Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity ISSN: Universidade Iguaçu Brasil

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1 Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity ISSN: Universidade Iguaçu Brasil Suzana, M. A.; Pieter, Willy MOTOR ABILITY PROFILE OF JUNIOR AND SENIOR TAEKWONDO CLUB ATHLETES Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity, vol. 3, núm. 4, diciembre, 2009, pp Universidade Iguaçu Itaperuna, Brasil Available in: How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative

2 ORIGINAL PAPER MOTOR ABILITY PROFILE OF JUNIOR AND SENIOR TAEKWONDO CLUB ATHLETES M. A. Suzana 1 and Willy Pieter 2 1 International Taekwondo Federation of Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia 2 Department of Physical Education, University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig, Philippines Corresponding author: Willy Pieter, Ph.D. Department of Physical Education University of Asia and the Pacific Ortigas Center Pasig 1605 Philippines Phone: , x286 Fax: , x382 yshin516@yahoo.com Submitted for publication: Sep 2009 Accepted for publication: Nov 2009 ABSTRACT SUZANA, M. A.; PIETER, W. Motor ability profile of junior and senior taekwondo club athletes. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity, v. 3, n. 4, p , The purpose of this study was to assess and compare motor abilities in young and adult male taekwondo athletes. Subjects were senior (n = 10, ± 1.23 years, ± 8.45 cm, ± kg) and junior (n = 10, ± 1.20 years, ± 7.98 cm, ± 16.86) males from a local taekwondo (ITF) club in Malaysia. Flexibility was assessed through the sit-andreach test. Abdominal strength and endurance was measured by means of the 60-second sit-ups test. Explosive leg power was assessed using the vertical jump test, while general speed was determined by the distance covered in 6 seconds of all-out sprinting and the stork stand test to assess static balance. To determine differences in motor abilities between juniors and seniors, the Mann-Whitney U Test was employed. There was no difference in the 6-second dash between juniors (35.80 ± 3.69 m) and seniors (40.18 ± 6.02 m, p = 0.104, ES = 0.36). The seniors did more sit-ups (median repetitions vs repetitions), (p = 0.037, ES = 0.47). Keywords: Young; Adult; Martial arts; Taekwondo INTRODUCTION Compared to research on Olympic taekwondo (e.g., MARKOVIC et al., 2005; PIETER et al., 2006; TOSKOVIC et al., 2004), less is known about taekwondo as practiced by the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). Early studies focused on aggressive behaviour (SKELTON et al., 1991) and personality characteristics (KURIAN et al., 1993). Heller et al. (1998) concluded that, generally, physiological and kinanthropometric characteristics do

3 not seem to be highly correlated with performance. The athletes were found to have a high anaerobic endurance, low body fat and well developed flexibility when compared to the general population. Research on Malaysian taekwondo athletes in general, regardless of affiliation (ITF or World Taekwondo Federation, WTF), is scarce. Aiwa and Pieter (2007) reported that contrary to what was expected, no 3-way or 2-way interactions were found in absolute isokinetic peak torque in adolescent recreational Malaysian full-contact taekwondo participants. When scaled to height 2, there were still no interactions, while the difference in relative peak torque became smaller between boys and girls, although the effect was still moderate. Erie et al. (2007) revealed that adolescent boys jumped higher than the girls (both 17 years old) in absolute terms: vs cm. The difference became smaller when jump height was scaled to height 2 (12.79 cm/m 2 and cm/m 2 for the boys and girls, respectively). In 18-year old Malaysian recreational taekwondo-in (taekwondo athletes), there was no difference in flexibility between boys and girls. However, the boys had a higher aerobic endurance: ml.kg -1.min -1 vs ml.kg -1.min -1 (NOORUL et al., 2008). The only study on Malaysian exponents of the ITF was conducted by our team. Suzana and Pieter (2006) reported that collapsed over gender, the athletes covered more distance in the 6-sec dash during the pre-test of an intervention project (42.17 vs m). The boys jumped higher than the girls (56.30 vs cm) and did more sit-ups (median: 37 vs. 26 reps) during the post-test, but there was no difference in push-ups (median: 49 vs. 47 reps) at the post-test. In view of the paucity of data on Malaysian taekwondo practitioners in general and those practicing the sport according to ITF rules, the purpose of this study was to assess and compare motor abilities in young and adult male taekwondo athletes. MATERIAL AND METHODS - Subjects Subjects were senior (n = 10) and junior (n = 10) males from a local taekwondo (ITF) club in Malaysia. Table 1 shows the demographic data of the participants. Ethical approval was obtained from the Technological University of Malaysia from which the first author received her degree and informed consent signed by the subjects or their parent/guardian. - Procedures In addition to height, measured to the nearest 0.1 cm on a wall-mounted wooden stadiometer and weight, measured to the nearest 0.5 kg on a digital weighing scale (Kubota KA V, Tokyo, Japan), flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings was assessed through the conventional sit-and-reach test (JOHNSON and NELSON, 1986; SAFRIT and WOOD, 1995). Two trials were allowed and the highest score used for statistical analysis. Abdominal strength and endurance was measured by means of the 60- second sit-ups test. Explosive leg power was assessed using the vertical jump test with the highest score out of two attempts used for statistical analysis, while general speed was determined by the distance covered in 6 seconds of all-out sprinting (JOHNSON and NELSON, 1986). The stork stand test was used to assess static balance (JOHNSON and NELSON, 1986). The reciprocal ponderal index (RPI, cm.kg ) was utilized as a measure of weight for height.

