Gender dependence of body composition characteristics in young Bulgarian tennis players
G.S. Nikolova
, A. B. Dimitrova
, D.M. Dantchev
Abstract: Objective: To investigate how the body compositions of girls' and boys' tennis players differ, since assessing these characteristics is essential to improving athletic performance. Materials and methods: In the current work, a total of 78 tennis players between 14 and 17 years old had their body composition characteristics measured. The athletes are divided into two groups: 34 girls tennis players and 44 boys tennis players. Body composition components were determined utilising multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance measurements, with the use of an InBody (model: 170) analyser. Every participant had to routinely compete in regional, national, or international competitions and train at least five times a week in order to be eligible. Results: We report the mean values and standard deviations of the height (cm), weight (kg), body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), as well as the corresponding probability distributions of fat mass (%), fat free mass (kg), waist to hip ratio, visceral fat (level) and basal metabolic rate (kcal). Discussion: It's apparent how the body composition components of girls and boys tennis players differ from one another. Body fat mass (%) and fat-free mass (kg), which are considerably larger in girls tennis players than in boys tennis players, respectively, reveal the most substantial inter-group differences. Conclusion: The body composition profiles of tennis players must be regularly tracked in order to give coaches and athletes the information they need to create effective programs that enhance player performance and reduce the risk of injury.
Series on Biomechanics, Vol.39, No. 4 (2025), 25-34
DOI: 10.7546/SB.03.04.2025
Keywords: Body composition characteristics; Body fat mass and visceral fat; Boys and girls tennis players
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| Date published: 2025-12-12
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