Somatotypes of Top Croatian Male Volleyball Players

Situational efficiency of volleyball players depends on many factors, including specific ones in the area of morphology. The specialization of playing roles implies the performance of specific motor tasks, and therefore a specific combination of morphological factors necessary for the player’s efficiency. This study aimed to determine the somatotypes of groups of top-level volleyball players divided according to their playing role. The research was conducted on 40 (body height 192.22±8.58 cm, body weight 86.93±11.22 kg, age 24.18±4.97 years) male volleyball players from the Croatian A1 volleyball league. According to the playing role, 10 setters (body height 191.21±6.39 cm, body weight 84.12±8.76 kg, age 24.12±6.77 years), 10 middle blockers (body height 199.97±4.41 cm, body weight 94.82±6.67 kg, age 26.05±26.05 years), 10 liberos (body height 181.71±5.71 cm, body weight 74.97.21±5.59 kg, age 22.67±2.88 years) and 10 outside hitters (body height 196.06±4.34 cm, body weight 93.80±10.29 kg, age 23.89±5.53 years). Heath-Carter method was used for the somatotype determination. A statistically significant difference between the groups was detected in Body height, Body weight, Flexed arm girth circumference, Flexed calf girth circumference and Calf skinfold. The determined somatotypes for setters (2.8 - 3.8 - 3.4) and middle blockers (2.3 - 3.8 - 3.6) are mesomorph-ectomorph, and liberos (2.4 - 4.6 - 3.0) and outside hitters (2.5 - 4.3 - 3.1) are ecto-mesomorph. The results are in line with previous research. This confirms the importance of the longitudinal dimensionality of the skeleton in volleyball. In the future, we can expect the growth of the ectomorph component, with a stagnation or slight increase in the mesomorph component of the somatotype in top level volleyball.