4 - Statistical Analysis To determine differences in motor abilities between juniors and seniors, the Mann-Whitney U Test was employed. Since the sample size was relatively small, no adjustment for the type 1 error was made for multiple comparisons (FEISE, 2002). The objective was to unearth any possible leads regarding the relationship between the independent and dependent variables (BENDER and LANGE, 2001; ROTHMAN, 1990). The estimated power for the sample size used was 80%. The level of significance for all analyses was set to RESULTS Table 1 displays the descriptive statistics of the performance variables in senior and junior taekwondo-in. Although the seniors covered more distance in the 6 s dash, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.104, ES = 0.36). However, the seniors did more situps (p = 0.037, ES = 0.47). No other differences in motor ability were found. Table 1 - Descriptive statistics for demographic data and performance variables in Malaysian taekwondo athletes Variables Senior Junior Age (years) ± ± 1.20 Height (cm) ± ± 7.98 Weight (kg) ± ± RPI (cm.kg ) ± ± 2.26 Balance (sec) ± ± Sit-ups (reps; median ± IR) ( ) ( ) Six-second dash (m) ± ± 3.69 Vertical jump (cm) ± ± 2.83 Flexibility (cm) ± ± 3.19 Table 2 - Comparative reciprocal ponderal index (cm.kg ) data in male taekwondo athletes Study Level Senior Junior This study (ITF) Recreational Heller et al. (1998; ITF) Czech elite Suzana & Pieter (2006; ITF) Malaysian elite Olds & Kang (2000; WTF) Korean elite Olds & Kang (2000; WTF) Korean state Olds & Kang (2000; WTF) Korean club Pieter (1991; WTF) American elite Taaffe & Pieter (1990; WTF) American elite Chan et al. (2003; WTF) British club Pieter (2009; WTF) Olympic

