[ANTHROPOMETRIC PROPORTIONALITY METHOD ELECTION IN A SPORT POPULATION; COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS].

Introduction: the proportionality model application, based on ideal proportions, would have a great impact on high performance sports, due to best athletes to resemble anthropometrically.

Objective: the objective of this study was to compare the following anthropometric methods of proportionality: Phantom, Combined and Scalable, in male champion university Chilean soccer players in 2012 and 2013, using South American professional soccer players as criterion, in order to find the most appropriate proportionality method to sports populations.

Method: the measerement of 22 kinanthropometric variables was performed, according to the ISAK protocol, to a sample constituted of 13 members of the men's soccer team of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. The Z-values of the anthropometrics variables of each method were obtained using their respective equations. It was used as criterion population South American soccer players.

Results: a similar trend was observed between the three methods. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in some Z-values of Scalable and Combined methods compared to Phantom method. No significant differences were observed between the results obtained by the Combined and Scalable methods, except in wrist, thigh and hip perimeters.

Conclusion: it is more appropriate to use the Scalable method over the Combined and Phantom methods for the comparison of Z values in kinanthropometric variables in athletes of the same discipline.