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Anthropometry and Football

Although it is not the most important component of fitness, body size and composition (anthropometry) is one factor for a successful football player that should be considered.

What Measurements?

Important anthropometrical measures include body fat (skinfolds), body weight, and height. Body fat can be measured using the skinfold method. If this is not available, monitoring body weight changes would give an indication of body fat changes, assuming no change in muscle mass. The excess body fat would affect the football player's ability to move freely around the field, and the extra weight will increase fatigue. Height and arm span reach are particularly important for goalkeepers.

Anthropometry and Elite Football Players

We have collated and compared some data of elite football players.



Related Pages

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More Football

Football (some call it soccer) is the world's most popular sport. There are many major football tournaments, the pinnacle is the FIFA World Cup. See a calendar of what is coming up. There have been many legends of the game, particularly winners of the Ballon d'Or. For players, there are articles about Football Fitness and Fitness Testing.

Sport Extra

Check out the 800+ sports in the Encyclopedia of Every Sport. Well not every sport, as there is a list of unusual sports, extinct sports and newly created sports. How to get on these lists? See What is a sport? We also have sports winners lists, and about major sports events and a summary of every year.

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