A Factor Analytic Study of Flexibility

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated the structure of certain measures of flexibility by the technique of factor analysis. Two types of flexibility measures, single joint action and composite, were used. The data were analyzed by several factor models to permit assessment of the extent to which the obtained structure of flexibility is independent of factoring method. Fifty-three variables —38 joint action, 13 composite, and 2 anthropometric measures—administered to 147 college women were included in the final analyses. Fourteen common factors were judged to be comparable over all nine of the derived solutions. Twelve of these are flexibility factors, one is an anthropometric, and one is a speed of repeated movements of body parts. The major conclusion is that there is no evidence that flexibility exists as a single general characteristic of the human body. Thus, no one composite test or no one joint action measure can give a satisfactory index of the flexibility characteristics of an individual.