Height categories as a healthier alternative to weight categories in taekwondo competition

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18002/rama.v13i1.5350

Keywords:

Taekwondo, combat sports, weight loss, martial arts, performance

Abstract

Weight division is the most common way of categorizing athletes for competition in martial arts and combat sports. Eating disorders and the use of rapid weight loss methods are common among combat sports athletes, both at young and adult ages at all competition levels. Meanwhile, height is commonly regarded as determinant in kicking combat sports. The present study aimed to examine whether height categories can be used as a healthier alternative to weight categories for official competition. The height and weight of 153 male (n=80) and female (n=73) competitive taekwondo athletes aged between 10 and 16 were measured. Participants were classified by age, sex, and official weight category. Athletes were then sorted into ten hypothetical numbered height categories established in every age and sex group, according to World Health Organization (WHO) percentiles. There was a strong correlation between height and weight (r=0.843, p<0.01), and between height and weight categorization (r=0.681, p<0.01), and 68.18% of participants stayed the same, or moved only ±1 category by height from their original weight category. We conclude that young competitive taekwondo athletes can be categorized by height in official competition, as a healthier and more equitable alternative to the current weight divisions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Métricas alternativas

Author Biography

Ana De la Fuente García, CDE Sánchez Élez - Sanabria Taekwondo Club

Rehab and Fitness Coach.

References

Chaabene, H. (Ed.). (2015). Karate Kumite: How to Optimize Performance. Physical Determinants of Karate Kumite. Foster City, CA: OMICS. Recuperado de http://www.esciencecentral.org/ebooks/karate-kumite-how-to-optimize-performance

Bridge, C. A., Ferreira Da Silva Santos, J., Chaabène, H., Pieter, W., & Franchini, E. (2014). Physical and physiological profiles of Taekwondo athletes. Sports Medicine, 44(6), 713-733. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0159-9

Brito, C. J., Roas A, F. C. M., Brito I, S. S., Marins J, C. B., Córdova, C., & Franchini, E. (2012). Methods of body mass reduction by combat sport athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 22(2), 89-97. doi: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.22.2.89

Chaabène, H., Hachana, Y., Franchini, E., Mkaouer, B., & Chamari, K. (2012). Physical and physiological profile of elite karate athletes. Sports Medicine, 42(10), 829-843. doi: https://doi.org/10.2165/11633050-000000000-00000

Constantini, N. W., Mashiach, Y., Arieli, R., & Dubnov-raz, G. (2011). Prevalence and Techniques of Pre-competition Rapid Weight Loss in Young Taekwondo Fighters. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(suppl 1-5), 473. doi: https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000401306.27164.75

De la Fuente, A., & Gómez-Landero Rodríguez, L. A. (in press). Motor differences in cadet taekwondo athletes according to competition level. Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte. Retrieved from http://cdeporte.rediris.es/revista/inpress/artdiferencias1002e.pdf

Dubnov-Raz, G., Mashiach-Arazi, Y., Nouriel, A., Raz, R., & Constantini, N. W. (2015). Can height categories replace weight categories in striking martial arts competitions? A pilot study. Journal of Human Kinetics, 47(1), 91-98. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2015-0065

Estevan, I., Falco, C., Álvarez, O., & Molina-García, J. (2012). Effect of olympic weight category on performance in the roundhouse kick to the head in Taekwondo. Journal of Human Kinetics, 31(1), 37-43. doi: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0004-x

Falcó, C., Estevan, I., Álvarez, O., & Molina-García, J. (2011). Capacidad de generación de fuerzas de golpeo y tiempo de ejecución según la categoría de peso en taekwondo. e-balonmano.com: Revista de Ciencias del Deporte, 7(supl.), 23-29. Retrieved from http://www.e-balonmano.com/ojs/index.php/revista/article/view/70

Franchini, E., Brito, C. J., & Artioli, G. G. (2012). Weight loss in combat sports: Physiological, psychological and performance effects. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9, 2-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-52

Kazemi, M., De Ciantis, M. G., & Rahman, A. (2013). A profile of the Youth Olympic Taekwondo Athlete. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 57(4), 293-300. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845466/

Kazemi, M., Rahman, A., & De Ciantis, M. (2011). Weight cycling in adolescent Taekwondo athletes. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 55(4), 318-324. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222708/

Kazemi, M., Waalen, J., Morgan, C., & White, A. R. (2006). A profile of Olympic Taekwondo competitors. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 5(CSSI-1), 114-121. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863920/

Klump, K. L. (2014). Puberty as a Critical Risk Period for Eating Disorders: A Review of Human and Animal Studies. Hormones and Behaviour, 64(2), 399-410. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.02.019.Puberty

Koral, J., & Dosseville, F. (2009). Combination of gradual and rapid weight loss: Effects on physical performance and psychological state of elite judo athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(2), 115-120. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410802413214

Kuczmarski, R. J., Ogden, C. L., Guo, S. S., Grummer-Strawn, L. M., Flegal, K. M., Mei, Z., … Johnson, C. L. (2002). 2000 CDC Growth Charts for the United States: methods and development. Vital and Health Statistics. Series 11, Data from the National Health Survey, (246), 1-190.

Langan-Evans, C., Close, G. L., & Morton, J. P. (2011). Making Weight in Combat Sports. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 33(6), 25-39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0b013e318231bb64

Markovic, G., Misigoj-Durakovic, M., & Trninic, S. (2005). Fitness Profile of Elite Croatian Female Taekwondo Athletes. Collegium Antropologicum, 29(1), 93-99. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16117305

Pieter, W. (2010). Talent detection in taekwondo practitioners. Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas, 5(2), 77-96. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18002/rama.v5i2.112

Reale, R., Slater, G., & Burke, L. M. (2016). Acute Weight Loss Strategies for Combat Sports and Applications to Olympic Success. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 12, 142-151. doi: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2016-0211

Reale, R., Slater, G., & Burke, L. M. (2017). Individualised dietary strategies for Olympic combat sports: Acute weight loss, recovery and competition nutrition. European Journal of Sport Science, 17(6), 727-740. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2017.1297489

Silva Santos, J. F. da, Takito, M. Y., Artioli, G. G., & Franchini, E. (2016). Weight loss practices in Taekwondo athletes of different competitive levels. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, 12(3), 202-208. doi: https://doi.org/10.12965/jer.1632610.305

Steen, S. N., & Brownell, K. D. (1990). Patterns of weight loss and regain in wrestlers: has the tradition changed? Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 22(6), 762-768. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=1990&issue=12000&article=00005&type=abstract

World Health Organization (2007). Growth reference data for 5-19 years. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/growthref/who2007_height_for_age/en/

World Taekwondo Federation (2016). Competition Rules and Interpretation. Retrieved from http://www.worldtaekwondofederation.net/rules-and-documents

Downloads

Published

2018-06-26

How to Cite

De la Fuente García, A. (2018). Height categories as a healthier alternative to weight categories in taekwondo competition. Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas, 13(1), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.18002/rama.v13i1.5350

Issue

Section

Articles