STUDIES ON THE PHYSICAL FITNESS OF SUMO WRESTLERS (REPORT II) (PHYSICAL FITNESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEKITORI)

Abstract

Studies were made on the physical fitness and morphological development of 47 high ranking sumo wrestlers who are considered to possess gigantic physique and great strength.
Morphological measurements.
1) The average body height was 180.2cm which when compared to the average Japanese is remarkably tall, however, when considering the tendency for the first rate athletes in Judo, boating, baseball, and basket ball to become taller, recently, this is not particularly noteworthy (Fig.1) .
2) The average body weight was 122.3kg, and the average of the Rohrer's index was 210.5. This is remarkable and may be considered to be a characteristic of the sumo wrestlers (Table 1, Fig. 2) .
3) The development of the circumf erential measurements when compared to that of the long axis of the body was remarkable : waist girth, 114.9cm, and hip girth 115.7cm. The skinfold thickeness was 109.9mm which is remarkably thick. This nearly abnormal development of subcutaneous fat is a special characteristic of sumo wrestlers.
Physical fitness.
4) The average back strength was 181.2kg, and the average grip strength was 47.9 kg, which are unexpectedly small and inferior to those of the boating and heavy weight lifting Olympic athletes. The method of measurement of muscle strength may be somewhat problematic, however, the development of the muscles was surprisingly poor. (Table 4)
5) The sumo wrestlers were also remarkably poor in tests requiring body movement, such as, vertical jump (47.9 cm) and side step test (35.1 times) . These values are far inferior to those of athletes in other sports, and are even inferior to those of the average Japanese of comparable age. (Table 4)
6) However, in spite of their obesity, the sumo wrestlers were comparable to the athletes of other sports in body flexibility and response time. (Table 4)
7) Obese subjects are said to have weak respiratory function. The sumo wrestlers under observation had an average vital capacity of 4918.6m1 indicating a remarkably low value for their large physique.
8) The average points for the step test was 49.4 indicating a lower value than the average Japanese of comparable age.
9) A follow-up study of the measurements made during the past 4 years was made on a few Sekitori. Although no change was noted in body height, marked increases in body weight and circumferential measurements were observed. (Fig. 4)
10) When the higher ranking wrestlers were compared with the lower ranking wreatlers, it was found that, morphologically, the higher ranking wrestlers were superior in body weight and circumferential measurements, however, no significant difference was found in the functional aspect (Fig. 5, 6) . These facts suggest that morphological superiority is an important factor in winning a sumo match.
11) From the foregoing, it may be inferred that the special characteristic of the sumo wrestler is their well developed morphological features, especially girth, however, they are far inferior to athletes of other sports in their functional aspect. These points suggest that more consideration should be made on the sumo wrestlers' method of training and also on their mode of living.