be selected (9). Physical fitness, anthropometric and psychological characteristics, all of which interact with each other and can lead to success if they are in favorable conditions. Athletes need good physical fitness to perform powerful and fast movements (72). Anthropometric characteristics are a complete reflection of the fit and condition of the body, which play a major role in determining the athlete's performance and success (54). It has also been stated that unfavorable body structure delays performance success and may even make it impossible (77).

optimal performance in rowers is also a result of a combination of anthropometric, physiological, biomechanical and psychological factors (43). Scientific studies in this field are probably useful for identifying more of these dimensions and the contribution of each of them to success and better performance, finding talent and selecting more qualified people for the team.