Kinanthropometry is an emerging scientific specialization concerned with the application of measurement to appraise human size, shape, proportion, composition, maturation and gross function. It is a basic discipline for problem-solving in matters related to growth, exercise, performance and nutrition. The area has been defined as the quantitative interface between anatomy and physiology. It puts the individual athlete into objective focus and provides a clear appraisal of his or her structural status at any given time, or, more importantly, provides for quantification of differential growth and training influences. Without an understanding of the growth of children and youth and their structural evolution, selection of talent and monitoring of training is largely a matter of sophistry and illusion. Kinanthropometry provides the essential structural basis for the consideration of athletic performance.