FACTOR STRUCTURE OF SELECTED MORPHOLOGICAL, MOTOR AND BIOMECHANICAL VARIABLES IN SKI JUMPERS

Abstract

The purpose of the research study was to establish in a sample of elite Slovene ski jumpers (N 67) a latent structure of referentiality of manifest area of he selected =0 blomechanical, morphological and motor variables. Through factor analysis 6 factors were excluded out of 35 manifest variables in total. In the first factor (55% of total variance) the highest projections were Identified in the basic motor and morphological variables. The second factor was defined by the push-off power variables, in which in terms of scale of factor loading the index of take-off explosive power (0.74) and the related push-off time (0.97) were predominant. In the third factor, the projection of morphological aerodynamic index (0.98) was predominant. The projection of the variabl velocity power index, which was calculated on the basis of the ratio in the first and second parts of ski jumpers' pUSh-Off, was prevalent In the fourth factor. In the fifth factor, the projection of morphological take-off index (0.93) wa predominant. The projection of the age variable (0.95) was prevalent in the last -the sixth factor. The results are interesting primarily because they reflect the specificity in expressing of individual factors, as it is conditioned by ski jumps I.e. their specific movement technique.