Effect of sports training on morphological characteristics in Bulgarian female tennis players

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The intensity of tennis training together with specific exercises may be reflected in the morphological profile of tennis players. Aim: To evaluate the impact of sports training on the body composition of female tennis players in the 11–13-year competition category. Materials and methods: The study included an experimental group of 27 female tennis players (mean age 12.43±0.91 years) and 115 schoolgirls (mean age 12.55±0.88 years) as a control group. The following features were investigated: body height, body weight, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, muscle mass, fat mass, fat-free mass, percentage of body fat, total body water. The visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue were computed using the Brambilla’s equation. Results: In comparison with the control group, tennis players have higher values of muscle mass (p<0.04), total body water (p<0.05), fat-free mass (p<0.04) and lower values of body fat percentage (p<0.04). The rest of the parameters were not found to have statistically significant differences. Conclusions: We conclude that sports training influences some morphological parameters of female tennis players.