A Multidimensional Approach to Talent Identification in Youth Volleyball through Declarative Tactical Knowledge and Functional Fitness.

This study aimed to assess which multidimensional performance indexes were the best predictors of talent identification in volleyball. Fifty-five female players (age: 13.8 ± 1.81 years; mass: 55.12 ± 8.12 kg; height: 158.23 ± 7.62 cm) were clustered into two groups according to some physical characteristics (i.e., the first group included players with more favorable performance predictors). Musculoskeletal Fitness (MSF), Functional Motor Competence (FMC), and Declarative Tactical Knowledge (DTK) were measured as multidimensional indexes of performance. Moderate-to-large differences between groups were found for each index in favor of the first group. Regression analyses were performed to examine the variance explained by MSF, FMC, and DTK in the two groups. A model with FMC components explained slightly more variance in the group predictor variables (