Multivariate Analysis of Physical, Psychological, and Anthropometric Variables in Sports Performance

Abstract

The present study investigated the multivariate association of physical fitness, psychological variables and anthropometric characteristics on sports performance of national level athletes. A total of 500 athletes aged 18–25 years were purposively selected. Physical fitness variables such as endurance, strength, speed, agility and flexibility were measured by standardised field tests. Psychological variables such as stress, motivation, anxiety, focus and resilience were measured by validated psychometric scales. Anthropometric measures such as height, weight, BMI and body fat percentage were also recorded. Data was analysed using Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) . Results A significant combined effect of physical, psychological and anthropometric variables on sports performance was found (Wilks’ Lambda = 0.65, F = 6.72, p < 0.001). Physical fitness variables had the highest contribution to variance in performance and stress was negatively associated with athletic performance. It concludes that sports performance is multidimensional and demands integrated athlete development approaches which combine physical conditioning, psychological training and physiological assessment.