Our physique can influence our success in certain sports or even the position we choose to play.For example, the ideal physique for a
[?] player would be over 2metres ( for a man) but this would be much too big for a jockey or a gymnast.
The human body comes in many shapes and sizes.
[?] identified three extreme main shapes which he called
[?] . The
is pear-shaped, with narrow
, wide
and a lot of fat on their body, upper
and
. The mesomorph is
, with
[?] shoulders,
[?] hips,
[?] arms and legs and
[?] body fat. The
is linear.These people have narrow shoulders and hips, are very
[?] and have little fat or muscle on their bodies. Wrestlers are often
[?] , footballers and sprinters are usually
and high jumpers and distance runners tend to be
.
Body composition refers to the relative percentage of
which makes up the body. Bone
can affect one's ability to
[?] as denser bones will make it more difficult to float. Muscle mass is an advantage in power sports but would be a disadvantage in
[?] events. Excess fat will not help in most sports; it puts extra strain on the
[?] and muscles and performance can suffer as a result.
[?] also affects our sports performance. Up to age nine or ten girls and boys develop at a similar rate and have similar body composition. This means that competition at this age is
[?] . At
[?] girls develop much faster than boys but then males gain greater advantage in terms of body
,
and percentage
[?] .
Performance can also be affected by
[?] . As young people's bones are still in the process of
[?] it is important to avoid placing too much strain on the body until physical maturity. Teenage boys can vary greatly in size and weight and coaches must be aware of this , particularly when introducing contact sports such as
[?] . As we move into our forties, performance starts to decline, particularly in terms of
[?] .