Influence of Latent Motor Abilities on Performance in Judo

The aim was to determine both the magnitude and the direction of the relations among certain motor abilities and performance in judo bouts performed in a standing position. Therefore, a sample of 122 of Zagreb’s Faculty of Kinesiology sophomores was tested. A battery of 15 motor tests was used and these were the predictor variables. The sample of criterion variables consisted of two performance indicators: the number of victories and technical efficacy points. The investigation was aimed at verifying the hypothesis that performance and final success (victory) in judo standing position bouts strongly depends on the motor features of the contestants involved. Regression and factor analyses were used. The obtained results indicate that there is a relationship between the latent motor variables and both criteria evaluating performance in standing position bouts the number of victories and technical efficacy points.