Physiological Responses and Time-Motion Analysis of Kickboxing: Differences Between Full Contact, Light Contact, and Point Fighting Contests

Abstract

This study investigated the physiological responses and time structure of kickboxing styles (full contact, light contact, and point fighting). Blood lactate [La] before and after combats, mean heart rate (HRmean), percentage of time spent in HR zones, and rating of perceived exertion were assessed. Time spent in high-intensity activities (HIAs), low-intensity activities (LIAs), and referee pauses (P) were recorded according to rounds (R) and kickboxing styles. [La] increased statistically significant after kickboxing combats (p , 0.001) and was higher after light contact compared with point fighting (p 5 0.029). HRmean did not differ between kickboxing specialties (p 5 0.200). However, more time was spent on HR zones 4 and 5 (Z4: 80-90% and Z5: 90-100% HRmax) than in other zones (all p , 0.001). Rating of perceived exertion scores were higher after light and full contact combats compared with point fighting (p 5 0.007 and 0.093, respectively). High-intensity activities, LIAs, and pauses did not statistically differ across rounds (p . 0.05). Moreover, HIA values were lower than LIA (all p , 0.001), and HIA and LIA were higher than pause for all rounds and styles (all p , 0.001). Full contact elicited higher HIA compared with point fighting (p 5 0.003, 0.001, and 0.002 for round 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Coaches and strength and conditioning professionals should emphasize anaerobic and muscle power development for all disciplines, especially for full and light contact and maximal aerobic power enhancement by targeting specific HR zones. Moreover, training regimen may include high-intensity interval training to mimic these sports' specificity using the effort-pause ratios according to different kickboxing sports.

Physiological Responses and Bout Analysis in Elite Kickboxers During International K1 Competitions

“…It was observed that kickboxers experienced higher physiological stress and lower work outputs during consecutive rounds (Salci, 2015). Ouergui et al (2019) observed a similar effect in their study. They recorded the highest increase in HR in the first round of the fight and the same increase in the third round.…”

“…Most studies of kickboxers have been based on full-contact competitions, where, according to the rules, low kicks and knee strikes are not allowed. Previous studies have dealt with the physique of athletes, physiological responses, and time-motion and technical-tactical analyses in kickboxing athletes during simulated fights and training (Ouergui et al, 2013a(Ouergui et al, , 2014b(Ouergui et al, , 2016(Ouergui et al, , 2019.…”

Evaluation of the Level of Technical and Tactical Skills and Its Relationships with Aerobic Capacity and Special Fitness in Elite Ju-Jitsu Athletes

“…Therefore, a higher level of aerobic endurance is needed. Other studies have indicated that the mean VO 2 peak in elite kickboxers ranged from 54 to 69 mL/kg/min [ 56 , 57 ], while in the judo athletes, it was 53.75 mL/kg/min [ 58 ]. Comparison of the results of our research to these findings reveals that in the present study, ju-jitsu athletes had a lower level of aerobic capacity than the world’s elite kickboxers and judo athletes.…”

Technical–tactical analysis of small combat games in male kickboxers: effects of varied number of opponents and area size

“…The repetitive performance of these techniques requires high physical and physiological demands [ 1 , 4 ]. As such, the main goal of kickboxing training is to prepare the kickboxers to effectively manage both the technical/tactical [ 3 ] and the physical/physiological [ 5 , 6 ] demands of the combat.…”