Postural differences of volleyball players

Abstract

Aim: The paper’s purpose is to determine the existence of differences in anthropometric and postural characteristics in specific sport branches, in this case, to find the ergonomic posture for athletes in the area of volleyball. Differences can be used by professional teams and sport clubs in the selection of new athletes, in improving performance monitoring for the active athletes and in determining specific ergonomic position for each sport. Materials and methods: Participants included in the study were seven active athletes (all male volleyball representatives) aged 16 to 23. They had been involved in a series of non-invasive tests using a postural baro-podometric electronic platform consisting of a pressure plate with 6400 active sensors. This unit examines the pressure orthostatic bipedal (static exam) and balance (stabilometric exam) using Miletrix 2.0 software exams that have produced a number of parameters and indicators. After analyzing and comparing the obtained parameters, analytical and graphical differences were observed between the volleyball athletes’ in regard to posture. Results: The differences occur because of various exercises used in motor development and specific skills needed in each sport. Conclusion: Proving these differences by using a small number of indicators and parameters, applied on just 7 athletes included in the study, opens new ways and offers new opportunities for further scientific analysis of this field, with the final goal of being able to suggest the best suitable sport for an individual based only on a few, fast, non-invasive measurements, able to tell if an individual suits the ergonomic posture specific for that certain sport.