Somatotypes

People clearly differ in build - some are naturally round and soft, some broad and muscular, some tall and lean. Somatotyping is the system that classifies human physique in an organised, scientific way, and it is strongly associated with the work of W. H. Sheldon. A somatotype describes a person's body build or physique in terms of how much of each of three basic components they show.

What a somatotype describes

A somatotype describes the shape and composition of a person's body - how fat, how muscular and how linear (lean) it is. It captures the relatively stable structural type of the body rather than a temporary state.

The three components

• Endomorphy - the fatness / roundness component (soft, round build).
• Mesomorphy - the muscularity / robustness component (hard, muscular build).
• Ectomorphy - the linearity / leanness component (thin, slender build).

A real person is a blend

Almost nobody is a "pure" single type. A real person is a blend rated on all three components at once, with one usually dominant - for example strongly mesomorphic with a little endomorphy and very little ectomorphy. The dominant component gives the person their broad type name.

Why it matters for sport

An athlete's dominant body type suits them to particular sports and events and works against them in others - a build ideal for weightlifting is poorly suited to marathon running, and vice-versa. Coaches use somatotype as one factor in talent identification and in guiding athletes toward events where their natural build is an advantage.