Kinanthropometric Attributes of Elite Male Judo, Karate and Taekwondo Athletes

Abstract

Introduction: It is well known that the body composition of an athlete plays a critical role in sports performance. However, although many studies exist concerning the kinanthropometric attributes of mainstream sports, few studies are forthcoming on individual martial arts disciplines, especially in elite athletes. Objective: This study aimed at establishing the kinanthropometric attributes of Judo, Karate, and Taekwondo athletes. Methods: Thirty-eight elite male Judo (n=42, mean age: 21.7±2.9 years), Taekwondo (n=46, mean age: 21.1±2.6 years) and Karate (n=50, mean age: 21.3±3.0 years) athletes were chosen randomly. The study determined and compared stature, body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), lean body mass (LBM), body surface area (BSA), sum of skinfolds (∑SK3), percentage body fat (%BF), and somatotype. Results: The findings of the present study demonstrate that although within normal levels, the sampled Judo athletes have significantly (p<0.05) higher FM, ∑SK3 (particularly at the triceps and subscapular skinfold sites), %BF and lower percentage LBM that either the Taekwondo and Karate athletes. In addition, the sampled Judo athletes displayed a more significant (p<0.05) endomorphic somatotype when compared to the Taekwondo and Karate athletes. Conclusions: These findings are essential in determining the optimal kinanthropometric attributes of elite male Judo, Karate, and Taekwondo athletes and may assist in the context of talent identification.

Physical, physiological and psychological profiles of elite Turkish taekwondo athletes

“…Comparing the body fat percentage values of this study to other elite-level athletes of different countries investigated in similar studies, however, shows that our athletes had lower body fat percentage values [16,40,41,56,76]. In contrast, the findings of the present study demonstrated higher values compared with the results of some of the previous studies in elite athletes [26,29,59,63]. Compared to the studies in recreational taekwondo players, our athletes had lower values of body fat percentage [49,72,74].…”

Physical Fitness and Cardiovascular Endurance Status of Iranian Elite Female Taekwondo Athletes

“…There seems to be a trend of body fat percentage increase, as in several studies conducted in other countries, the recent ones reported higher body fat percentages (17). While the body fat percentage of female taekwondo athletes reported in most studies is still below 20%, for male taekwondo athletes, however, the body fat percentage reported in most studies is usually less than that of the females (5,17). For example, Arabaci et al (7) reported that the mean body fat percentage of elite male taekwondo athletes was 7%, which seemed to be gender-dependent.…”

“…Moreover, anthropometry is recognized as one of the most important tools in examining physical features. Besides, it has been realized that the body composition of the athletes plays a vital role in their sport performance (5), and there are close associations between the body composition attributes and motor performance (6). Arabaci et al (7) also suggested that abatement of body fat percentage and increase of fatfree mass could result in higher VO 2max levels.…”

Aplicabilidad del índice de masa corporal e índice ponderal en jóvenes deportistas que participan en la Selección Universitaria de Chile

“…De hecho, las diferencias encontradas en este estudio están directamente relacionadas con el tipo de deporte y el entrenamiento especializado de cada modalidad 21 . Esta información obtenida es relevante, puesto que podría usarse no sólo para predecir el éxito del deportista 7 , sino también como criterios pertinentes para relacionar con la salud, así verificó utilizando la prueba de Levene.…”