Techniques frequently used during London Olympic judo tournaments: a biomechanical approach

Abstract

Feedback between training and competition should be considered in athletic training. The aim of the study was contemporary coaching tendencies in women's and men's judo with particular focus on a biomechanical classification of throws and grappling actions. 359 throws and 77 grappling techniques scored by male and female athletes in Olympic Judo Tournaments (London 2012) have been analyzed. Independence of traits (gender and weight category by technique classes) was verified via c 2 test. Comparison between frequency of each subsequent technique class and rest/inconclusive counts was made in 2×2 contingency tables. The significance level was set at p£0.05. Throwing technique frequencies grouped in the seven biomechanical classes were dependent on gender. A significant difference was found between frequencies of variable arm of physical lever technique scored by males (27.09%) and females (16.67%) as compared to the rest/inconclusively techniques counts. Significant differences between men who competed in extra lightweight and heavy weight concerned the frequency of the techniques used with maximum arm or variable arm of physical lever and a couple of forces applied by trunk and legs. In females, a tendency to higher frequency of techniques that used couple of forces applied by arm or arms and leg was observed in extra lightweight compared to the heavy weight. Because the technique preferred in the fight depends on a gender and weight category of a judoka, the relation-ships found in this study, which can be justified by the biomechanics of throws, should be taken into consideration in technical and tactical coaching of the contestants. A method used in this study can be recommended for future research concerning coaching tendencies.

Injuries in judo: a systematic literature review including suggestions for prevention

“…Indeed, a biomechanical analysis of judo techniques revealed that both men and women use similar techniques in contemporary Olympic tournaments 37. However, women seem to be more exposed during ground fight,14 where their injuries are frequently derived from arm lock techniques 14.…”

“…Furthermore, Seoi Nage techniques, that is, the throws with ‘lever applied with variable arm’,37 were supposed to be high-risk techniques for shoulder injuries being thrown,15 and for knee injuries performing the throw26 in all age categories and for both genders 19. However, results on the frequency of knee injuries while performing this technique are discordant 38.…”

Injuries in female and male elite taekwondo athletes: a 10-year prospective, epidemiological study of 1466 injuries sustained during 250 000 training hours

“…Overall, we found that male athletes had more level I injuries, female athletes had more level II injuries, while male and female athletes had similar risk of level III injuries (P=0.003). Sterkowicz et al 31 suggested that such sex-specific differences are related to physical build, as athletes tend to adapt their strategy and use different skill sets according to their physical build and strength relative to those of their opponent.…”

Injuries in male and female elite Korean wrestling athletes: a 10-year epidemiological study

“…We also noted that male athletes displayed a higher annual injury rate than female athletes, most likely due to athletes tending to adapt their strategy and using different skill sets according to their physical build and strength 27. Additionally, male athletes have higher anaerobic power than female athletes and engage in more risk-taking 28.…”