Physical, physiological and psychosocial states of taekwondo athletes in pre-competition period

Abstract

In a pre-competition period, combined analysis of physical, clinical physiological and psychosocial features in taekwondo has not yet been investigated. Therefore, this study examined the physical, physiological and psychosocial states of taekwondo athletes in pre-competition period for the Brazilian championship. In a pre-experimental study, five athletes from the men's Paraíba taekwondo team (26±8 years old; 1.76±0.04m) underwent to anthropometric measures, dosage of muscle damage, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, evaluation of moods, stress, and recovery, and power of lower limbs in two moments: 30 (pre) and two (post) days before the Brazilian taekwondo championship. Data analysis was performed by Wilcoxon test (95% confidence). Percentage difference (Δ) between the moments and the Cohen’s effect size (d) were calculated. Percent effects were observed in muscle damage (Δ= −25.7% in CK, d= 1.1), and antioxidant activity (Δ= 22.7% in MDA, d= 2.56). Conflicts/Pressure and Depression states increase 40% (d= 1.11) and 100% (d= 1.30), respectively. In turn, the power of lower limbs increased by 9.05% (d= 4.24). We conclude that athletes increased Conflict/Pressure and Depression states, however, they increased the power of lower limbs and kept the physiological state expected to compete.