Abstract
Years of training in competitive sports leads to human body adaptation to a specific type of exercise. In judo bouts, maintaining hand grip on an opponent’s clothes and postural balance is essential for the effective technical and tactical actions. This study compares changes after maximal anaerobic exercise among judo athletes and untrained subjects regarding 1) maximum isometric handgrip strength (HGSmax) and accuracy at the perceived 50% maximum handgrip force (1/2HGSmax) and 2) the balance of 13 judo athletes at national (n = 8) and international (n = 5) competitive levels and 19 untrained university students. The groups did not differ in age, body height, and weight. Body mass index (BMI) and body composition (JAWON) were evaluated. The Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT, Monark 875E) measured recommended anaerobic capacity indices. Hand grip strength (Takei dynamometer) and balance (biplate balance platform) were measured before warm-up (T1), before the WAnT test (T2), and after (T3). Parametric or non-parametric tests were performed after verifying the variable distribution assumption. Judoists had higher BMI and fat-free mass index (FFMI) than the students. The athletes also showed higher relative total work and relative peak power and lower levels of lactic acid. The difference in judoists between HGSmax at T1 and HGSmax at T3 was statistically significant. Before warm-up (T1), athletes showed higher strength (more divergent from the calculated ½HGSmax value) compared to students. Substantial fatigue after the WAnT test significantly deteriorated the body stability indices, which were significantly better in judo athletes at all time points. The findings suggest specific body adaptations in judoists, especially for body composition, anaerobic energy system efficiency, and postural balance. These characteristics could be trained for specifically by judo athletes to meet the time-motion and anaerobic demands of contemporary bouts.
Highlights
Adequate motor fitness determines the ability to perform self-maintenance activities, professional work, and tourism and recreation activities
These adaptations are especially manifested in body composition, efficiency of the anaerobic energy system, and postural balance
These specific abilities should be trained by judo athletes with consideration for time-motion and anaerobic demands of a contemporary judo fight
Summary
Adequate motor fitness determines the ability to perform self-maintenance activities, professional work, and tourism and recreation activities. Development of motor fitness is essential in professional sport, since its individual aspects or their combinations determine the skill level of athletes. Measuring motor fitness can be useful for strength, speed, and endurance sports. Different situations are observed in sports where motor coordination is more important, such as combat sports, where technical and tactical actions are often performed by athletes under conditions of extreme fatigue (creating disturbances in homeostasis). The duration of a bout for adult judoists is 5 minutes. This is considered as an effective time without breaks. The bout time is longer, with the mean duration reaching 8 minutes. In elite-level championships, medal winners usually have to take part in 4 to 6 bouts
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