Somatotypes
Physical Education: AQA GCSE, topic 8.2.3
Somatotypes
Somatotypes refers to people's different body types. Athletes usually have a combination of the 3 somatotypes.
Ectomorph
- Thin and lean (usually tall).
- Narrow shoulders, hips and chest.
- Very little fat and muscle.
- Long arms and legs.
- Thin face and high forehead.
Endomorph
- Pear-shaped body.
- High-fat content.
- Fat middle, thighs and arms.
Mesomorph
- Wedge-shaped.
- Large amount of muscle.
- Wide shoulders and thin hips.
Somatotypes and Sport
Some sports are more suited to a particular body type.
Suitable sports for mesomorphs
- Sprinting - muscular shoulders help to ‘pump’ their arms and muscular legs let them drive forwards.
- Weightlifting - having a lot of upper and lower body strength lets weightlifters lift large amounts of weight.
- Rugby - some rugby players are mostly mesomorphic, allowing them to tackle hard, run fast, and break tackles.
Suitable sports for endomorphs
- Front row forward (rugby) - having a large mass makes it easy to push opposition players in a scrum.
- Shot put - having a heavy, bulky frame is useful for building powerful movements.
- Sumo wrestling - their large frame makes endomorphs difficult to move.
Suitable sports for ectomorphs
- High jump - a light frame allows ectomorphs to jump higher because they have less weight to move.
- Tennis - tall players can naturally form a steep angle when serving and they also have a long reach for returning shots.
- Endurance running - lighter bodies are easier to carry.
- Long jump - tall performers can build up speed on the approach through their long levers.
Test yourself on Somatotypes
Which of the following is not a somatotype?
Characteristics of an ectomorph
Which of the following is a synonym for body types?
Which sport would mesomorphs typically not be well-suited to?
Suitable sports for ectomorphs