Influence of different versions of the straight forward punch on the obtained force, energy and power ? measurements of taekwon-do ITF athletes? performance

Jacek Wąsik, Karina Nowak

Institute of Physical Education, Tourism and Physioterapy, Jan Długosz University of Częstochowa, Poland

Abstract
Background and Study Aim. The aim of the study was the knowledge about the values of force, energy and power obtained during performance of the straight punch in two different techniques.
Material and Methods. 15 taekwon-do ITF (International Taekwon-do Federation) athletes were asked to participate in the study. They were asked to perform the traditional and sports version of the punch three times each. The research was carried out with the use of Smart-D system manufactured by Italian BTS Spa company and used for complex analysis of movements.
Results. The research shows that the average delivery time of 0.170 ? 0.007 s of the sports version punch is significantly shorter than that of its traditional version whose average is 1.060 ? 0.142 s (p<0.01). The kinetic energy of 2299 ? 320 J and force of 3284 ? 555 N were obtained in the traditional technique of the punch. The force of this strike is comparable to the force obtained in the roundhouse kick. The other technique  (i.e. the sports one) obtained only 916 ? 60 J and 1308 ? 173 N (p<0.01). Thus, a greater force and a greater energy were obtained in the traditional technique. However, the calculated power of 5630 ? 247 W is considerably higher for the sports technique of the strike, which signifies a high pace of energy production (the traditional strike achieved only 2598 ? 283 W).
Conclusions. Having analyzed the obtained results it can be stated that the aim of a strike determines the way the strike is delivered. The traditional taekwon-do punch is used to perform mechanical work and produce a maximum kinetic energy, which is necessary for breaking, whereas the sports punch requires a short time of delivery, which gives great power, i.e. high rate of energy production. That is the reason why
it is used in combat.
Key words: taekwon-do ? analysis of movement ? kinetics of punch ? biomechanics of combat sports

Published online: 17 September 2015
Copyright: ? 2015 the Authors. Published by Archives of Budo
Contributors: Jacek Wąsik conceived the study design, collected and analysed the data, prepared the manuscript and secured the funding.
Funding: Departmental sources.
Conflict of interest: Authors have declared that no competing interest exists
Ethical approval: Not required.
Provenance and peer review: Under responsibility of HMA Congress
Corresponding author: Jacek Wąsik, Institute of Physical Education, Tourism and Physioterapy, Jan Długosz University of Częstochowa, Armii Krajowej 13/15; 42-200 Częstochowa, Poland; email: jwasik[at]konto.pl
Open Access License: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and is otherwise in compliance with the license