The Effect of Different Musical Rhythms on Anaerobic Abilities in Taekwondo Athletes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different musical rhythms on taekwondo athletes. The variance in athletes’ anaerobic abilities performed under slow and fast musical rhythms was tested in the study presented. Previous studies have demonstrated how music may cause physiological responses before, during, or after different types of exercises. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of music played in two different rhythms (slow 80 b/m, and fast 200 b/m) during anaerobic exercises by measuring four specific physiological variables: heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), blood lactate (BL), and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Additionally, the peak power of each athlete was assessed. Ten black-belt taekwondo male athletes (average age 20.38±1.51) performed for 30 seconds at their maximum anaerobic power on a Monarch Ergonomic that was connected to the Wingate test.
 
 The RPE indicated significant differences with a probability value of 0.014 when measured two minutes after the testing. Measurements of heart rate, blood lactate, and diastolic blood pressure after exposure to slow and fast rhythms did not show significant differences. While it has been shown in previous research that the human body tends to synchronize with rhythmic elements of music, this only holds true for exposure to specific rhythms after a longer period of time. The study conducted was based on exposure to different rhythms for only 30 seconds, which may be why these variables did not differ significantly. Yet, results for systolic blood pressure proved significantly different for fast and slow musical rhythms with a probability value of 0.0004. 

Some Anaerobic Performance Variation From Morning to Evening: Warm up With Different Music Rythm Impacts Performance and Its Diurnal Amplitude in Intellectual Disabled People

“…These results show that the type, rhythm, or duration of music affects the results of the studies. In a study conducted by Hammad et al it was found that the systolic heart rate of Taekwondo athletes increased significantly when the music rhythm was fast (Hammad et al, 2019). When investigated in this context, results were obtained that support our research.…”

The effects of tempo and loudness variations during warm-up with music on perceived exertion, physical enjoyment and specific performances in male and female taekwondo athletes

“…In taekwondo, the high-intensity nature of the combat pushes athletes to repeat powerful strikes at high speed to score and react quickly to avoid the opponent attacks [ 1 ], leading to high level of fatigue [ 2 ]. Therefore, it is important for athletes to develop high-level physical skills to cope with competition schedules and manage physical effort well enough [ 3 ]. In this consideration, exercise enjoyment has been believed as a vital predictor of exercise adherence [ 8 ].…”

“…Taekwondo is an Olympic combat sport characterized by intermittent high-intensity actions [ 1 ], which can lead to a high level of fatigue [ 2 ]. Therefore, to be successful in taekwondo athletes need to develop high physical abilities (i.e., agility, balance, coordination, speed, reaction time, and a high capacity to kick powerfully and repeatedly [ 1 ]) supported by contained rating of perceived exertion (RPE [ 3 ]). Thus, preparing athletes to cope with combat sports’ demands requires an exploration of various strategies that might improve both their mental and physical skills.…”

“…In taekwondo, the use of music did not receive much interest. In this regard, Hammad et al [ 3 ] showed that music tempo variations (i.e., slow: 80 beats·min -1 , and fast: 200 beats·min -1 ) during the Wingate anaerobic test did not affect taekwondo athletes’ physiological responses, and their peak power output during the test. However, the lack of specificity of the testing procedure (i.e., the use of generic tests) and the timing of music listening (i.e., in-task) could limit the application of these findings to taekwondo performance.…”

Listening to Preferred and Loud Music Enhances Taekwondo Physical Performances in Adolescent Athletes

“…There is very limited evidence of the effects of music listening and of music loudness and volume on taekwondo athletes' performance. Hammad et al (2019) showed that, despite lowering RPE, listening to music did not improve power or anaerobic capacity during sprinting in taekwondo athletes. However, in this single past study of music effects on taekwondo athletes, it is important to note that the performance test used was not taekwondo-specific and may not readily translate to taekwondo competition.…”