5 DISCUSSION Even though it is recognized that RPI depends on weight division in weight-categorized sports such as taekwondo (CHAN et al., 2003), weight for height in this sample compares favourably to those reported in the literature. Table 2 depicts comparative RPI data of senior and junior male taekwondo athletes. Too much weight for height, especially if the weight consists of fat, will negatively affect the weight-to-strength ratio (SINNING, 1985) and, as a result, taekwondo performance (PIETER, 1991). Compared to published norms for college students, both groups of taekwondo athletes exceeded the lower cut-off point of the advanced category (51 seconds) for static balance (JOHNSON and NELSON, 1986). The boys of the Malaysian national taekwondo team investigated previously (SUZANA and PIETER, 2006) improved their balance after the intervention: vs sec, both of which are lower than those found in the current study for juniors as well as seniors. Although static balance is more appropriate to assess the maturity of the neuromuscular system of subjects younger than those investigated in the current study (BLOOMFIELD et al., 1994), it serves as an initial measure of establishing baseline data for future assessments. If it is known how junior taekwondo athletes score on static balance, any future talent identification program will have a criterion with which to compare its test results, especially since the age at which children start their first taekwondo training is as young as 5 years old (PIETER, 2009). American 16-year old boys recorded a median for the sit-ups of 45 repetitions (FU, 1994), while the 50 th percentile for 16-year old boys in the National Children and Youth Fitness Survey (NCYFS) was 43 repetitions (SAFRIT and WOODS, 1995). However, comparative data in the literature for the sit-ups are usually reported in means. The mean for the juniors in the current study was repetitions compared to repetitions for Chinese boys of the same age, repetitions for Hong Kong boys and repetitions for Japanese counterparts (FU, 1994). American adult male recreational taekwondo-in scored 53.7 repetitions (THOMPSON and VINUEZA, 1991), while Malaysian adolescent counterparts recorded 39 repetitions (NOORUL et al., 2008). It is suggested to develop the musculature around the trunk as optimally as possible, since they are involved in punching from various stances in taekwondo or executing such kicks as the roundhouse and spinning hook kicks. The seniors scored in the average range of norms for college men, while the juniors were in the poor range (JOHNSON and NELSON, 1986) for general speed in high school boys. The boys of the national team tested by SUZANA and PIETER (2006) were faster (45.07 m) than both juniors and seniors in the current study. Given the difference in level of skill between the groups, this is not surprising. Compared to boys (16.81 years) from the Malaysian junior national taekwondo team assessed during the pre-test of their intervention program (SUZANA and PIETER, 2006), the juniors in this study scored lower on the vertical jump (51.30 vs cm) and were also less flexible (17.20 vs cm), which is to be expected. The national team boys investigated by SUZANA and PIETER (2006) also performed better than the seniors in the current study. Adolescent (19.18 years) taekwondo-in participating in the 2004 Malaysian Games according to WTF rules were reported to score cm (winners) and cm (losers) for the vertical jump (PIETER, 2009). Explosive leg power is suggested to be related to both kicking force and performing jump kicks in competition in that the initial movement of the vertical jump during the downward phase resembles that of many kicks. The vertical jump of the juniors ranked between the 70 th and 80 th percentile for their age group in the

6 general population, while that of the seniors was between the 60 th and 70 th percentile (SAFRIT and WOOD, 1995). However, the seniors jumped higher than American adult male recreational taekwondo-in (51.5 cm) (TOSKOVIC et al., 2004). Flexibility plays an important role in taekwondo, where high kicks are often performed, and is regarded as an important component of motor fitness (e.g., HELLER et al., 1998; THOMPSON and VINUEZA, 1991). Compared to the NCYFS norms, the boys scored below the 10 th percentile for their age group (SAFRIT and WOOD, 1995). Chinese boys of the same age had a sit-and-reach flexibility of cm, while their Japanese counterparts recorded cm (FU, 1994). American male adult recreational taekwondo-in registered 53.2 cm during the sit-andreach test (THOMPSON and VINEUZA, 1991). On the other hand, the sit-and-reach flexibility of Czech national elite taekwondo-in was 36.9 cm for the men (HELLER et al., 1998). Adult college male recreational taekwondo athletes scored 53.4 cm (TOSKOVIC et al., 2004). It is acknowledged that in these comparisons, the effect of the proportional limb differences, i.e., relative sitting height, between the Malaysian taekwondo-in and their Western counterparts has been disregarded (PHEASANT and HASLEGRAVE, 2006). Future research should assess the relationship between general taekwondo and competition experience on the one hand and motor abilities on the other. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Information about motor abilities is useful in assisting taekwondo coaches in the selection process at the recreational or higher levels of competition. Depending on the level of competition and age of the practitioner, general motor ability profiling, as was done in this study, should always be followed up by more taekwondo-specific and competition-specific tests. REFERENCES AIWA, N.; PIETER, W. Isokinetic strength characteristics in Malaysian recreational taekwondo athletes, In: Song JK, Yoo SH (Editors), 1 st International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies, Beijing: Capital Institute of Physical Education; 2007, p BENDER, R.; LANGE S. Adjusting for multiple testing when and how? Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, v. 54, p , BLOOMFIELD, J.; ACKLAND, T. R.; ELLIOTT, B. C. Applied Anatomy and Biomechanics in Sport. Melbourne: Blackwell Scientific Publications; CHAN, K.; PIETER, W.; MOLONEY K. Kinanthropometric profile of recreational taekwondo athletes. Biology of Sport 20, p , ERIE, Z. Z.; AIWA, N; PIETER, W. Profiling of physical fitness of Malaysian recreational adolescent taekwondo practitioners. Acta Kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis v. 12, p , FEISE R. J. Do multiple outcome measures require p-value adjustment? BMC Medical Research Methodology, 2: 8, FU F. Health Fitness Parameters of Hong Kong School Children, Hong Kong: Hong Kong Baptist College, Faculty of Social Sciences, HELLER J.; PERIC T.; DLOUHA R.; KOHLIKOVA E.; MELICHNA J.; NOVAKOVA H.

