The anthropometric and fitness characteristics of South African female basketball players

Abstract

Basketball in South Africa (SA) is viewed as a secondary and social sport, even at national level (Radovic, 2010). The South African female national basketball team is ranked 70 out of 73 countries globally (FIBA, 2014a). There are many possible reasons for the poor success of the team; one contributing factor could be their anthropometric and fitness characteristics. To date, there have been no published research studies investigating the anthropometric and fitness characteristics of female basketball players in SA. The primary aim of this study was to examine the anthropometric and fitness characteristics of SA female basketball players, in three groups: players in university, provincial leagues and those in the national squad. The secondary aim was to investigate the structures in place for managing and monitoring the strength and conditioning of these players. This research study is the first to examine and compare anthropometric and fitness characteristics of female basketball players at different playing levels in SA.