Physiological requirements of judo combat : original research article

The present study attempts to describe the physiological demands of judo combat with the recent changes in the rules. A group of 11 subjects (elite judokas) (19.73 ± 3.13 years, 68.69 ± 15.28kg, 168.8 ± 10.50cm, and 11.09 ± 3.08 years of experience practicing the sport at the national and / or international level) were selected. The study was carried out in a simulated competition. Before competition, percentage body fat, heart rate (HR) (Suunto telemetric monitor) and lactate concentration were evaluated. Each athlete took part in an average of 2-3 matches with an official duration of 5 minutes, with a total of 16 matches. All matches were recorded with a digital video camera, HR was recorded at real time and lactate concentration was evaluated 1 and 3 minutes after the each combat. Results show match duration of between 375.06 ± 30.39 seconds, with a better total work time versus total rest time. Average HR during combat was 180 ± 8.4 beats·min-1 and reached a maximum of 188.6 ± 6.9 beats·min-1. Further, lactate concentrations demonstrate a statistically significant increase from the basal level to the level after the match (p<0.05), reaching values of up to 8.4 ± 1.2mmol·L-1. No statistically significant differences in HR and lactate concentration were found during combat. Conclusions : The changes to the rules affect the temporal structure of combat. The number and duration of pauses decreased and the duration of work sequences increased. This study reports the high physiological requirements in judo combat.