Association of Anthropometric and Psychological Characteristics with Competitive Level in Male Kho-Kho Athletes

Abstract

Background: Kho-Kho is a high-intensity indigenous sport that requires a combination of physical fitness, agility, decision-making ability, and psychological preparedness for optimal performance. Although anthropometric and psychological factors are known to influence athletic performance, limited research has compared these characteristics between college-level and university-level Kho-Kho athletes. Objective: This study aimed to compare the anthropometric and psychological characteristics of college-level and university-level male Kho-Kho athletes and to examine the association between these variables and competitive level. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 200 male Kho-Kho athletes, comprising 100 college-level and 100 university-level players. Anthropometric measurements, including age, height, and body weight, were recorded using standardised procedures. Psychological characteristics were assessed using a structured questionnaire, with responses scored on a binary scale (TRUE = 1, FALSE = 0) to obtain a composite psychological score. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using SPSS version 26.0, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The findings indicated no statistically significant differences between college-level and university-level athletes in age (t = -1.666, p = 0.098), height (t = 1.514, p = 0.132), weight (t = 1.270, p = 0.206), or composite psychological score (t = 0.342, p = 0.733). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between height and weight (r = 0.296, p < 0.001) and a weak positive correlation between body weight and the composite psychological score (r = 0.150, p = 0.034). No significant associations were observed between age and the remaining study variables. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that male Kho-Kho athletes at the college and University levels possess comparable anthropometric and psychological characteristics. While anthropometric variables showed limited association with competitive level, psychological profiling remains an important component of athlete evaluation. Future studies should employ validated multidimensional psychological instruments alongside sport-specific physiological and performance assessments to better identify the determinants of competitive success in Kho-Kho.

Introduction

This study investigates the relationship between anthropometric, cardiopulmonary, and psychological characteristics and competitive performance in male Kho-Kho players. Kho-Kho is a high-intensity intermittent sport that requires repeated sprinting, quick turns, catching, evasion, agility, explosive strength, rapid decision-making, and psychological resilience. Therefore, successful performance depends on a combination of physical, physiological, and psychological qualities.

Previous research has shown that height, weight, body composition, and somatotype can influence agility, speed, strength, and movement efficiency. Similarly, physiological factors such as aerobic capacity, explosive strength, reaction ability, respiratory fitness, and cardiovascular endurance are important for repeated high-intensity efforts. Psychological characteristics—including motivation, self-confidence, mental toughness, goal setting, anxiety control, decision-making, and psychological readiness—also contribute significantly to competitive success.

The study identifies a research gap because most earlier studies examined these factors separately or focused on particular age groups. There is limited research combining anthropometric, cardiopulmonary, and psychological variables to compare athletes at different competitive levels, particularly college- and university-level male Kho-Kho players.

Methodology

The research uses a comparative cross-sectional design involving 200 male Kho-Kho players, consisting of 100 college-level and 100 university-level athletes aged 18–25 years. Participants had at least three years of competitive experience and were actively involved in competitions.

The study examines:

• Anthropometric variables: age, height, weight, and body fat percentage.
• Cardiopulmonary variables: vital capacity, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure.
• Psychological variables: achievement motivation, competitive anxiety, self-confidence, goal-setting behaviour, mental toughness, decision-making ability, psychological readiness, and competitive orientation.

Standard instruments such as a stadiometer, weighing scale, skinfold calliper/body composition analyser, spirometer, blood-pressure monitor, and standardized sports-psychology questionnaires are used for data collection.

Conclusion

The present study compared the anthropometric and psychological features of 200 men Kho-Kho players (100 at the college level and 100 at the University level). The findings revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age (t = ?1.666, p = 0.098), height (t = 1.514, p = 0.132), weight (t = 1.270, p = 0.206), and composite psychological score (t = 0.342, p = 0.733). The Pearson correlation was used to determine the correlation between the study variables. Height and weight (r = 0.296, p < 0.001) showed a moderate positive correlation, while no other variables showed significant correlation with each other. There was a weak positive correlation between body weight and the composite psychological score (r = 0.150, p = 0.034). The results suggest similarities in the anthropometric and psychological profiles of male college and University Kho-Kho players. The results indicate that the transition to higher competitive levels might depend more on specific technical skills, tactical awareness, training, and the athlete\'s level, as well as on a set of multidimensional psychological features, than on anthropometric traits alone. Future studies should integrate validated psychological assessment instruments, physiological performance indicators, and longitudinal monitoring of athletes to identify better the factors determining competitive success in Kho-Kho and to enhance evidence-based athlete identification and training systems in Kho-Kho.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Girish B E, Dr. Ramneek Jain. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.