Written by Ben Sonnenburg
Athletes are known to eat more or less for a specific sport.
Endurance athletes tend to eat more carbohydrates than strength athletes. On the other hand, strength athlete’s intake more protein in order to build as much muscle as possible. Regardless, no matter the sport these athletes follow a regimented guide in order to keep their body composition levels at lower or higher levels.
However, within a sport there can be differences that arise. For example, a linebacker in football is going to have a much higher body fat percentage then a wide receiver. This is necessary because their body composition can determine how well they perform. A wide receiver needs to have the least amount of extra weight possible while running so that they can move more quickly.
In the case of water polo, there have been no studies that sought to determine body composition on specific roles. So, the authors sought to find the best nutritional strategy for each role so that the players can perform at peak performance.
Within a study to determine the link between body composition and sport roles, there were 19 adult athletes included which were from an elite Hungarian water polo team. All of the participants averaged around 15 years’ experience at a professional level. Within the sport, there were four goalkeepers, seven wings, three defenders, three centers, and two shooters.
All of the participants also received a thorough outline of what to expect during the study assigned by the researchers.
The study was done between August and December in 2020. All of their anthropomorphic measurements, body composition, nutritional habits, were analyzed both before the study began and afterwards. This was also done during the regular playing season which made the study span four months. Each player was also given socio-demographic data which was in the form of a questionnaire called the SF36.
Continually, each player journaled three days of their normal nutrition eating patterns. Furthermore, their body composition was assessed using the InBody 770 which has a 92% accuracy rate. The InBody also measured weight, body mass, skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, fat-free mass, total body water, extracellular water, intracellular water, protein mass, mineral mass, basal metabolic rate, body cell mass, and overall fitness score.
In addition to those tests, blood samples were also taken to determine specific mineral content within the body.
Upon completion of the intervention period and compiling the data, the researchers found in the questionnaire that each participant lived in Budapest during the trial. The researchers could also separate the players into two distinct groups based on their anthropomorphic measurements. They named these Cluster I and Cluster II.
The athletes put into Cluster II were much taller, better physique, and a stronger metabolism. These athletes were the defenders, centers, and shooters. Those in Cluster I were the goalkeepers and wingers.
Continually, though there was some differences in nutritional intake between the two Clusters, they were deemed not significant based on the outcome. Though Cluster II had a much higher intake of macronutrients compared to Cluster I.
Within the study, numerous data was collected from the best Hungarian water polo team in the country.
Each individual had numerous victories, even at an Olympic level. In the data there was strong positive correlations between anthropomorphic and body composition characteristics. Those within Cluster I were the goalkeepers and wingers. These participants were 5 cm shorter on average while their average body weight, skeletal muscle mass, and body fat mass were lower by 19kg, 7 kg, and 7kg compared to those within Cluster II.
These results were consistent with the assumption that different positions needed different nutrient intake and exercises. It has also demonstrated that taller people would be better at specific roles, and shorter people at other roles. Therefore, body composition was greatly indicative to the participants individual performance within the sport.
In each of the participants, their body composition played a significant role on their performance.
Being taller or having an increased arm span can help a goalie stop the ball more easily. On the other hand, being shorter and leaner can help a shooter launch the ball faster.
Additionally, although their nutrient intake demonstrated no significant difference, this is in fact significant. Both of the Clusters had a different nutrient intake based on their needs and the fact that there was no major difference demonstrates that there is a need to eat for their specific role. If however, there were nutritional deficiencies found this would demonstrate that those with deficiencies would need to change their eating habits.
I personally found this article helpful because it cements in my mind the importance of eating for not just one’s sport, but position.
Even in water polo there is a great nutritional difference that I was not expecting. I thought all of the roles of the players, though different, deemed a similar structure of what they should be consuming.
This impacts my own coaching because I will be more specific with the athletes that I have. Additionally, it will make me put people into roles that also provide a natural advantage.
Their height being a key factor. It seems obvious that I should not put a tall person as point guard, but in other sports like water polo, it is not as obvious without direct experience.
Reference:
Fritz, P., Fritz, R., Mayer, L., Németh, B., Ressinka, J., Ács, P., & Oláh, C. (2022). Hungarian male water polo players’ body composition can predict specific playing positions and highlight different nutritional needs for optimal sports performance. BMC Sports Science, Medicine & Rehabilitation, 14(1), 1–10.