Ronnie Carda

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1983

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Physical Education

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the body composition and body type of 132 NCAA Division II baseball players. In addition, physical characteristics and body composition of subgroups were determined to see if the subgroups had distinct profiles. Body composition was assessed from measures of three skinfolds (chest, abdomen, and thigh) and age, by using the body density equation of Jackson and Pollock and Siri' s percent body fat equation (McArdle, Katch & Katch. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance 1981, 373). Somatotyping was assessed by use of the Heath-Carter Anthropometric Method. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data and one-way analyses of variance were conducted on selected variables to test the differences among subgroups. Tukey' s test was conducted to test a posteriori comparison. Pitchers were found to be taller (M=183. 48) than in fielders (M=180.14) and outfielders (M=178.69). First basemen (M=185.19), third basemen (M=177.79) and shortstops (M=181.91) were found to be taller than second basemen (M=17 5. 30) . Second basemen (M=70. 96) were found to possess less weight than first basemen (M=84.42) and catchers (M=80.73) and to possess less lean body weight (M=61.71) than first basemen (M=73.61), third basemen (M=6·3.07), catchers (M=69.58) and short stops (M=68. 03). It was concluded that pitchers and first basemen were taller and weighed more than players of the other positions, and second basemen were shorter, weighed less and possessed less lean body weight than players of the other positions. There were no differences in percent body fat among the players of the various positions F(2,129)=3.35, p>.05; F(4,55)=8.82, p>.05; and, as a group, the players of the NCAA Division II had similar profiles in body composition when compared to major league baseball players. Pitchers' mean somatoplot differed significantly from the mean somatoplot of outfielders as the pitchers displayed more endomorphy and less mesomorphy than did the outfielders.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Baseball players
Body composition
Somototypes
South Dakota State University Theses

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

118

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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