The backs in the study by Welham and Behnke (1942) were about the same height and weight as high school linebackers today. To put those numbers in context, Ghigiarelli (2011) reported on the body composition of top high school recruits from 2001 to 2009. Backs had an average height and mass of 181.0 cm (71.3 in) and 85.7 kg (188.9 lb) while linemen were 185.7 cm tall (73.1 in) and weighed 97.1 kg (214.0 lb) on average. At that time, the nature of the sport was very different than it is today, as the players were divided into only two groups, backs and linemen.

In 1942, Welham and Behnke examined the body composition of 25 professional football players. Interest in the body composition of football athletes spans more than eight decades. Therefore, there is a need for monitoring body composition in football athletes from both a performance and health perspective. Although the inaccuracy of associating a high BMI with increased risk of mortality has been reported (Lambert et al., 2012), the link between football players and cardiovascular risk has been shown in numerous studies (Borchers et al., 2009 Buell et al., 2008). Studies using body mass index (BMI) as a measure of obesity suggest that up to 56% of football players, including high school players, are obese (Harp & Hecht, 2005 Laurson & Eisenmann, 2007 Malina et al., 2007). In addition to performance, there is growing interest in body composition of football athletes because of its impact on health. Since performance is so strongly dependent on body morphology and composition, the ability to measure these changes in an athlete over time is essential to both coaches and players. It has been suggested that an increase in body mass or height is associated with increased playing time as well as greater rates of pay (Norton & Olds, 2001). Quality nutrition and strength and conditioning programs can optimize body composition while limiting the health consequences associated with excess weight gain.Ī football athlete’s body composition is of particular importance for performance. Serial measurements of body composition can evaluate the athlete’s status as well as provide insight on program development for the team.Īthletes with excess body fat are at risk of chronic diseases associated with obesity.

Multiple body composition measurement techniques exist and each has inherent strengths and weaknesses. Increases in fat-free mass have a direct correlation to strength, speed and explosiveness. The assessment and interpretation of body composition is central to the development of a football player. The body mass of football players has increased significantly over the past 40 years with linemen increasing body mass by 30 kg.

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