Search Results (3)

Jujutsu is a close-contact grappling combat sport. Karate is a long-distance combat sport, primarily using strikes and kicks. Well-designed strength characteristics should be capable of differentiating between participants of martial arts and combat sports, especially if, due to training preferences, they develop particular preferences for grappling or striking that differentiate them, as is the case in jujutsu and karate. One hundred and seventy-eight participants were tested for their age, weight, years of training, style (modern jujutsu, Polish and German groups, karate Kyokushin, karate Shotokan), skill level (Kyu or Dan grade), gender, and handgrip strength (HGS). An analysis of variance utilizing age, weight, years of training, martial art, gender, and skill in explaining HGS showed that variance in skill level and the interaction between skills and weight were significant. Furthermore, a post-hoc Tukey’s HSD test based on skills separated practitioners with the second Kyu from those with the sixth Dan grade. There were two groups identified when a similar analysis was conducted for the interaction between skill and weight. The first one encompassed all athletes below the fifth grade, whereas the second one comprised the remaining practitioners. Principal component analysis with gender as a grouping variable showed that women formed a partly separated group of athletes, with the most differentiating factors being age and years of training. When the grouping variable was skill level, the most influential variables were weight, HGS, and age. Finally, utilizing martial arts as a grouping variable showed that age, years of training, and skill were the essential variables. Our study has demonstrated that by utilizing HGS in combination with such characteristics as weight, age, years of training, gender, Dan grade, and martial arts, it is possible to identify differences between people training distinct martial styles, those with varying skills, and those representing opposite sexes. However, the differentiation is only sometimes apparent. Full article

(1) Study aim: This is a comparative study for judo and jujutsu practitioners. It has an intrinsic value. The aim of this study was to showcase a comparison of practitioners of judo and a similar martial art jujutsu with regard to manual abilities. The study applied the measurement of simple reaction time in response to a visual stimulus and handgrip measurement. (2) Materials and Methods: The group comprising N = 69 black belts from Poland and Germany (including 30 from judo and 39 from jujutsu) applied two trials: “grasping of Ditrich rod” and dynamometric handgrip measurement. The analysis of the results involved the calculations of arithmetic means, standard deviations, and Pearson correlations. Analysis of the differences (Mann–Whitney U test) and Student’s t-test were also applied to establish statistical differences. (3) Results: In the test involving handgrip measurement, the subjects from Poland (both those practicing judo and jujutsu) gained better results compared to their German counterparts. In the test involving grasping of Ditrich rod, a positive correlation was demonstrated in the group of German judokas between the age and reaction time of the subjects (r_xy = 0.66, p < 0.05), as well as in the group of jujutsu subjects between body weight and the reaction time (r_xy = 0.49, p < 0.05). A significant and strong correlation between handgrip and weight was also established for the group of German judokas (r_xy = 0.75, p < 0.05). In Polish competitors, the correlations were only established between the age and handgrip measurements (r_xy = 0.49, p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: Simple reaction times in response to visual stimulation were shorter in the subjects practicing the martial art jujutsu. However, the statement regarding the advantage of the judokas in terms of handgrip force was not confirmed by the results. Full article

Martial arts tourism is a form of cultural, sports and educational tourism that requires special recognition; particularly important is knowledge about martial arts. The sources of this practical knowledge are especially high-ranking masters. The scientific problem raised here involves the issue of high-ranking martial arts teachers taking trips for their own studies (to acquire knowledge and skills) and teaching others. Some of the questions addressed include how often the trips occur (single, sporadic, or multiple, regular), what their effects are, and what their meaning is—in the opinion of these experts. The “Martial Arts Tourism” questionnaire was addressed to N = 12 people, masters/teachers of high-rank in martial arts (level 7–10 dan/toan) who live and teach in Europe and the USA, but come from Europe. They are the holders of the highest degrees in Chinese, Japanese and Korean styles. Further questions were asked through direct correspondence. The collected statements were usedby means of qualitative analysis—as in the method of ‘expert courts’/’competent judges’. The respondents in most cases undertook trips from Europe to East Asia for their own learning. They teach themselves mainly in their own countries and in Europe. Stays rarely lasted over two weeks. The respondents are convinced of the legitimacy of this type of trip, and believe that the trips are very helpful on the way to mastery. None of the respondents mentioned the material forms of cultural heritage pertaining to martial arts as motives for the trips. Therefore, the ability to visit historic places is a marginal concern. The trips were directly linked to a career path and self-improvement in martial arts, learning or teaching. Full article