<![CDATA[Mastery of open-motor skills like the badminton short serve is often hindered by an incomplete understanding of cognitive-motor interactions. This study evaluated physical (arm muscle strength, X1; hand–eye coordination, X2) and cognitive (concentration, Y) predictors of badminton short serve mastery (Z) among high school student-athletes (N=25, aged 15–17), positioning concentration as a mediator. Utilizing a quantitative explanatory correlational design, data were collected via validated field tests and analyzed using path analysis. The empirical model accounted for 58.8% of the total variance in serving proficiency. Arm muscle strength acted as a dominant predictor, exerting significant direct effects on concentration (beta = 0.514, p < 0.05) and short serve mastery (beta = 0.421, p < 0.05). Sobel tests confirmed that concentration significantly and partially mediated the relationship between arm strength and serving performance (Z = 1.978, p = 0.047), amplifying the total integrative effect to 0.659, alongside its own direct impact on mastery (beta = 0.463, p < 0.05). Conversely, hand–eye coordination yielded no significant direct or indirect effects (p > 0.05). These findings demonstrate that technical mastery relies on both biomechanical readiness and cognitive control, where upper-body strength underpins the cognitive stability required for precise execution. Consequently, sports pedagogy should integrate targeted physical conditioning with structured cognitive training.]]>
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