Identifying Key Physiological and Physical Fitness Indicators in Youth Badminton Development

Background: Profiling badminton players assists in evidence-based training and talent evaluation. Previous studies centered on isolated traits; however, badminton is best approached with a multidimensional framework. Methods: An assessment was conducted on 26 male elite youth players aged 13–16 from Malaysian state and national squads, measuring anthropometry, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, coordination, and agility. Seventeen variables were assessed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation. Data sampling adequacy was checked with the KMO index and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity. Factors with loadings ≥ 0.50 with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 were kept. Results: The KMO value of 0.73 was acceptable. Three principal components were obtained and together accounted for 74.29% of the total variance. The first component (58.07%) included the physical structure of the athlete and muscle strength, including the limb girths, handgrip, VO₂max, and flexibility, along with coordination. The second component (9.31%) included the core endurance and coordination, which included sit-ups, VO₂max, and agility. The third component (6.91%) included the upper body muscle endurance, predominately the performance of push-ups. Conclusion: This model constructed with PCA allows for the comprehensive assessment of youth badminton players’ performance. The identified components will aid coaches in developing evidence-based, periodized training programs aimed at targeted, tailored morphological, physiological, and neuromuscular components. The results also support the need for developing and profiling athletes in racket sports and the versatility of PCA models applied in developing youth players.