ANALYSIS OF ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ATHLETES ENGAGED IN ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS AND ARTISTIC SWIMMING

Aesthetic sports, in addition to specific skills, also require athletes to have a certain appearance. This appearance contributes to the positive attitude of the audience and judges towards the respective athlete, but on the other hand, it helps in the execution of the complex elements of the combination. PURPOSE. The aim of the present study is to compare the body composition and somatotype of female artistic swimming and gymnastics and to evaluate lower limb strength and breath holding times in both groups. METHODS. Six female gymnasts (11.2 ± 2.6 years) and 6 artistic swimmers (11.2 ± 2.2 years) participated in the study. To achieve this goal, the female athletes visit the Center for Functional Research in Sports and Kinesitherapy at SWU “Neofit Rilski” once, where the research is carried out. RESULTS. The results of the conducted research show that even at this early childhood age, female athletes in both sports have received the appropriate adaptations characteristic of the given sport. Gymnasts have developed good explosive power of the lower limbs, with their vertical jump averaging about 10 cm greater than that of swimmers. While swimmers, on the other hand, hold their breath for a longer period of time, on average about 37 seconds longer than gymnasts. CONCLUSIONS. Properly targeted training in the given sport leads to appropriate adaptations that favor the performance of the athlete.