Intra- and intergroup interrelations of parameters of physical development structure and speed-strength fitness of highly skilled combat athletes

Background and Study Aim. The objective of this work is to study intra- and intergroup interrelations of parameters of physical development (PD) structure and speed-strength fitness (SSF) of highly skilled combat athletes. Material and Methods. The research was conducted on 44 highly skilled athletes aged 18–30 years, members of the national teams of Ukraine in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, and judo. Most of them were students. In the course of studies, 39 PD and 11 physical fitness (PF) indices were recorded. Of the PD parameters, the circumferential (CBD) and transverse body dimensions, and skinfold (SF) thickness were registered, whereas of the PF parameters — indices of SSF and special work capacity of combat athletes. The methods of factor, correlation, regression, and canonical analysis were used to process and analyze the experimental material. Results. Statistical analysis revealed three key factors determining the general structure of PD and PF of combat athletes: 1) the factor of CBD; 2) the factor of SSF; 3) the factor of SF thickness and the total level of the fat component. As a result of stepwise regression analysis, multiple regression models characterizing the influence of the key PD and SSF indices on the level of special work capacity of combat athletes were developed. Canonical analysis of interrelations between the parameters of SSF and CBD revealed a high interdependence, indicating that the increase in the CBD of combat athletes contributes to the increase in their SSF and vice versa—the increase in SSF contributes to the increase in CBD. A moderate interdependence was disclosed between the parameters of SF and SSF, explaining the variability of a relatively small part of one group’s parameters when changing the parameters of the other group. The results of the interaction between SF and CBD indicate that the SF thickness indices show a low dependence on the changes in CBD, whereas the latter demonstrates a strong dependence on SF thickness. Conclusions. The key factors of the structure of PD and PF of combat athletes include CBD, SSF, and SF thickness. As a result of the canonical analysis: 1) the specificity of mutual influence and interrelations of the CBD, SSF, and SF indices was determined; 2) the key factors and indices determining the general variability (redundancy) of the parameters of each group under study were revealed; 3) strong, moderate, and weak intra- and intergroup paired interrelations of the CBD, SF thickness, and SSF indices were disclosed. The strongest intra-group interrelations are manifested between the CBD indices, whereas the strongest inter-group interrelations are between the CBD and SF thickness indices.