ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS AND BODY COMPOSITION OF ELITE EUROPEAN TABLE TENNIS PLAYERS’

The purpose of this study was to compare anthropometric (body height, weight), whole body and segmental composition variables of European table tennis players according to different age and performance levels. Thirty-eight male table tennis players were distributed in two groups according to performance level: elite (19), sub-elite (19) and age category: senior (15) and U21 (23). Body composition was assessed using BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) method (TanitaMC-780MA P) and hydration status and time of measurement were control factors. Mann-Whitney U test was conducted and an effect size was calculated. The results shows that Elite players displayed greater body height (p= .001, ES= 0.5), weight (p= .043, ES= 0.3) and increased bone mass (p= .002, ES= 0.5). Additionally, they exhibited a lower percentage of body fat in their dominant arm (p= .037, ES= 0.3) and higher muscle mass throughout all areas of the body (p= .000 - .006, ES= 0.4-0.6). A Spearman's correlation was conducted to investigate the relationship between the anthropometric characteristics, body composition and performance level. With level of performance, there is a relatively strong positive association between the body height (r_s= .459, p< .001), bone mass (r_s= .445, p< .001), arm muscle mass (r_s = .483- .485, p < .001), legs muscle mass (r_s= .456 - .472, p<0.001) and a moderate association with total muscle mass (r_s= .392, p< 0.005) and trunk muscle mass (r_s= .379, P<0.005). The results can offer valuable insights to optimize sports training and enhance the competitive potential of elite table tennis players