Comparing the Anthropometrics, Body Composition, and Strength Performance of Male and Female Italian Breaking Athletes: A Pilot Study

TL;DR

This pilot study compares the body composition and strength of male and female Italian Breaking athletes ahead of its inclusion in the 2024 Olympics.

Contribution

The study provides the first descriptive analysis of anthropometrics and strength performance in Italian Breaking athletes.

Findings

Male and female Breakers have low height, weight, and body fat with a mesomorph somatotype.

No significant differences were found between elite and sub-elite athletes due to small sample sizes.

Morphological profiles are hypothesized to result from selection and training demands in Breaking.

Abstract

Breaking is a performative art that has recently undergone a process of sportification, developing into an aesthetic sport included in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Despite its growing worldwide popularity, there is a lack of research on Breaking. Accordingly, this pilot study’s aim was twofold: (a) to provide an initial understanding of the anthropometric measures, body composition data, somatotype profiles, and strength performance of male (B-boys) and female (B-girls) Italian Breakers divided into elite (international) and sub-elite (national) levels and (b) to guide further research on the area, providing the methodological approach for future investigations. A total of 24 B-boys (elite n = 5; sub-elite n = 19) and 9 B-girls (elite n = 3; sub-elite n = 6) were included in this study. Descriptive analyses revealed that B-boys and B-girls displayed low height and weight (1.70 m (63.8 kg) and 1.58 m (54.2 kg), respectively), low levels of body fat percentages (10.3% and 17.6%, respectively), and a balanced mesomorph somatotype (2.28–4.64–2.69 and 2.34–5.16–2.38, respectively), revealing a marked development of muscular mass. Due to the small sample size, Welch’s test and correlation analyses did not report any elite vs. sub-elite difference. It was hypothesized that Breakers’ morphological profiles result from the selection procedures and training regimens related to Breaking aesthetic, athletic, and physiological demands.

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