Relationship between motor skill and competition performance in collegiate badminton athletes

Recently, several studies have investigated the identification of talent in the world of sports, and the way it correlates with motor skills. The present study investigated the index of talent for collegiate badminton athletes. Subjects were 20 university badminton athletes (10 men and 10 women, from 18 to 22 years old). Male athletes who participated in intercollege badminton championships were contrasted with the other athletes. Female athletes who were ranked in the top 16 in intercollege badminton championships were contrasted with the other athletes. Body-based (3 items) and sensorimotor (6 items) characteristics were measured. Our results showed a positive correlation of the competition result with the pro-agility test in men, and with the vertical jump in women. Our findings suggest that adolescent badminton athletes with higher (body-based or sensorimotor) scores have higher career possibilities in badminton.