In this master's thesis we attempted to establish the extent to which parameters of motor skills were connected with actual competitive success in two generations of older boys (U16-2016/17 and U16-2018/19). The criterion variable (competitive success) was represented by the total number of points scored in the Rauch Cup (2016/17) and at the Nordica Dobermann Grand Prix (2018/19) respectively.
Based on the measurements obtained from different tests of motor space, we used the Spearman correlation coefficient for both generations to determine the correlation between individual variables and competitive success for the category of older boys (U16) in the skiing season 2016/2017 and 2018/2019. In the older generation (U16-2016/17), we confirmed statistically significant correlations with competitive success in the variables of repetitive power and speed, while in the younger generation (U16-2018/2019), the variables of repetitive and explosive power of legs, repetitive power of the trunk, and speed endurance were statistically significantly related to success in competitions. In this research, we established that basic motor skills in the age category U16 are still an important predictor of competitive success, and that the dimensions of the energy component of movement are of predominant importance in the sensitive development period observed.
With the help of regression analysis, we also determined the correlation between the entire sets of captured variables and competitive performance. Within the two included samples of motor skills variables, neither the older nor the younger generation confirmed a statistically significant effect on success in either of the individual variables. This, in addition to the small number of subjects, is also the main reason for the calculation of a relatively low percentage of explained variance in both the older (13 %) and younger (18.6 %) sample of subjects. At the same time, a higher percentage of explained variance also means a higher quality of the selection of variables for determining the state of motor skills in the younger sample of subjects.
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