The aim of this study was to analyze the performance of medallists' taekwondo athletes in University level Championship. Kicking actions were grouped into three categories; circular, linear and with a previous spin kicks. Performance was evaluated based on 1) the type and height of the kicks employed, 2) the attacking and counterattacking nature of the kicking actions and 3) the scoring profiles of these. Forty-five matches from the four Olympic weight categories were notationally analyzed in male and female populations. Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed that the reading scores in the four weight categories differed significantly in males for linear kicks, and in circular kicks to the chest, attacking kicks and total actions (p < 0.05) for females. A greater number of circular kicks was recorded in male and female taekwondo athletes; this was followed by linear kicks and those with a previous spin. Kicks to the chest were also more common than kicks to the head as well as attacking kicks were used more frequently than counterattacking kicks. Given the new competition rules, coaches are encouraged to induce athletes to increase the frequency of kicks to the head and with a previous spin to maximise the point scoring rate per kicks delivered.

. ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL ResumenObjetivo: El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el comportamiento técnico-táctico, en función del sexo y la categoría de peso, de los competidores del Campeonato de España Universitario de Taekwondo de 2011. Método: Se analizaron un total de 45 combates de las rondas finales y semifinales del campeonato, con una muestra compuesta por 30 hombres y 31 mujeres. Las variables analizadas fueron: puntuación obtenida, acciones totales, tipo de acción táctica, zona de golpeo, tipo de técnica y pierna de golpeo. Resultados/Conclusiones: La prueba U de Mann Whitney mostró diferencias significativas entre hombres y mujeres en el número total de acciones, técnicas circulares y penalizaciones. Asimismo, los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas entre sexos en la frecuencia de realización acciones circulares en la categoría de peso mosca y pesado, acciones lineales de la categoría gallo y puntuación total de la categoría de peso ligero. En la categoría de peso medio se hallaron diferencias significativas en las acciones totales, acciones de ataque, acciones al tronco, técnicas realizadas con la pierna derecha y en técnicas circulares. El comportamiento técnico-táctico de los taekwondistas es diferente tanto en función del sexo como en función del sexo y la categoría de peso, siendo las mujeres las que realizan más acciones circulares, al tronco, con la pierna derecha y totales que los hombres, mientras que estos reciben más penalizaciones que las mujeres.Palabras clave: Taekwondo, artes marciales, deportes de combate, análisis notacional, sexo, categoría de peso. Technicaltactical differences among university level taekwondo competitors by gender and weight division AbstractAim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical-tactical behavior of the competitors competing in the 2011 University Taekwondo Championship of Spain. Method: The sample consisted of 30 men and 31 women participating in 45 championship finals and semifinals combats. The variables analyzed were: the score, total number of actions, the type of tactical action, the height, the type of technic and kicking leg. Results/Conclusions: The Mann Whitney U test showed significant differences between men and women in total actions, circular techniques and warnings. The results also showed significant gender differences in circular actions in the flyweight and heavyweight categories, in the linear actions in bantamweight and total score in the lightweight category. Significant differences in total actions, attacking actions, actions to the trunk, Diferenças técnicotácticas em praticantes de taekwondo universitários, segundo o sexo e a categoria de competição ResumoObjectivo: O presente estudo teve como objectivo avaliar o comportamento técnico-táctico dos competidores de taekwondo do Campeonato de Espanha Universitário de 2011, em função do género e da categoria de peso. Método: Analisou-se um total de 45 combates nas provas finais e semifinais do campeonato, com uma amostra constituída por 30 homens e 31 mulheres. A...

This study investigated the effects of fatigue on balance control and cognitive performance in a standing shooting position. Nineteen soldiers were asked to stand while holding a rifle (single task - ST). They also had to perform this postural task while simultaneously completing a cognitive task (dual task - DT). Both the ST and DT were performed in pre- and post-fatigue conditions. In pre-fatigue, participants achieved better balance control in the DT than in the ST, thus suggesting that the increased cognitive activity associated with the DT improves balance control by shifting the attentional focus away from a highly automatised activity. In post-fatigue, balance control was degraded in both the ST and DT, while reaction time was enhanced in the first minutes following the fatiguing exercise without affecting the accuracy of response in the cognitive task, which highlights the relative independent effects of fatigue on balance control and cognitive performance.

Acute physical exercise works as an activator of the responses of the human organism to stress. This is based on the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, affecting physical, physiological and psychological levels. This study aimed to analyse the effects of a single bout of high-intensity resistance exercise on cognitive-behavioural responses: visuo-spatial path learning and memory, as well as physiological responses (salivary cortisol levels). Nineteen healthy male military-trained powerlifting subjects were tested in a within-subject design on two experimental days with an interval of 48 h. The stress and cognitive variables were measured by cortisol levels and Ruff–Light trail-learning test (RULIT) test scores, respectively. The results showed the immediate influence of acute exercise on cortisol, with significantly higher cortisol levels found in subjects after completion of the acute resistance exercise. In addition, this study found a significant deterioration of memory and learning ability after a dose of intense resistance exercise. In conclusion, the study highlights the relative effects of resistance exercise on cortisol and cognitive performance depending on the intensity and type of the exercise, the moment of measurement and the cerebral areas implicated.

The requirements of the SP condition modify the entire postural organization and this challenges balance control to a greater extent than when in EO and EC standing still positions, following fatiguing exercise. The difficulty of postural tasks thus amplifies the effects of fatigue on postural stability.