The Department of Sports Science and Yoga conducted a certification course for the students and the faculty of the department in association with the International Society for Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). The course was conducted from 30th June to 2nd July in the Kinanthropometry laboratory at Atma Vikas, RKMVERI, Belur Campus. The course offered participants the opportunity to receive the ISAK Level 1 certification. The internationally valid certification was instructed by Dr. Senthil Kumar Subramanian, Associate Professor, AIIMS, Madurai, and an ISAK level 3 Instructor and Anthropometrist.
Schedule:
The 3-day ISAK (International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry) training program was designed to equip participants with essential theoretical knowledge and practical skills in anthropometric assessment, with a focus on achieving Level 1 certification.
Day 1 (30.06.25) began with an introduction to ISAK, covering its history, ethical considerations, and the concepts of similarity, scale, and body composition. The day also included hands-on sessions on anatomical landmarks and base measurements such as skinfolds, girths, and breadths, followed by a practical session and a Q&A review.
Day 2 (01.07.25) built upon the foundational knowledge, starting with a recap and sessions on growth and development, anthropometry in sports performance and health, and technical error of measurement (TEM) in statistics. Participants engaged in data entry using the ISAK-metry platform, learned somatotyping techniques, and continued intensive practical training.
Day 3 (02.07.2025), dedicated to Level 1 certification, involved a recap followed by a restricted profile practical session and the official practical examination for Level 1 participants. The workshop concluded with a valedictory ceremony and group photograph.
Overall, the schedule was well-structured, blending theory and practice, ensuring participants developed accurate and reliable anthropometric measurement techniques aligned with ISAK standards.
| From | To | Day 1 (30-06-25) | Day 2 (01-07-25) | Day 3 (02-07-25) – Level 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.00 | 9.30 | Introduction & History of ISAK | Recap of previous day | Recap of previous day |
| 9.30 | 10.00 | Similarity and scale | Growth and development | |
| 10.00 | 10.30 | Ethics | Anthropometry and sports performance | Restricted Profile Practical practice session |
| 10.30 | 11.00 | Body composition | ||
| 11.00 | 11.30 | Introduction to equipment | Anthropometry and Health | |
| 11.30 | 12.00 | Anatomical landmarks | Statistics – TEM | |
| 12.00 | 12.30 | Practical – Anatomical landmarks | Practical | |
| 12.30 | 13.00 | |||
| 13.00 | 14.00 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 14.00 | 14.30 | ISAK-metry Platform | Somatotyping | Level 1 participants Practical Exam |
| 14.30 | 15.00 | Base measurements | ISAK-metry data entry and result generation | |
| 15.00 | 15.30 | Skinfold measurements | Practical | |
| 15.30 | 16.00 | Girths and breadths | ||
| 16.00 | 18.30 | Practical | ||
| 18.30 | 18.45 | Q&A and review of Day 1 and feedback | Q&A and review of Day 2 and feedback | Valedictory and Photo |
The course provided knowledge about anthropometric measurements and the practical implications and procedures. The hands-on course had more than 18 hours of practical sessions where they practised and perfected the procedures of all the measurements of the ISAK restricted profile in the presence of the resource person. After the completion of the certification, the participants become members of ISAK and can continue their certification levels to further increase their credibility. In a field with complex measurements, the standard procedure for measurement is significant for validity, in research, and in the field.
Conclusion: Anthropometric measurements help anthropometrists to accurately classify individuals based on their body type. This helps our students to train people based on their body type and their goals, and to accurately present their training results. The measurements also help to find the body composition of a person, that is, to figure out what makes up a person’s body and in what percentage. In research, where each inch matters, the correct measurements help to find more accurate results. The certification also provides validation for the researcher’s methodology.
| Faculty/Staff Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Swami Vidyapradananda (Primary Coordinator) | Sports Science and Yoga – Belur Campus |
