Quantifying Proximal and Distal Predictors of Athlete Readiness in Adolescent Athletes

While rigorous training drives athletic development, recovery is equally crucial for optimizing performance. This balance is especially important in adolescence, a period marked by rapid physical maturation, academic pressures, and psychological sensitivity to competitive demands. However, existing literature often examines recovery variables independently, limiting understanding of how proximal recovery behaviors and distal environmental support systems jointly influence athlete readiness. To address this gap, this study proposes a proximal–distal framework of athlete readiness integrating contextual factors, recovery habits, and a latent readiness state derived from physical and mental indicators. A cross-sectional correlational survey was conducted using responses from 303 athletes across recreational, school, travel, collegiate, and professional competition levels. Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing recovery habits, training environment variables, and physical and psychological wellness measures. A principal component analysis was conducted to form a latent Performance Readiness Index from measures of mood, mental focus, soreness, fatigue, and restfulness. Of all examined variables, mood, feeling well rested, and reduced mental fatigue contributed most strongly to the readiness construct. Subsequently, multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether Recovery Behavior Index and Environmental Support Index scores predicted latent readiness outcomes. The regression model explained 9.2% of the variance in readiness scores and showed a significant effect, F(2300)=15.20, p<0.001. Recovery behaviors strongly predicted athlete readiness, while environmental support was positively but non-significantly related. These findings support a multidimensional proximal–distal model of readiness, indicating that recovery behaviors affect short-term readiness more directly than contextual environmental support.