Acute effects and postactivation potentiation in the special judo fitness test

ABSTRACT Miarka, B, Del Vecchio, FB, and Franchini, E. Acute effects and postactivation potentiation in the special judo fitness test. J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 427-431, 2011-The purpose of this study was to compare the acute short-term effects of (1) plyometric exercise, (2) combined strength and plyometric exercise (contrast), and (3) maximum strength performance in the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT). Eight male judo athletes (mean 6 SD, age, 19 6 1 years; body mass, 60.4 6 5 kg; height, 168.3 6 5.4 cm) took part in this study. Four different sessions were completed; each session had 1 type of intervention: (a) SJFT control, (b) plyometric exercises + SJFT, (c) maximum strength + SJFT, and (d) contrast + SJFT. The following variables were quantified: throws performed during series A, B, and C; total number of throws; heart rate immediately and 1 minute after the test; and test index. Significant differences were found in the number of throws during series A: the plyometric exercise (6.4 6 0.5 throws) was superior (p , 0.05) to the control condition (5.6 6 0.5 throws). Heart rate 1 minute after the SJFT was higher (p , 0.01) during the plyometric exercise (192 6 8 bpm) than during the contrast exercise (184 6 9 bpm). The contrast exercise (13.58 6 0.72) resulted in better index values than the control (14.67 6 1.30) and plyometric exercises (14.51 6 0.54). Thus, this study suggests that contrast and plyometric exercises performed before the SJFT can result in improvements in the test index and anaerobic power of judo athletes, respectively

Discriminant Analysis Of Technical-Tactical Actions In High-Level Judo Athletes

A method to identify successful technical-tactical (T-T) systems could produce important benefits for coaches and researchers. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to conduct a discriminant analysis among T-T systems used by winning and losing athletes during high-level judo competition. The sample consisted of 174 combats (145 winners and 39 losers) contested between 2011 and 2012 by 21 men from the half-middleweight class (-81 kg) who qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The T-T variables were analyzed according to frequency of occurrence and included the following indicators: Approach (No Form, Right and Left Antero-posterior Positions and Attempted Gripping); Gripping (Left and/or Right Collar, Sleeve and/or Back Gripping combinations); and Attack (Ashi-waza, Koshi-waza, Te-waza, Sutemi-waza, Osae-waza, Shime-waza and Kansetsu-waza). Cluster analysis was used to group outcomes and T-T variables, according to homogeneous groups. Findings showed divergent T-T systems, where winning athletes showed lower values of Approach (Left Antero-posterior), and higher values of Gripping (Left Back/Right Sleeve and Right Sleeve) than losing athletes. Consequently, the prescription of T-T training should consider the specific tactical demands of the weight category. The results of the current investigation indicate that in male half-middleweight judo athletes, Approach and Gripping strategies are the main discriminant indicators of performance

Time-Motion Analysis And Decision Making In Female Judo Athletes During Victory Or Defeat At Olympic And Non-Olympic Events: Are Combat Actions Really Unpredictable?

The purpose of the present investigation was to compare decision making and time-motion analysis in female Olympic and non-Olympic judo matches by competitive result (winning versus losing). The sample consisted of 638 judo matches, 518 from non-Olympic events (NO), separated by winning=318 (NOW) and losing=196 (NOL) and 124 from the Olympic Games (OG) separated by winning=60 (OGW) and losing=64 (OGL), contested between 2011 and 2012 by 98 athletes who qualified for the 2012 Olympics Games. The decision making was analyzed using Markov models and combat actions were sequentially analyzed according to frequency of occurrence and time. NOL had lower Gripping frequencies, with a mean of 17.8±0.3, than all other groups (18.7±0.6). Frequency of attack to the front and rear orientations were lower for losing athletes in NO events (2.0±0.1 and 2.2±0.1, respectively) compared to all other groups (2.3±3.1 and 2.4±3.0, respectively)

Physical fitness predicts technical-tactical and time-motion profile in simulated Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu matches

