Author(s): GUARNIERI, A., LAURENTI, F., PRESTA, V., MAZZEI, S., GOBBI, G., CONDELLO, G., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF PARMA, Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 2074

INTRODUCTION:
Body size, shape, and composition are important factors in sports performance, and understanding their impact on technical-tactical components is essential. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how body composition and somatotype influence technical-tactical behaviors during table tennis (TT) matches.
METHODS:
Ten international-level male TT players (24.9±6.2 years) participated in the study. Body composition was evaluated via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), assessing total body mass and the percentage of body fat (%BF), fat free mass (%FFM), and skeletal muscle mass (%SSM). Additionally, body mass index (BMI), body fat index (BFI), fat free mass index (FFMI), and skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI) were calculated by normalizing absolute values to height square. ISAK-derived anthropometric assessments [1] were used to determine somatotype components (ectomorphy, endomorphy, mesomorphy) [2]. Technical-tactical behaviors were evaluated through a notational analysis of one official match per player. Each side of the table was divided into three main areas (backhand, central, and forehand), to investigate the execution of the forehand (FH) technique from the backhand area. Specifically, the percentages of overall and offensive (topspin + top-counter-top) FH strokes were analyzed.
RESULTS:
No correlations were found between the percentage of overall FH strokes and %BF, %FFM, and %SSM. Conversely, the percentage of overall FH strokes was directly associated with BMI (r=0.680, p=0.031), FFMI (r=0.726, p=0.017), and SMMI (r=0.727, p=0.017). The somatotype analysis aligns with this pattern, showing that the percentage of overall FH strokes was positively related to mesomorphy component (r=0.877, p=0.001) and negatively related to ectomorphy component (r=-0.785, p=0.007). Similarly, the percentage of offensive FH strokes demonstrated positive correlations with BMI (r=0.755, p=0.012), FFMI (r=0.695, p=0.026), SMMI (r=0.698, p=0.025), and mesomorphy component (r=0.706, p=0.023), and a negative association with ectomorphy component (r=-0.840, p=0.002).
CONCLUSION:
This study highlights for the first time how body composition and somatotype influence technical-tactical behaviors in TT. Our findings suggest that greater height-indexed muscularity, lower fat mass, a higher mesomorphy component, and a lower ectomorphy component facilitate the FH execution from the backhand area, especially when considering offensive strokes. Coaches and match analysts should consider these relationships to individualize players’ technical-tactical development through targeted trainings. Accordingly, physical trainers should plan specific sessions aimed at enhancing the pivot-step, which is the fundamental footwork used to perform FH strokes from the backhand corner. Future investigations should increase the sample size and employ a multivariate approach to also analyze players’ motor characteristics.

1. International Standards for Anthropometric Assessment, 2001; 2. Carter & Heath, 1990.