Arm length, body weight, age, upper-body muscular endurance, and chest pass performance in seventh-grade students

Abstract

Background. The standing chest pass is a fundamental manipulative skill in basketball that requires coordinated movement and sufficient physical capacity. Understanding physical characteristics associated with this skill may help physical education teachers interpret variation in students’ performance. Objectives. This study examined the simultaneous and partial relationships of arm length, body weight, chronological age, and upper-body muscular endurance with standing chest pass performance in seventh-grade students. Method. A quantitative correlational design involved 56 male students selected through purposive sampling from SMP Negeri 2 Bululawang. Arm length and body weight were assessed using anthropometric measurements, chronological age was obtained from school records, upper-body muscular endurance was measured using a 30-second push-up test, and chest pass performance was assessed using a wall pass test. Multiple linear regression was used after checking relevant model assumptions. Results. The regression model was statistically significant and explained 18.5% of the variance in chest pass scores (F = 2.899, p = 0.031, R² = 0.185). Chronological age (β = 0.396, p = 0.005) and upper-body muscular endurance (β = 0.312, p = 0.023) showed significant positive partial associations with chest pass performance, whereas arm length and body weight did not show significant partial associations. Conclusion. The findings indicate that chronological age and upper-body muscular endurance are relevant predictors within the model, while most variation in chest pass performance remains unexplained by the measured variables. Because the study is correlational, the results should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than evidence of causal effects.