THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOMATIC CHARACTERISTICS AND SPORT PERFORMANCE OF TRAMPOLINE GYMNASTS AGED 10-13 YEARS

Sports results are the outcome of a complex interaction of many factors. Many authors highlight the essential interdependence between somatic structure and performance level in gymnastics, confirming the crucial importance of body structure for success in these disciplines. However, the literature on trampoline gymnastics is limited, and publications on the somatic characteristics of athletes and their correlation with sports results are exceptionally scarce. The aim of this paper is to analyse the correlation between somatic features, body proportion indices, and sports results achieved in trampoline gymnastics competitions. The study included 114 trampoline gymnasts (69 women and 45 men) aged 10–13 years (mean age 11.47±1.01). Somatic measurements were performed in accordance with the principles of Martin’s technique. The study analysed the correlations between individual variables (somatic features, age, BMI) and results (time of flight, difficulty, execution, horizontal displacement) from the National Trampoline Cup competitions. The correlation between variables was calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Only complete routines (10 elements) were analysed. The research revealed significant correlations between somatic measurements and the competitive results of trampoline gymnasts. The most statistically significant correlations were observed with time of flight (ToF) (p<0.05) in both the first and second routines (ToF1, ToF2). This indicates that older, taller, and heavier gymnasts (with weight and height proportions, as measured by BMI, within the normal range) achieve better results in time of flight (ToF) than their younger counterparts, which could be explained by their ability to generate greater force from the trampoline.