There was, perhaps unsurprising, outcry from some sections of the sports media when it was revealed the AFL was removing body composition testing (including skinfold testing) in its junior (under the age of 18) talent pathways system, coming soon after the league moved to stop publishing player weights.
“The world has gone mad,” said former Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd, while ex-playing and training great Paul Roos stated: “This is just farcical … they [skinfold tests] are such a minor thing, to take them away seems ludicrous.”
So is that this an indication AFL players have “gone soft”, or is there good reason for it?
Player weights – public or private?
Athletes, like anyone else, have the correct to privacy regarding personal information equivalent to their weight. By not publishing player weights, the AFL could also be aiming to respect players’ privacy and promote a more confidential approach to sensitive information.
Publishing player weights can even contribute to a culture that emphasises body image, potentially placing pressure on some athletes to take care of a certain physique and possibly impacting mental health and self-esteem.
It’s vital to grasp the underlying philosophy of AFL body composition policies is to “first, do no harm” – aiming to advertise positive outcomes for all individuals. So if keeping player weights private helps some athletes who could have body image concerns, even in the event that they are the minority, it’s well worth the change.
Some critics have argued knowing a player’s weight may also help from a performance perspective – coaches, commentators and even fans can compare player match-ups to estimate performance outcomes and capabilities. But the impact of weight on football performance is just not clear.
Also, most AFL players will let you know their published weight hasn’t been updated since they were drafted, and subsequently is unlikely to be valid.
What about skinfold testing?
The AFL’s decision to stop skinfold testing in junior talent pathways is for a similar reasons – to prioritise the health and wellbeing of athletes.
Skinfold testing involves measuring the thickness of fat at various sites on the body with a caliper.
It has been a longheld a part of football culture. Within an AFL club, these tests have historically been carried out semi-regularly by qualified staff to offer a quantitative measure of an athlete’s physical condition.
But while many athletes are unaffected by skinfold testing, there are some who will be significantly impacted, resulting in a poor relationship with food and body image, and increasing the danger of eating disorders.
At the elite level, sports dietitians or qualified medical staff perform the assessments and might recognise signs of disordered eating or body image issues in players and might subsequently ensure appropriate support is put in place.
But at non-elite levels, this is more difficult as resources and expertise are sometimes limited. As a result, there may be likely the next risk amongst these younger athletes, which is an enormous reason the AFL has modified its approach.
Is skinfold testing helpful on the subject of assessing fitness?
Body composition assessment, including skinfold testing, could be a helpful tool in fitness testing and optimising player performance, but it will be significant to recognise the constraints.
Although the evidence is obvious that lean mass and body fat distribution can impact speed and endurance-based performance (that are essential elements of team sports equivalent to AFL), the correlation to overall performance on a football field – requiring high skill execution, strength and decision-making – is unknown and based totally on anecdotal evidence.
Skinfold testing will be helpful in an elite sport environment to trace changes over time and monitor the effectiveness of coaching programs and dietary interventions. For example, if a recruit starts a strength program for the primary time, monitoring skinfolds and weight may also help track progress and supply insight into modifications.
Skinfold testing can even help discover athletes who could also be vulnerable to undereating or those with an eating disorder.
How widespread are body issues in sport?
Body image concerns and anxieties are prevalent in elite sport, although there may be very limited published research with exact estimates, mainly as a result of the challenge in capturing this kind of data (often as a result of athlete access and the sensitive nature of the subject).
However, we’re beginning to see more published research emerge and athletes talking openly concerning the topic.
There are several aspects that may contribute to body image concerns in elite sport and at junior levels. These concerns often come from a pressure and desire to perform, which may result in an unhealthy concentrate on an athlete’s physique to fulfill the demands of their sport and gain a competitive edge.
Media and public scrutiny can even contribute to those anxieties, specifically athletes who’re within the highlight or in high-profile sports and are in comparison with other athletes, and unrealistic standards of what an athlete “should appear like”.
It is a standard thought that athletes in weight-class or aesthetic sports, or endurance-based sports where there could also be a power-to-weight ratio advantage, might be at higher risk of body image issues and eating disorders. However, a recent study reported athletes, no matter sport or gender could also be affected by eating disorders.
Other aspects equivalent to uniform expectations, injury and transition out of sport can even contribute to those concerns.
It is essential to notice body image issues and anxieties will not be limited to a selected gender, age, background or athletic ability – athletes from the identical sport can have different experiences for quite a lot of reasons that may impact their mental health, performance and overall wellbeing.
What are other sports doing?
Globally, there was a broad shift in sports culture towards promoting positive body image, mental health, and holistic athlete development, which has led to changes in how body weight and body composition are assessed and discussed.
In recent years there was an increased awareness of the potential negative impacts of emphasising body composition on athletes’ mental health and wellbeing. This was demonstrated within the independent panel reports on Swimming Australia and Gymnastics Australia that highlighted concerns regarding a possible over-emphasis of physique in sport environments.
In response, body positive campaigns, education and support programs have been a spotlight for a lot of sports and organisations, equivalent to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)‘s Eating Disorder and Body Composition Assessment considerations and Eating Disorder in Sport program.
It’s evident there was an enormous shift in sporting culture and while body weight and skinfold testing should still be used as a part of fitness assessments, there are efforts to minimise the emphasis on these measures and prioritise a more holistic approach to athlete assessment.
