Comparison of muscle strength profiles in taekwondo and judo elite athletes

Purpose: Sports training, of which muscle strength development is a part, should be aimed at optimally preparing athletes for competition. Differences in the demands of judo and taekwondo sports combat lead to different results in developing the strength potential of athletes. The aim of this study was to assess the strength capabilities of athletes training taekwondo and judo. Methods: The study included 14 taekwondo and 17 judo elite athletes. Measurements were taken of the maximum muscle torques developed under static conditions of 20 muscle groups responsible for flexion and extension of the limbs, at the shoulder, elbow, knee, hip joints and trunk flexion and extension. Based on the results, the topography of muscle torques was calculated as the percentage of the ratio of the muscle torques developed at a given joint to the sum of all the torques tested. Results: Judo athletes developed significantly higher values of muscle torques than taekwondo athletes during flexion and extension of the upper limb joints and extension at the hip joint ( p < 0.05). Judo athletes achieved higher topography index values in flexion of the left shoulder joint and extension of both elbow and shoulder joints ( p < 0.05). Taekwondo athletes achieved higher topography index values in flexion of the knee and hip joints of the right and left lower limbs ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: The calculation of muscle topography allowed us to assess the differences in the strength profiles of judo and taekwondo athletes and can provide additional information for evaluating the effects of strength training.