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. 2020 Jun 3;20(11):3186.
doi: 10.3390/s20113186.

Assessing the Effects of Kata and Kumite Techniques on Physical Performance in Elite Karatekas

Luca Molinaro  1   2 , Juri Taborri  1 , Massimo Montecchiani  3   4 , Stefano Rossi  1
Affiliations

Assessing the Effects of Kata and Kumite Techniques on Physical Performance in Elite Karatekas

Luca Molinaro et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing physical performance of elite karatekas and non-karatekas. More specifically, effects of kumite and kata technique on joint mobility, body stability, and jumping ability were assessed by enrolling twenty-four karatekas and by comparing the results with 18 non-karatekas healthy subjects. Sensor system was composed by a single inertial sensor and optical bars. Karatekas are generally characterized by better motor performance with respect nonkaratekas, considering all the examined factors, i.e., mobility, stability, and jumping. In addition, the two techniques lead to a differentiation in joint mobility; in particular, kumite athletes are characterized by a greater shoulder extension and, in general, by a greater value of preferred velocity to perform joint movements. Conversely, kata athletes are characterized by a greater mobility of the ankle joint. By focusing on jumping skills, kata technique leads to an increase of the concentric phase when performing squat jump. Finally, kata athletes showed better stability inclosed eyes condition. The outcomes reported here can be useful for optimizing coaching programs for both beginners and karatekas based on the specific selected technique.

Keywords: body stability; inertial sensors; joint mobility; jumping; karate; sport biomechanics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mobility of shoulder: sensor positioning and movement direction for the flexion (a), abduction (b), and extension (c) task.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mobility of shoulder: sensor positioning and movement direction for the extra-rotation task.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mobility of hip: positioning of the sensor and movement direction for flexion (a), split (b), and sit and reach (c) task.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mobility of ankle: positioning of the sensor and movement direction for flexion (a) and squat (b) task.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Balance test: positioning of the subject and sensor.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Jump test: subject and sensor position and sequence of movements.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Mean values and standard errors of the parameters related to the jumping tests. From left to right: Squat Jumps (SJ), Countermovement Jumps (CMJ), and Repeated Countermovement Jumps (RCMJ) tests. Parameters: Flight Time (TF), Concentric Phase Time (TCP), Eccentric Phase Time (TEP), and Contact Time (TC). KU, KA, and NK stand for kumite, kata, and control group, respectively. * indicates statistical differences.
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