FACTOR STRUCTURE FOR PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND MOTOR ABILITY OF 9-12-YEAR-OLD MALES TAEKWON-DO ITF ATHLETES

Taekwon-do requires explosive strength, flexibility, and balance. The problem of defining factor structures and identifying the major factors for physical development and motor ability is of particular importance for the training process. The aim of the present study was to optimize the major factors of physical development and motor ability of 9–12-year-old males Taekwon-Do ITF athletes. Methodology: The study was carried out in March – May 2019. The research was aimed at studying the major indicators of physical development and motor ability of 9–12-year-old males. It was done among 99 Taekwon-Do athletes (n=99, 10.58 ± 1.13 years, 148.06 ± 11.06 cm, 42.77 ± 11.61 kg) from 9 local Taekwon-do clubs in Bulgaria. Athletes were tested along 16 indicators of physical development and 12 indicators of motor ability. Results: There were 3 factors that explained a total of 89.48% of the initial variance in physical development in males of this age. The test battery contained 16 indicators for testing physical development and after performing the factor analysis, the number was optimized to 3. There were 4 factors that explained a total of 69.15 % of the initial variance in motor ability in males of this age. The test battery contained 12 indicators for testing motor ability and after performing the factor analysis, the number was optimized to 4. Conclusion: Optimizing and reducing the number of factors for physical development and motor ability at the age of 9-12 years would improve the training process in taekwondo sports. In this way, coaches’ efforts would be able to target the highest factor weight indicators that would be most affected by the training load applied. Optimizing factors to control athletic achievement would improve athletic performance.