Milivoj Dopsaj; Milan Petronijevic & Marta Bon
Sports training and competitive performance lead to statistically significant changes in the body composition of elite handball players. These changes are sport-specific, varying by sex, being more pronounced in women than in men, and also differs across body segments. The aim of this study was to identify the anthropomorphological characteristics that most effectively represent the body composition of top female handball players, with a focus on the two primary positions in the game: goalkeeper and field player. Furthermore, the study aimed at developing algorithms for evaluating the body composition status of international level female handball players. This was achieved by applying an innovative scientific and methodological approach aimed at optimizing the anthropomorphological status for the two playing positions. Forty-nine elite female handball players participated in the study, divided into two groups based on their playing positions: goalkepers (age = 22.7 ± 4.3 years, training experience = 11.5 ± 5.1 years) and field players (age = 23.0 ± 3.0 years, training experience = 11.3 ± 3.2 years). The results of this research indicate three significant variables in determining the anthropomorphological status and body composition of elite female handball players at the international competitive level: body height (BH), relative body fatness (PBF), and the amount of muscularity relative to body longitudinality (SMMI). The only difference between two groups lies in the influence of two variables: PBF and SMMI. Goalkeepers had a higher body fat percentage and less muscle mass, while field players exhibit the opposite: lower fat percentage and more muscle mass relative to body length.
KEY WORDS: Body Composition; Female Handball Players; Bioimpedance; Algorithms.
DOPSAJ, M.; PETRONIJEVIC, M. & BON, M. Algorithms for evaluating the body composition of elite female handball players: Models for optimizing the body status for goalkeepers and field players. Int. J. Morphol., 43(4):1173-1178, 2025.
