Research in Sport Medicine and Technology

Introduction: Different sports require athletes with special shape and size.
Findings of researches have reported the relationship between somatotype
components and athletic performance, similarity of somatotype of junior and
senior athletes in the same sport and, consistency of somatotype through
lifespan. In according to the fact that, somatotype is related to genetic factors
and not influenced by training and nutrition, this index can be helpful in
identification of talents. Lack of investigation examining somatotype profile of
Iranian population, the aim of present study was to describe somatotype profile
of Iranian 9-13 years old boys of country provinces in martial sports.
Methodology: present investigation is descriptive and field study. Population is
9-13 years old boys who participated in Basij Sport Organization leisure time
programs. Sample includes 1726 boys in that age rang. Anthropometric
characteristics were measured using ISAK instruction and somatotpye was
assessed using Heath-Carter method.
Findings: results showed that Ectomorphic component of Iranian boys was 3.1,
Mesomorphy was 4.1 and Endomorphic was 3.1. also revealed that the Iranian
9-13 years old boys have balanced mesomorph somatotype.
Discussion: based on previous researches, elite Karateka in worldwide top
teams like Germany have Ectomorph-Mesomorph type, also somatotype of elite
taekwondo ka is Ectomorph-Mesomorph too and in Judo somatotype of elite
athletes is Balanced Mesomorphy. Based on the finding of present study the
boys of Ilam, Fars, Qazvin, Qom, Lorestan, Khorasan Razavi and Yazd have
Ectomorph-Mesomorph somatotype and, boys in Mazandaran, Kerman,
Kemanshah, Kurdestan, Markazi, Azarbayjan Sharghi, Khouzestan and
Bousher provinces have balanced mesomorph somatotye.