Physiological Requirements of Judo Combat

Physiological requirements of judo combat
International SportMed Journal, Vol. 10 No. 3, 2009, pp. 145-151 http://www.ismj.com
ISMJ International SportMed Journal

Original research article

1
Dr Raquel Hernndez-Garca, PhD, *2Professor Gema Torres-Luque, PhD,

3
Professor Carmen Villaverde-Gutierrez, PhD
1 2
Extremadura Federation of Judo, Spain Faculty of Education, University of Jan, Spain 3 Health Science School, University of Granada, Spain *Corresponding author. Address at the end of text
Abstract
The present study attempts to describe the physiological demands of judo combat with the recent changes in the rules. A group of 11 subjects (elite judokas) (19.73 3.13 years, 68.69 15.28kg, 168.8 10.50cm, and 11.09 3.08 years of experience practicing the sport at the national and/or international level) were selected. The study was carried out in a simulated competition. Before competition, percentage body fat, heart rate (HR) (Suunto telemetric monitor) and lactate concentration were evaluated. Each athlete took part in an average of 2-3 matches with an official duration of 5 minutes, with a total of 16 matches. All matches were recorded with a digital video camera, HR was recorded at real time and lactate concentration was evaluated 1 and 3 minutes after the each combat. Results show match duration of between 375.06 30.39 seconds, with a better -1 total work time versus total rest time. Average HR during combat was 180 8.4 beatsmin and -1 reached a maximum of 188.6 6.9 beatsmin . Further, lactate concentrations demonstrate a statistically significant increase from the basal level to the level after the match (p<0.05), reaching -1 values of up to 8.4 1.2mmolL . No statistically significant differences in HR and lactate concentration were found during combat. Conclusions: The changes to the rules affect the temporal structure of combat. The number and duration of pauses decreased and the duration of work sequences increased. This study reports the high physiological requirements in judo combat. Keywords: judo, heart rate, lactate, combat structure, physiology
*Professor Gema Torres-Luque, PhD

Gema Torres-Luque is a Lecturer in Physical Activity and sport. She is a professor in the Faculty Education at the University of Jan, Spain. Her research interests focus on health and sport training and science in racquet sports and combat sports. Email: gtluque@ujaen.es
Dr Raquel Hernandez-Garca, PhD

Raquel Hernandez-Garca is a Lecturer in Physical Activity and Sport. She is a director of Extremadura Judo Federation in Spain. Her research interests focus on health and sport training, science in combat sports and specific training in judo. Email: raquel_h_garcia@hotmail.com
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Official Journal of FIMS (International Federation of Sports Medicine)
Professor Carmen Villaverde-Gutierrez, PhD

