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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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INTER-JOINT COORDINATION IN PRODUCING KICKING VELOCITY OF TAEKWONDO KICKS |
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Young Kwan Kim1, Yoon Hyuk Kim1,2 
and Shin Ja Im3 |
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1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 2e-Spine Center, and 3Department of Taekwondo, Kyung Hee University, Korea. |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2011) 10, 31 - 38 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| The purpose of this study was to investigate joint kinematics
of the kicking leg in Taekwondo and to examine the role of inter-joint coordination
of the leg in producing the kicking velocity. A new inter-joint coordination
index that encompasses three- dimensional hip and knee motions, was defined
and applied to the joint kinematic results. Twelve elite Taekwondo athletes
participated in this study and performed the back kick, thrashing kick,
turning-back kick and roundhouse kick. Our results indicate that the back
kick utilized a combination of hip and knee extension to produce the kicking
velocity, and was characterized by a pushlike movement. The thrashing kick
and turning-back kick utilized a greater degree of hip abduction than the
roundhouse kick and back kick, and included complicated knee motions. The
new index successfully categorized the thrashing kick and turning-back kick
into a push-throw continuum, indicating a change from negative index (opposite
direction) to positive index (same direction) of hip and knee motions at
the end of the movement. This strategy of push-throw continuum increases
the kicking velocity at the moment of impact by applying a throwlike movement
pattern.
Key words: Taekwondo, kicks, kinematics, inter-joint coordination. |
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