Global Active Stretching (SGA®) Practice for Judo Practitioners' Physical Performance Enhancement

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Judo Performance Analysis

Background:

• Judo requires explosive power, flexibility, and strength.
• The effectiveness of specific training methods like Global Active Stretching (SGA®) on judo performance needs further investigation.
• Previous research has not extensively documented the impact of SGA® on judo athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effect of Global Active Stretching (SGA®) on the physical performance enhancement of judo competitors.
• To compare the efficacy of SGA® self-postures versus traditional calisthenic exercises in judo athletes.

Main Methods:

• Twelve male judo athletes were divided into an Experimental Group (EG) practicing SGA® and a Control Group (CG) performing calisthenics for 10 weeks.
• Pre- and post-training assessments included handgrip strength, flexibility, upper limb power, isometric pull-up force, lower limb power (SJ and CMJ), and a Tokui Waza test.
• Non-parametric data analysis using the Wilcoxon test and effect size calculation (p ≤ 0.05 significance) was performed using R software.

Main Results:

• The EG demonstrated statistically significant improvements in flexibility (3.00 ± 1.09 cm), upper limb muscle power (0.42 ± 0.51 m), and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance (2.49 ± 0.63 cm).
• The CG showed a significant difference only in the CMJ test (0.55 ± 2.28 cm).
• SGA® practice led to notable gains in posterior chain flexibility and vertical jumping ability (CMJ) in judoka.

Conclusions:

• Regular 10-week practice of Global Active Stretching (SGA®) self-postures enhances key physical performance indicators in judo practitioners.
• SGA® is more effective than assorted calisthenic exercises in improving flexibility and explosive power (CMJ) for judo athletes.
• The findings suggest SGA® can be a valuable training modality for judoka seeking to improve athletic performance.