Identification of the Main Factors of Physical Development and Sports Preparedness in 12, 14 and 16-Year-Old Bulgarian Girls Basketball Players

The regularities in the dynamics of the physical development of the female organism and the changes that occur in it led to problems in the manifestation of motor qualities at different ages. The study aims to optimize the training process of U12, U14, and U16 basketball players by revealing the factor structure and identifying the main factors of physical development and sports fitness in different age groups. Specialized literature was analyzed to carry out the research, and a test battery for sports-pedagogical testing was used, according to Borukova (2021). 173 female basketball players were studied. The results showed a change in the factor models of physical development and the specific performance with age increasing. The factor components with the most significant weight for the U12 are the anthropometric characteristics, for the U14 are the technical basketball skills, while for the U16, the height is a prerequisite for more outstanding achievements in the maximum vertical jump. The rearrangement of the features in the integral factor structure of the sports preparedness enables the coaches to optimize the training process for the U12, U14, and U16 female basketball players.