A Study on the Association between Skiers’ Body Fat Percentage and Their Jump and Sprint Performance

Authors : Buket Sevindik Aktaş

Pages : 669-682

Doi:10.33459/cbubesbd.1332848

View : 86 | Download : 106

Publication Date : 2023-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study was conducted to analyse the correlation between elite skiers’ body fat percentage (BFP) and their jump and sprint performance. From among different disciplines of snow sports (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, and biathlon), a total of 40 (male) elite athletes with a mean age of 18.55±2.86 year, a mean height of 172.1±6.05 cm, and a mean body weight of 65.73±10.79 kg were included in this study, and their anthropometric (height, body weight, body mass index, and BFP) and performance (10-30 meters sprint and vertical/horizontal jump) measurements were taken. In order to determine the suitability of the data for normal distribution, the Pearson Correlation Coefficient test was used to analyse the correlations between variables upon assuming normal distribution by using the Shapiro-Wilk test. As a result, negative correlations were found between 10-30 m sprint and horizontal jump performances and the disciplines of cross-country skiing, ski jumping and biathlon. Further negative correlations were found between vertical jump and 30 m sprint in snowboard branch, while positive correlations were present between 10-30 m sprint and BFP in the disciplines of cross-country skiing, ski jumping and biathlon. However, there was also a strong negative correlation between horizontal jump and BFP in the discipline of ski jumping. It can be suggested that high BFP negatively affects the sprint and jump abilities of the athletes since the skiers’ jump performance appears to decrease with the increased BFP, and likewise, their jump performance increases with the decreased BFP.
Keywords : Kayak, Dikey sıçrama, Yatay sıçrama, Sprint, Beden kitle indeksi, Vücut yağ yüzdesi