For every sport the athlete’s body type and build plays a huge part. Every athlete should at some point consider their body type whether starting out or attempting to take their chosen sport to the next level.
Consider someone who is 5ft 3 and a basketball player. He may be an excellent player, but someone who is 6ft 5 but with the same skill set will obviously have distinct advantages when it comes to playing the game. This doesn’t mean that the 5ft 3 baller will not be a great player, there are a number of small players in the NBA, but it means he may be pigeon holed into specific positions and roles within the team. Speed, strength, height, body shape, stamina, endurance are all aspects that we have some genetic predisposition too, some can be improved (i.e. stamina, endurance, strength) others are unfortunately set in stone (such as height).
There are three ’somatotypes’, or body types that we can all be characterised into. It has been suggested that your body type can make you more suited to certain activities and less suited to others.
1) The Ectomorph – long/thin muscles/limbs and low fat storage; often referred to as slim.
2) The Mesomorph – large bones, solid torso, low fat levels, wide shoulders and narrow waist.
3) The Endomorph – increased ability to store fat, large bone structure and wide waste.
Using these definitions, we can probably all categorise ourselves into one of the above somatotypes, but so what? What does this actually mean? Let’s look at each somatotype in detail.
The Ectomorph
The classic ectomorph is slim, sometimes referred to as ’skinny’, because of their delicate frame, lean muscle mass and linear physique. However, due to this lightly muscled, small shouldered physique, and the fact that their bones are often very light, they are particularly suited to long distance running, long distance cycling and other endurance events. Finding it hard to gain muscle means they are very light and do not carry excess muscular weight, which can be a bonus for these endurance events. Unfortunately this often means a distinct lack of power for certain activities or sports
Picture by HckySo
The Mesomorph
The mesomorph is classically described as athletic, hard bodied, with a mature muscular physique, and denser bones than the ectomorph. They gain muscle easily, although also gain fat a little easier than ectomorphs. Men have the triangular body shape and females the hourglass body shape. In general bones are large and muscles well defined, with a narrow and low waist. Mesomorphs tend to make very good all round athletes, and can excel at many given sports due to the adaptability of their body
Picture by Mark J Handel
The Endomorph
Classically described as soft bodied, with under developed muscles with a generally round physique. Do gain muscle easily, but finds it very difficult to lose weight. An endomorph often has a high waist and the limbs are thicker at the top (biceps/triceps and quads/hamstrings) than the bottom. The weight that proves so hard to shift often concentrates in the abdominal area. Due to their often large size and ease of muscle gain (though low muscular definition) endomorphs often do well at sports that require considerable strength (though often sacrifice on speed) such as front row rugby players, throwing field events in athletics (hammer, discus, shot-put) and classic strong man events.
Picture by Pictr 30D
Importance to you
It is important to remember that with every classification in life, including those described here, they are something that we, as human beings have decided upon. Our scientists have performed studies and these are the classifications they have come up with. Just because you fit into one area and not another, does not mean you should stop doing your desired sport. I would argue that these three body types perhaps fit better when viewed as a sliding scale which we all fit on somewhere. However, I would still urge you to think about how your body type this will help you progress and understand what limitations you may have. additionally, this will help you avoid injury.
Interestingly certain nations look at their young sportsmen and women at school, studying their body type (body typing) and then tell them which sports will suit them best. This does not mean those children must now change to only take part in those suggested sports, but it may avoid our 5ft 3 very skilled basketball player described before. Maybe that individual could have been an excellent gymnast given the opportunity and told where his talents may lie due to his body type.
A very encouraging example for all of us is the Italian football star Fabio Cannavaro. Fabio plays centre back, so it is his job to mark and outplay the opposition’s centre forward. Generally centre backs are relatively tall, around the 6ft mark to allow them to beat the centre forwards to the ball in the air. However, Fabio is 5ft 9 and considered short for his position. Not only has he overcome this disadvantage to become a professional player in the centre back position, he is regarded as one of the best centre backs in the world. He has captained his country to a World Cup win in 2006 and was voted the second best player in the whole competition behind France’s Zinedine Zidane. He has also been named FIFA world and European Player of the Year. This is impressive for any player, but in particular a defender. So what? You might ask. Well, I would argue that Cannavaro is one of many examples where someone’s physical attributes may at first glance discount them from performing their chosen sport to the very top level, but with hard work and an exceptional mastering of all the skills and techniques, this can be overcome.
Somatotype And Injury
Just a cautionary word in terms of injury prevention; it has been argued that the three body types above could be more specifically suited to certain sports than others. For example an ectomorph may struggle if his/her chosen sport was sumo wrestling or strongman competitions. In contrast an endomorph may struggle if his/her chosen sport is the 400metres. Although, as described in the example above there are exceptions, it is worth bearing in mind that injuries may occur more readily if you have a body shape/type that is not that well suited to your chosen sport.
Let’s look at gymnastics. The top gymnasts find movements such as back flips, front somersaults and side flips easy. However, most of these athletes are light, with small builds and carry very little excess muscle or fat (mesomorphs, or possibly ectomorphs). If they were endomorphs it may be the case that their bulkier frames would cause increased heavy impact on the joints in their legs and may lead to knee and ankle injuries over time. On the other hand a large mesomorph or an endomorph will have the necessary power and size to compete at rugby at a high level, but these attributes may be unachievable to a very light ectomorph, who unfortunately cannot gain the power needed for the game, and may cause him/herself injury repeatedly trying.
Conclusion
Scientists have come up with the three somatotypes to help us categorise human beings into body types. From this it is possible for us to determine which activities and sports should be more suitable to an individual. However, for every person of a specific body type trying a sport or activity that shouldn’t in theory suit them, there are examples where people do excel. This article does not aim to put anyone off from training and practicing for their chosen sport/goals, far from it. Sport and training is universal, open to everyone. Your age, sex, skill and body shape is not important. Remember, no matter what body type and shape you have, with hard work, dedicated sensible training, you too can achieve the goals you set for yourself.
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