Background Among combat sports, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) present elevated physical fitness demands from the high-intensity intermittent efforts. However, information regarding how metabolic and neuromuscular physical fitness is associated with technical-tactical performance in Judo and BJJ fights is not available. This study aimed to relate indicators of physical fitness with combat performance variables in Judo and BJJ. Methods The sample consisted of Judo (n = 16) and BJJ (n = 24) male athletes. At the first meeting, the physical tests were applied and, in the second, simulated fights were performed for later notational analysis. Results The main findings indicate: (i) high reproducibility of the proposed instrument and protocol used for notational analysis in a mobile device; (ii) differences in the technical-tactical and time-motion patterns between modalities; (iii) performance-related variables are different in Judo and BJJ; and (iv) regression models based on metabolic fitness variables may account for up to 53% of the variances in technical-tactical and/or time-motion variables in Judo and up to 31% in BJJ, whereas neuromuscular fitness models can reach values up to 44 and 73% of prediction in Judo and BJJ, respectively. When all components are combined, they can explain up to 90% of high intensity actions in Judo. Discussion In conclusion, performance prediction models in simulated combat indicate that anaerobic, aerobic and neuromuscular fitness variables contribute to explain time-motion variables associated with high intensity and technical-tactical variables in Judo and BJJ fights

Effectiveness of m-health-based core strengthening exercise and health education for public safety workers with chronic non-specific low back pain: study protocol for a superiority randomized controlled trial (SAFEBACK)

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Public safety workers are highly exposed to physically demanding activities and inappropriate postures, increasing the risk of experiencing LBP. Smartphone app-based self-managed interventions may be an alternative for chronic non-specific LBP (CNSLBP) treatment. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone app-based self-managed exercise program plus health education, compared to a health education program alone, on neuromuscular and perceptual outcomes in police officers and firefighters with CNSLBP. Methods This is a parallel, two-armed, blinded evaluator randomized clinical trial. Police officers and firefighters (from public safety institutions in the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil) will be randomly assigned to a m-health self-managed exercise program (twice a week) plus health education or health education alone. Self-management exercise program components are mobility and core resistance exercises, available on the app. Follow-ups will be conducted post-treatment (8 weeks) and 16 weeks after randomization. The co-primary outcomes will be pain intensity and disability post-treatment (8 weeks). Secondary outcomes will be biopsychosocial factors related to CNSLBP. Discussion We hypothesize that the effects of a smartphone app-based self-managed exercise program on co-primary and secondary outcomes will be superior, compared to the health education only in public safety workers with CNSLBP. Trial registration The study was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05481996. Registered on August 01, 2022)

Effects of exercise on kidney function among non-diabetic patients with hypertension and renal disease: randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic kidney disease is an important public health threat. Such patients present high morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, with low quality of life and survival, and also high expenditure resulting from the treatment. Arterial hypertension is both a cause and a complication of kidney disease; also, arterial hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease among patients with kidney diseases. There is some evidence that exercise interventions may be beneficial to chronic kidney disease patients, but previous studies included only end-stage patients, i.e. those undergoing dialysis. This study aims to evaluate the effect of exercise on kidney function, quality of life and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease among non-diabetic chronic hypertensive kidney disease patients who are not undergoing dialysis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The participants will be located through screening hypertensive patients attended within the public healthcare network in Pelotas, a city in south of Brazil. Eligible individuals will be those with glomerular filtration rate between 15 and 59 ml/min x 1.73 m². The randomization will be done in fixed-size blocks of six individuals such that 75 participants will be allocated to each group. At baseline, information on demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, anthropometric, blood pressure and quality-of-life variables will be collected, and laboratory tests will be performed. The intervention will consist of three weekly physical exercise sessions lasting 60–75 minutes each, with a total duration of 16 weeks. The outcomes will be the kidney function progression rate, quality of life, blood pressure, lipid profile, hemoglobin level, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein level, and ankle-arm index. The patients in both groups (intervention and control) will be reassessed and compared partway through the study (8^th week), at the end of the intervention (16^th week) and in the 8^th week after the end of the intervention.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>There is still a scarcity of data relating to the effect of physical exercise among the most numerous group of individuals with kidney disease, i.e. patients undergoing conservative treatment. In particular, there is a lack of randomized controlled studies. This study will help fill this gap.</p