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Abstract

Background: Despite the increasing popularity of kickboxing, few studies have been conducted with regard to the physiology or the biomechanics of this sport. The aim of the present study is to examine the ratios of mechanical characteristics between upper and lower limbs of male kickboxers. Material/Methods: Fourteen male Caucasians, all members of recreational sport clubs, aged 21.77 (5.19) yr [mean (standard deviation)], body height 1.78 (0.067) m, body mass 75.4 (8.9) kg, body fat 14 (5) % and somatotype 3.5-4.9-2.3, performed the Force-velocity (F-v) test for both upper and lower extremities. The F-v test included five supramaximal pedal sprints, each lasting 7 sec, against incremental braking force (20-60 N for upper limbs and 30-70 N for lower limbs), on modified arm-cranking and on a cycle ergometer (Ergomedics 874, Monark, Sweden). Results: Maximal anaerobic power, Pmax, of upper limbs was associated with Pmax of lower limbs (r = 0.81, P < 0.001) and their ratio was 0.464 (0.079). The respective values of correlation coefficients of the theoretical maximal force, F0, were r = 0.63 (P < 0.05) and 0.57 (0.133), and of velocity, v0, r = 0.44 (P = 0.12) and 0.829 (0.095). Conclusions: In spite of moderate correlations between upper and lower limbs' F0 and v0, a stronger relationship was found with regard to Pmax. Separate upper and lower extremities' power output measures would be useful in evaluating training programs and in understanding the importance of power output for kickboxing performance.

DOI

10.2478/v10131-011-0014-4

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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