Effect of One Month of Common Trainings on Physical Fitness, Body Composition and Performance of Kata International Champions

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of one-month common trainings in karate including strength, aerobic and kata trainings on hip and knee flexion and extension torque, muscular endurance, aerobic and anaerobic power, body composition and performance of kata international champions of Iranian three-man kata team with a history of championship in World and Asian leagues. These kata athletes with age of 31.5±3 years, body mass index of 25.5±1.5 kg/m2, and body fat of 12.5±1.5% participated in one-month trainings including eight aerobic sessions, six strength sessions, six technique and kata sessions and four combination sessions (strength and aerobics). Various descriptive statistical tools such as mean, standard deviation and individual and team percentage changes were used to compare pre- and post-test information. The results showed a significant increase in all moments. There was also a significant increase in muscular endurance rates associated with half-squat with body weight (50%), bench press with 0.8% body weight (19.5%), chin up (33.5%), and a relatively strong to strong improvement was observed in the performance of kata. Nevertheless, there were no significant changes in body composition, aerobic power (1600 m running) and anaerobic power (Sargent jump). It seems that despite the usefulness of conventional karate trainings, special attention should be paid to individual needs, adequate diet and supplementary trainings for greater effectiveness.