An Updated Technical–Tactical Categorisation in Taekwondo: From General Tactical Objectives to Combat Situations

Abstract

Taekwondo competition underwent enormous development with the recent introduction of electronic scoring devices and rule changes. Although the competitive model of taekwondo had been previously studied, most of the literature that analyses this model was previous to the introduction of electronic devices or not based on a prior system of categories. Not only are results of an up-to-date taxonomy essential to guarantee the sustainability of future research about taekwondo based on methodological observation, but they are also completely necessary. This article proposes and validates a new categorisation of taekwondoist technical–tactical actions in the competition after the modifications were introduced between Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2021 qualification events. The association between environmental conditions, tactical objectives, and technical actions determines the defining parameters of the combat situations. To design the category system, a dual methodology was used: in the first stage, an in-depth review of the technical and scientific literature based on observation of combats was carried out. From that review, a synthesis document was produced, which subsequently was used as a basis for canvassing an up-to-date view of the question from expert advisers. The existing terminology and categories were rearranged and updated, establishing new parameters involved in the technical–tactical resources of contest situations. This updated categorisation was tested by using the generalisability theory, revealing excellent-to-perfect observers’ agreement and reliable data. This new categorisation will allow designing precise and sustainable tools over time for methodological observation of taekwondo in future studies.

The Relationship between the Color of Electronic Protectors and the Outcome in Taekwondo Matches: Is There Fairness in National Competitions?

“…In dual-contest sports, the importance of color for referees is not limited to making the right calls. Actually, color provides support in the crucial task of scoring attribution, helping referees to visually differentiate the short duration, high intensity, and often simultaneous techniques [ 3 ] performed by the two athletes. In this context, Hagemann et al [ 4 ] hypothesized the presence of a psychological effect in referees triggered by the perception of colors that could lead to biases in the evaluation of identical performances.…”

Sport Performance Indicators of the Miluh-Chagi Taekwondo Kick Technical System

“…The results (Table 3) confirm the reliability of the evaluators for both group (women and men). The women's group results presented for intra-rater reliability (evaluator 1 vs. evaluator 1) were excellent with 0.956 (p < 0.01) lower than Sousa et al, [6] who presented 0.994 (p < 0.05) with almost perfect conformity and Barrientos et al with ICC = 0.99 that revealed excellent to perfect results [33]. The inter-rater results, among the expert evaluators, presented good values of more than 0.800 (p < 0.01) once again, lower than Sousa et al, who reported 0.968 (p < 0.05) [6].…”

The relationship between physical fitness and competitive performance of Taekwondo athletes

“…Since the establishment of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in 1973, the competition rules of Taekwondo have been revised more than 40 times [6]. In competitions conducted according to the pre-2015 rules, Taekwondo athletes did not generally apply difficult technical approaches, but preferred to use secure frontal skills to win the game [7], which is why the roundhouse kick was the most popular means of scoring [8].…”