7 Physiological profiles of male and female taekwondo (ITF) black belts. Journal of Sports Sciences v. 16, p , NOORUL H. R.; PIETER W.; ERIE Z. Z. Physical fitness of recreational adolescent taekwondo athletes. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity v. 2, p , JOHNSON B. L.; NELSON J. K. Practical Measurements for Evaluation in Physical Education, Edina, MN: Burgess Publishing; KURIAN M.; CATERINO L. C.; KULHAVY R. W. Personality characteristics and duration of ATA taekwondo training. Perceptual and Motor Skills v. 76, p , MARKOVIC G.; MISIGOJ-DURAKOVIC M.; TRNINIS S. Fitness profile of elite Croatian female taekwondo athletes. Collegium Antropologicum v. 29, p , NOORUL H. R.; PIETER W.; ERIE Z. Z. Physical fitness of recreational adolescent taekwondo athletes. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity v. 2, p , OLDS T.; KANG S.J. Anthropometrics characteristics of adult male Korean taekwondo players, In: The 1 st Olympic Taekwondo Scientific Congress Proceedings. Seoul: Korean National University of Physical Education; p PHEASANT, S.; HASLEGRAVE, C. M. Body Space: Anthropometry, Ergonomics and Design. 3 rd ed. London: Taylor & Francis Group; PIETER W. Taekwondo, In: Kordi R, Maffulli N, Wroble R, Wallace WA (Editors), Combat Sports Medicine, Guildford, Surrey, UK: Springer-Verlag London Ltd.; p PIETER W. Performance characteristics of elite taekwondo athletes. Korean Journal Sport Science v. 3, p , PIETER W.; WONG R. S. K.; AMPONGAN C. Mood and experience as correlates of performance in young Filipino taekwondo athletes, Acta Kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis v. 11, p , ROTHMAN K. J. No adjustments are needed for multiple comparisons. Epidemiology v. 1, p , SAFRIT M. J.; WOOD T. M. Introduction to Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, St, Louis, Missouri: Mosby, SINNING, W. E. Body composition and athletic performance. In: CLARKE DH, ECKERT HM (Editors), Limits of Human Performance. The Academy Papers #18, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers; p SKELTON D. L.; GLYNN M. A.; BERTA S. M. Aggressive behavior as a function of taekwondo ranking. Perceptual and Motor Skills v. 72, p , SUZANA M. A.; PIETER W. The effect of training on general motor abilities in young Malaysian taekwondo athletes. Kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis v. 11, p , THOMPSON W. R.; VINUEZA C. Physiologic profile of tae kwon do black belts. Sports Medicine Training and Rehabilitation v. 3, p , TOSKOVIC N N.; BLESSING D.; WILLIFORD H. N. Physiological profile of recreational male and female novice and experienced tae kwon do practitioners. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness v. 44, p , 2004.

8 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Name: M. A. Suzana Employment: International Taekwondo Federation of Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Degree: B.Sc. Research interests: Coaching science, martial arts, sports business Name: Willy Pieter Employment: Department of Physical Education, University of Asia and the Pacific, Ortigas Center, Pasig, Philippines Degree: Ph.D. Research interests: Epidemiology and modeling of sports injuries, martial arts, modeling of sport performance