Anthropometry for Paddle Sports
Anthropometry (measuring body size and composition) is an important component of fitness testing for paddle sports. Low body fat, and having a long reach, are just two physical advantages in paddle sports.
Suggested Anthropometry Tests for Paddle Sports
- Body weight and Skinfold testing — although the weight of paddlers is supported in the water, any extra body fat is only adding to the weight and may restrict movement.
- Height — a taller athlete will generally have a greater reach, a great advantage in paddle sports. Of particular importance is the upper body length, and you can determine this by taking away the sitting height from the standing height measurement.
- Arm span — a longer arm span is an advantage to enable the paddler to reach further along the water with each stroke.
Anthropometry and Olympic Athletes
London 2012 Olympic Games
Here is some information from the analysis of the anthropometric data (height, weight and age) from the canoe participants at the London 2012 Olympic Games. You will notice that the sprinters were on average taller and heavier than the slalom participants. The higher BMI of the sprint athletes would possibly indicate a greater muscle mass.
| Sport | Age | Height (cm) | Weight (kg) | BMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVERALL AVERAGE (all sports) | 26.1 | 176.9 | 72.8 | 23.3 |
| Canoe Slalom (all) | 26.8 | 175.3 | 70.2 | 22.8 |
| Canoe Slalom (females) | 25.0 | 166.7 | 59.8 | 21.6 |
| Canoe Slalom (males) | 27.4 | 178.3 | 73.9 | 23.3 |
| Canoe Sprint (all) | 26.2 | 179.4 | 78.2 | 24.2 |
| Canoe Sprint (females) | 26.3 | 171.2 | 66.3 | 22.6 |
| Canoe Sprint (males) | 26.2 | 184.1 | 85.1 | 25.1 |
Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Here is average data from the analysis of the anthropometric data of the canoeing competitors at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
| Age (years) | height (m) | weight (kg) | BMI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVERAGE (all sports) | 26.8 | 1.77 | 72.0 | 22.9 |
| Canoeing (all) | 27.4 | 1.78 | 77.0 | 24.2 |
| Canoeing (females) | 27.7 | 1.70 | 66.5 | 23.0 |
| Canoeing (males) | 27.3 | 1.82 | 82.2 | 24.7 |
Related Pages
- Fitness Components for Paddlers
- Fitness Testing for Paddle Sports
- Fitness for Paddlers
- Olympic Games Anthropometry for other sports in 2012
- All about fitness testing, including anthropometry testing
- Poll about the fitness components for Paddling Sports
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