A Study on the Upper Bodytype of Male Sports Athletes for the Development of Bodice Pattern

Fitness of clothes becomes a major concern in apparel industry. But male sports athletes had difficulties to buy ready-made clothes of good fit. Because ready-made clothes manufactured in companies are produced accordingly to the general person's body types. To solve this problem, it is necessary to classify athletes' upper body into several kinds of somatotypes. The purpose of this study was to classify upper body types of male sports athletes based on the analysis of their upper body types and to provide fundamental data on the development of ready-to-wear clothing appropriate for the upper body types. The subjects for anthropometric measurement were 189 male sports athletes of 20 to 29 year-old. The result of factor analysis indicated that 6 factors were extracted from anthropometric measurements through analysis and those factors comprise 73.807% of total variance. 3 clusters were categorized using 6 factor scores by cluster analysis. Type 1 was taller than other types, had average size in circumference, width and thickness and was bending somatotype. Type 2 exhibits a large circumference in the upper body and straight somatotype. Type 3 was characterized by short, exhibits a large circumference in waist, abdomen and hip and swayback somatotype.