Aspects of cooperation in kinanthropometry between India and Germany and an example of different ways of talent identification and selection
Authors: Klaus-Peter Herm, None Habil
Journal: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2010)

Between India and Germany exist nearly 60 years of cooperation and bilateral relation in sports. There is a long tradition in developing teachers, coaches and sports scientists in different areas. One of these is the field of kinanthropometry. The collected experiences to develop norms for talent identification and talent selection is one part and way for using anthropometric methods to estimate somatotype, body composition (muscle mass, skeleton mass and fat mass) as well as the developing and use of biological age and growth types in different kind of sports can be use in all other kinds of sports in different countries on the world. With the methodical way of the investigations described above for body composition, somatotype and growth type during childhood, it is possible for young sportsmen in different kind of sports, using the models for the first time meant that the result were applicable for a longer period, is valid for the whole year and for the age groups from 11 to 20 years. Talent identification and selection is connected with ‘models of special norms’ in the anthropology of sports. The objectives are to (1) secure reliable data on body measurements that describe the characteristics of group, race or stock being studied and (2) publish the data in a form that may be readily and safely used for anthropological comparisons and deductions. In sports sciences, the cooperation between India and Germany has a long tradition. Sixty years ago, after World War II, you can find a two-part connection. One part was with West Germany and its sport organisation and different sport clubs in West German cities, and, the other part was with the sport organisation of the former German Democratic Republic since 1974. A good relationship existed with both German countries. After reunification of Germany, we could find some other good connection between India and Germany. At first, during the 1950s, Indians sportsmen participated in different sports and competitions like cycling, hockey, and track and field. After the first contact with regard to sports, there has also been a change in education and qualification of sports scientists of India. A number of Germans developed the Indian Sports Sciences and many coaches worked in India, and numerous sports students and aspirants had the opportunity of studying in Germany at the Sports University in Cologne and at the German University of Physical Culture of Sports in Leipzig. The first doctoral candidate was during the 70s, Dr CM Muthuiah, and the last aspirant who finalised his doctoral degree was Dr Kuntal Roy in 1992, from Salt Lake City NIS Centre, one of the best coaches in track and field of India. There was development of psychology, biomechanics, sports medicine, kinanthropometry and coaching of different sports. During the Sport Scientific Conference in Bangalore in 1996, sports scientific persons of the former parts of Germany participated, for example, Prof Dr Haag, Prof Dr Kurt Tittel and Dr K-P Herm, and there has been other communications of experts too. So, for example, for coaching and teaching individual contacts of Dr Herm in Kolkata and NIS Patiala, we could find between the SAI Kolkata as well as Universities in Kolkata and other centre of sports and during this year like Durgapur. But we have seen also the difficulty to hold a stable relation in a very high level like before especially to the former East Germen sports centre in Leipzig.