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purpose of the study was to develop an aerobic fitness assessment
test for competitive Karate practitioners and describe the preliminary
findings. Five well-trained, competitive Karate practitioners participated
in this study. A protocol simulating common attack strikes used in
competition Karate sparring was developed from video analysis. In
addition, pilot testing established a specific sequence of strikes
and timings to be used in the test. The time to perform the strike
sequence remained the same, whilst the time between strike sequence
performances was progressively reduced. The aim of the test was to
increase intensity of exercise through a decrease in recovery. On
two separate occasions, absolute and relative peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak),
peak ventilation (VEpeak), maximum heart rate (HRM), and time to exhaustion
(TE) obtained during the test were recorded. Subjective feedback provided
by the participants was positive in that participants felt the test
accurately simulated actions of a competitive sparring situation,
and as a result athletes felt more motivated to perform well on this
test. There was no significant between test difference in absolute
VO2peak, relative VO2peak, HRM and TE (p >
0.05), indicating a potentially high reproducibility with the new
test for these variables (test 1-test 2 difference of 0.04 L·min-1,
1 ml·kg-1·min-1, -3 beats•min-1, and 28 s;
respectively). However, VEpeak displayed potentially less reproducibility
due to a significant difference observed between tests (test 1- test
2 difference of -2.8 L·min-1, p < 0.05). There was a
significant relationship between TE and relative VO2peak
(R2 = 0.77, p < 0.001). Further developments to the test will need
to address issues with work rate/force output assessment/monitoring.
The new test accurately simulates the actions of competitive Karate
sparring.
KEY
WORDS: Maximal test, oxygen consumption, Karate, motivation.
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