Factors Determining Success in Youth Judokas

The aim of this study was to compare two models of determining factors for success in judo. The first model (Model A) included testing motor abilities of high-level Croatian judokas in the cadet age category. The sample in Model A consisted of 71 male and female judokas aged 16 ± 0.6 years who were divided into four subsamples according to sex and weight category. The second model (Model B) consisted of interviewing 40 top-level judo experts on the importance of motor abilities for cadets’ success in judo. According to Model A, the greatest impact on the criterion variable of success in males and females of heavier weight categories were variables assessing maximum strength, coordination and jumping ability. In the lighter weight male categories, the highest correlation with the criterion variable of success was the variable assessing agility. However, in the lighter weight female categories, the greatest impact on success had the variable assessing muscular endurance. In Model B, specific endurance was crucial for success in judo, while flexibility was the least important, regardless of sex and weight category. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients showed that there were no significant correlations in the results obtained in Models A and B for all observed subsamples. Although no significant correlations between the factors for success obtained through Models A and B were found, common determinants of success, regardless of the applied model, were identified.