A profile of Italian players of American football: anthropometric and physical performance differences among playing positions and comparison with non-drafted USA players

Aim. Previous studies have demonstrated that height, body weight and body composition are different among American football players and this is due to the different speed and movement demands for each playing position (Kraemer WJ et al., 2005). Recruits that join the NFL draft have to perform the NFL Combines. The results of the Combines are different for playing position and they are used by coaches and scouts to assess players’ physical abilities as a determinant of their success in the professional level (Sierer SP. et al., 2008). The purpose of this study was to examine anthropometric and performance differences among football players of a top Italian team (Rhinos Milan AFT) and to compare these values with previous data of nondrafted American players reported in the scientific literature. Methods. Participants (N = 50) were categorized by position in 3 groups based on playing position: Skill players (SP) included wide receivers, cornerbacks, free safeties, strong safeties, and running backs; Big skill players (BSP) consisted of fullbacks, linebackers, tight ends, and defensive ends; Lineman (LM) included centers, offensive guards, offensive tackles, and defensive tackles. Body weight and percentage of body fat were determined using the bioelectrical impedance analysis with the TANITA Body Composition Monitor BC-418 and we obtained performance results of the following NFL Combine drills: 40-yard dash, 225-lb bench press test, vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle and the 3-cone drill. Results. The one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey-Kramer post-hoc test showed significant differences for all the variables among the 3 playing categories: LM had higher anthropometric and body composition values than SP (p<0.001) and BSP (p<0.01) while they performed significantly worse in the physical tests, except for the 225-lb bench press test. We calculated and compared the 95% confidence limits for each anthropometric and physical test parameter of Italian and American players: American non drafted players had higher values for all the anthropometric and physical tests variables than Italian players. Conclusion. Administrators of professional football teams in Italy need to improve players physical attributes so the league can become more competitive and the gap that currently exists between Italy and USA can be reduced. Reference 1. Kraemer WJ, Torine JC, Silvestre R, et al. (2005). Body size and composition of National Football League players. J Strength Cond Res 19: 485–489. 2. Sierer SP, Battaglini CL, Mihalik JP et al. (2008). The national football combine: performance differences between drafted and nondrafted players entering the 2004 and 2005 drafts. Journal of Strength and Conditioning 22(1): 6-12.