DIFFERENTIATION OF PHYSICAL FITNESS IN POLISH ELITE SPORTS JU-JITSU ATHLETES PHYSICAL FITNESS IN ELITE JU-JITSU ATHLETES

Abstract

Aim Ju-jitsu athletes are expected to reach the competitive readiness adequate for the demands of tournaments. Apart from technical expertise, one of the aspects of readiness is general and special preparation. This is critical to the athlete's level of achievement since it helps him or her cope with the training load as it is linked to mental preparation and ensures that the athlete uses technical and tactical variants more accurately during a fight. The cognitive aim of this study is to characterize fitness preparation of top athletes from the Polish Ju-Jitsu Association. The practical aim is to identify talented athletes who can become members of national teams participating in international tournaments. Basic procedures The study evaluated 29 national ju-jitsu team members in the preparation period (pre-competition mesocycle), who expressed their interest and consent to participate in the experiment. Thirteen of these athletes were listed in the ju-Jitsu International Federation's ranking, including three world medal winners in World Championships in Wrocław, Poland (2016). Thirteen tests of general physical fitness were performed by means of selected tests from the Eurofit test battery, the ICSPFT tests and additional strength tests. Eight special physical fitness tests were also used. The results were described using cluster analysis and comparison of fitness profiles. Results The differences between three clusters in general physical fitness were noticeable in performance of pull-ups (1<2 and 2>3 Cluster), the Cooper test ( 1<2 and 1>3 Clusters), the shuttle-run test (1>2 and 2<3 Cluster), sit-and-reach test (2<3, 2<1) Clusters), maximal hand-grip-strength test (1>3 Cluster), Flamingo balance test (1-3 and 2-3 Clusters). In special physical fitness tests, pronounced differences were observed in performance of Speed punches (1>2 cluster), 1/Flexibility Index (1>3 Cluster), Evasive actions (1<3, 2<3 Clusters) and Push-ups (1>2 and 1>3 Clusters). Profiles of three clusters were highly dissimilar. Conclusions The athletes studied were characterized by high differences in fitness-related readiness level. Their profiles in three clusters show that some athletes in the national level group match top athletes at the international competitive level in these terms. Analysis of individual profiles allows for effective diagnosis and classification while revealing strengths and weaknesses of fitness preparation of ju-jitsu athletes. Therefore, it should be used for testing and monitoring of modifications over the training cycles. Knowledge of the structure and the data on baseline physical fitness and special fitness in elite athletes may be useful for the development of individual training programs for ju-jitsu athletes.