The purpose of this study was to define the technical and tactical profiles of official youth taekwondo competitions played under the most recent rules of the International Taekwondo Federation. Tactical actions (i.e., attack, defense, and block), technical executions (from 1- to 4-point scores), kicking legs (i.e., front/rear and right/left), and overall technical effectiveness were investigated in relation to match outcome of semifinal and final competitions (n = 50) of youth (aged 13-14 years) black belt athletes during the Italian Taekwondo Cadet Championship. Differences (p < 0.001) were found among all action typologies (Attack: 50.9 ± 2.2%; Defense: 27.7 ± 1.5%; Block: 21.3 ± 1.6%), with winners showing fewer (p = 0.005) offensive actions and more (p = 0.001) defensive actions with respect to non-winners. Independently from match outcome, technical exchanges showed differences (p < 0.001) for technical executions. Winners resulted more efficient (p < 0.001) for both technical and tactical variables. In general, these findings showed that Cadets tend to adopt an offensive strategy. In considering that the adoption of the new electronic system requires athletes to execute correct technical actions to have a score assigned, coaches should emphasize the effectiveness of scoring techniques and help athletes to effectively improve their defense and counterattack capabilities.
This study aimed to analyze the time-motion structure of combat phases (fighting: F, nonfighting: NF, and stoppage time: ST) during semifinal and final matches (three 1.5-minute rounds, with 1-minute rest in between) of the 2010 Italian Taekwondo Cadet (age 13-14 years) Championship (adolescent boys, n = 40; adolescent girls, n = 28) in relation to gender (adolescent boys and girls) and grouped weight division (light, middle, and heavy) of athletes. Regardless of gender, grouped weight division, round, and tournament stage, differences (p < 0.001, effect size range: 1.92-3.02) emerged for frequency of occurrence of combat phases (F: 42.4 ± 0.5%; NF: 44.5 ± 0.7%; ST: 13.1 ± 0.9%) and their mean duration (F: 2.8 ± 1.0 seconds; NF: 6.5 ± 1.8 seconds; ST: 13.7 ± 5.0 seconds). A 1:2 F to NF ratio was found, whereas a 1:3 ratio emerged when F was considered in relation to the sum of NF and ST. During F phase, 5 ± 1 tactical movements and 4 ± 1 technical exchanges were performed, lasting 0.6 ± 0.1 seconds and 0.7 ± 0.1 seconds, respectively. These findings mirrored the intermittent nature of youth combat, characterized by a high occurrence of tactical movements and technical exchanges during F phase. The lack of differences for round and tournament stages indicates a limited tactical capability of young athletes in adopting specific match strategies, independently from gender and weight divisions of the athletes. To prepare young athletes to handle the technical-tactical demands of the match, coaches could include 7-9 circuit stations of specific taekwondo sequences of attack and counter attack techniques.
The aim of this study was to assess the stress-related responses and the coach's capability to match perceived efforts of youth athletes during a taekwondo championship.Using a cross-sectional study design, salivary cortisol (sC) and alpha-amylase (sAA) were measured in 6 males and 3 females young (11.0 ± 0.9 years) athletes at awakening, 5 minutes before, and 1 minute and 30 minutes after official combats. State anxiety was recorded 60 minutes before the first competition, whereas coach's and athletes’ ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were obtained at the end of the combats. Time-matched (awakening and pre-competition) salivary samples and trait anxiety were collected 7-day postcompetition during a resting day.No effect for match outcome emerged. No difference emerged between athletes and coach RPEs. Higher (P = .03) state anxiety (41.6 ± 10.9 points) was shown than trait anxiety (34.8 ± 7.1 points). Time-matched sAA were similar. Peak sAA observed at the end of the combat (114.2 ± 108.1 U/mL) was higher (P < .01) than the other samples (range: 20.6–48.1 U/mL), whereas sC increased (P < .05) from awakening (8.0 ± 1.5 nmol/L), with peak levels observed at 30 minutes into the recovery phase (19.3 ± 4.3 nmol/L). Furthermore, pre-competition sC (16.5 ± 4.5 nmol/L) values were higher (P < .01) with respect to time-matched samples during the resting day (4.6 ± 1.0 nmol/L). The 3 athletes engaged in consecutive matches showed a tendency toward increasing sAA and sC.Taekwondo combats pose a high stress on young athletes, eliciting a fast reactivity of the sympathetic-adreno-medullary system relative to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system. Understanding the athlete's efforts during combats, coaches are recommended to apply effective recovery strategies between matches.
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