Capt Rafael Pinheiro, PhD (Brazilian Army Physical Education School, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) SCIENCE INCREASING PERFORMANCE: DERMATOGLYPHICS, SOMATOTYPE AND BASIC QUALITIES PROFILE OF BRAZILIAN MILITARY ATHLETES

SCIENCE INCREASING PERFORMANCE: DERMATOGLYPHICS, SOMATOTYPE AND BASIC PHYSICAL QUALITIES PROFILE OF BRAZILIAN MILITARY ATHLETES

RAFAEL SOARES PINHEIRO DA CUNHA1, NILTON GOMES ROLIM FILHO2, JULIO CEZAR FIDALGO ZARY2 & RODRIGO FERRAZ FILHO2

1- Brazilian Army Sports Commission (CDE), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2- Brazilian Army Physical Education School (EsEFEx), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Genetics represents a modern science that can collaborate in the process of a sports talent discovery (Fernandes Filho, 2003). Fingerprints, as a component of hereditary characteristics, had been used in some countries as a tool to select players since the childhood (Liang & Li, 1996). The somatotype is used to classify the individuals, according to their physical type in categories (endomorphy, mesomorphy and ectomorphy). In each sports modality, the athletes present distinct physical characteristics in accordance to the needs demanded for a higher level of peformance (Mansur et al., 2002). The main objective of this research is identifying the dermatoglyphics, somatotyping and basic physical qualities profile of Brazilian Military Pentathlon, Modern Pentathlon, Fencing (foil) and Volleyball military athletes, male, top level of performance. They had composed a sample of thirty seven subjects, divided in four groups, being six Military pentathletes (Mil P), seven Modern pentathletes (Mod P), twelve fencers (F) and twelve Volleyball players (V). All athletes had been evaluated and characterized on age, body mass, stature; dermatoglyphic profile, by protocol of Cummins and Midlo (1942) - total ridge count (TRC), D10 index and kind of fingerprints (arch-A, loop-L and whorl-W); somatotype, by the anthropometric method of Heath-Carter (1967); and basic physical qualities of speed - 50 meters launched running (Mil P, F); agility - Shuttle Run (Mil P, F); maximum aerobic power (O2max) - Léger-Boucher (Mil P, Mod P) and ergoespirometry (F); and anaerobic resistance - 40 seconds running (Mil P, F). The dermatoglyphic profile results, which include the most informative and integral indexes, presented D10 index of 9.20 ± 2.17 (Mil P), 14.1 ± 3.63 (Mod P), 12.6 ± 4.66 (F) and 13.5 ± 2.88 (V); TRC 82,3 ± 42.34 (Mil P), 128.6 ± 30.42 (Mod P); 119,9 ± 46,98 (F) and 132.08 ± 38.27 (V); L= 7.60 ± 1.52, W = 0.67 ± 0.52 and A= 1.33 ± 1.75, with higher incidence of L and lower of W (Mil P), L = 5.0 ± 2.45, 4.60 ± 2.88 and 0 ± 1.13, with balance between L–W and lower of A (Mod P); L = 5.8 ± 3.05, W = 3.4 ± 3.4 and A = 0.8 ± 1.99, showing higher presence of L and lower of A (F); L = 5.83 ± 2.21, W = 3.83 ± 2.24 and A = 0.33 ± 0.78, disclosing a higher amount of L and lower of A (V). Based on dermatogliphyc classification (Abramova et al., 1995) it seems that the sample of Mil P classifies has, probably, maximized somatic-functionary level of force and minimized of coordination; the group Mod P seems to have higher performance of coordination and speed resistance, lower of force and the speed; the group F has higher level of coordination and lower of relative force; and group V, better in coordination and lower in relative force. The somatotyping results are 1.5-5.5-2.2 (Mil P); 2.3-4.5-3.4 (Mod P); 2.5-4.0-3.3 (F), all meso-ectomorphic; and 2.6-4.2-2.6 (V), balanced mesomorphic. Therefore, this study came to present the profile of the Brazilian military athletes, in order to allow the comparison of this population, at another opportunity, with its own results, among other sports, with national and international teams, and serving as concrete data of high level sports formation and renewal of Brazilian military teams.