Possible Concussions Following Head Blows in the 2001 Canadian National Taekwondo Championships

Blows to the head and face occur commonly in competition Taekwondo. However, limited research has been done on head blows, particularly those that may result in concussion in competition Taekwondo. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to study the incidence and characteristics of head blow and concussion, and, through visual analysis of competition videotapes, to examine the situational and contextual factors surrounding head blows, with a view to making recommendations that might reduce their frequency. A prospective design with direct observation, interview and videotape recording was used. A total of 212 Canadian competitors (139 males and 73 females) participated in this tournament and ranged in age from 14-24 years. The incidence of head blows and concussions was 273 and 53 per 1,000 athlete-exposures, respectively. None of the head blow recipients lost consciousness following impact to the head. Concussions occur more commonly when competitors adopt a closed sparring stance, and use a roundhouse kick. The most frequent site of impact is the temporal region of the head. In conclusion, the incidence of concussion and head blows is high in competition Taekwondo. This could be decreased with improved skill in blocking kicks to the head and face.