Carmen Villaverde-Gutierrez is a Lecture in Medicine. She is a professor of the physiology of exercise in the Health Science School at the University of Granada, Spain. Her research interests focuses on human physiology and exercise performance, with a specific interest in racquet and combat sports. Email: carmenvg@ugr.es
Introduction
According to Iglesias et al. , the analysis of the specific demands of each athletic modality constitutes an important starting point for the establishment and design of training intervention lines. Judo combat is an acyclic, intermittent physical effort with two athletes in a body-to-body confrontation, and where both are trying to attain the same goal: to take down their opponent before the time is up, or to control their opponent once he/she has been brought down (through immobilisation, choke holds, and joint locking) until time of the match 2 is up . This sport is an athletic mode where the technical and biomechanical efforts of competition are very similar to those carried out in the training, with a high demand of 3 physiological parameters in competition . This elevated physiological demand is due to the high intensity in which the encounters take 4 place , since they predominantly require two metabolic pathways, aerobic and anaerobic lactate (glycolytic), due to the fact that judo matches have an average duration of 7.19 to 3, 5 10.6 1.33 minutes . There are rest periods lasting 9-12.5 seconds preceded by work 6, sequences of between 19.6 and 35 seconds 7 at intensities of close to 95-100% of maximal 5 oxygen consumption (VO2max) . Therefore the judokas (person practicing judo) need a high participation of anaerobic metabolism initially, but towards the end, aerobic metabolism 8 prevails . To demonstrate this point, there are direct data from the average heart rate (HR) of the judokas during combat with the goal of approximating the intensity. During combat, male judokas have an average HR of between -1 3, 9, 10, 11 , reaching a 180 and 182 beatsmin -1 maximum HR (HRmax) of 195-200 beatsmin , though these values are slightly lower in 12, 13 . In relative values, the female judokas average HR during judo combat is 1, 14 . approximately 85-90% of HRmax Likewise, there are studies that have analysed the plasma lactate concentration ([Lac]) before
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1
and after combat in male judokas which indicate that there are statistically significant differences between the two measurements. -1 An increase of 7-8mmolL above basal levels 3, 9, 10, 15 , and according to has been found 16 Majean et al. , it can reach values between 9 -1 and 24mmolL in national and international competitions. Franchini et al. describes the lactate concentrations of judokas from different levels of competition (international, national, and regional), indicating that there are no significant differences between the groups. 17 Further, Franchini has done various studies to establish differences between high-level judokas and those at lower levels, and has found that there are no statistically significant differences in the physical and morphological characteristics of the judokas in the two groups 17 , or in the plasma lactate concentrations in 18 the blood after a simulated combat . Sanchis et al. identified the existence of a positive, significant relationship between [Lac] and the duration of judo combat in adult, male judokas and that, additionally, the HRmax during combat is not significantly correlated to the duration of combat although it is significantly correlated to the maximum concentration of lactic acid. During recent years, various modifications in the rules of judo competition have been made 20 with the objective of strengthening judo's dynamics (back to more traditional techniques) and to avoid passive or defensive judo by the judokas; therefore, the new rules may have changed the demands of judo combat, causing them to differ from those cited previously by diverse authors. Thus the objectives of this study are to evaluate the physiological parameters of actual judo combat and to establish if there are differences in the physiological demands of combat under the new rules, in order to optimise the training of these athletes.
19 15
Methods
Subjects The sample consisted of 11 judokas (4 males and 7 females) (19.73 3.13 years, 68.69 15.28 kg, 168.8 10.50 cm, and 11.09 3.08 years of experience practicing the sport at the national and/or international level) from the Sports Performance Training Centre who Table 1: General characteristics of the judokas Judokas n=11 Procedure The study was carried out as a simulated competition. All judokas arrived at the same time and the initial evaluation took place at this time. This evaluation consisted of the official weigh-in and percentage body fat measurement using bioelectrical impedance (TANITA InnerScan BC-532). Likewise, a basal measurement of the blood lactate concentration [Lac] was taken. The portable blood lactate analyser, Lactate Pro, was used, which measures the lactate through the principle of enzymatic determination by photometric reflection. It is measured in 60 seconds per datum, with a range of -1 measurement in the blood of 0.8 - 22mmol-L . A drop of capillary blood was extracted from the earlobe with the intention of evaluating the changes in [Lac] during the match. All subjects wore a Suunto telemetric heart rate monitor to register HR at all times. Extracted data were entered directly into the computer using the software Suunto Training/Team Manager 2.1.2, which registered the variability of the HR of all subjects in real time during both combat and rest periods. After the measurements, the judokas took part in a 30-minute warm-up on the same tatami (mat) as the competition, where there was a temperature of 20 2C. Each athlete took part in an average of 2-3 matches with an official duration of 5 minutes. The stopwatch was stopped during each of the breaks or rest periods, and they competed until 5 minutes were up, regardless of whether or not one of the judokas achieved an action evaluated as ippon (the highest score) by the official. As in a real competition, all matches
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competed at the national and/or international level. General characteristics of the subjects are found in Table 1. The study's objectives and procedures were clearly explained to the subjects, after which they voluntarily signed the informed consent form.
Age (years) Weight (kg) 19.73 3.13 68.69 15.28
Height (cm)
% Body fat
Years practice 11.09 3.08
of
168.82 10.50 18.68 6.36
were officiated by an official referee who 20 applied the current rules . When each match was over, the judokas went directly to the area reserved for the analysers to take the next [Lac] measurements at 1 and 3-minutes after combat using the Lactate Pro. All matches were recorded with a digital SONY DCR-DVD92E video camera for later analysis, which involved determining the total combat time (TT), the total standing work time (TST), the total ground work time (TGT), the total number of work sequences (NWS), the total number of rest periods (NRP), the total number of ground sequences (NGS), mean time per work sequence (TWS), mean time per rest period (TRP), and mean time per ground sequence (TGS). Statistical treatment The data obtained were treated with the statistical analysis software SPSS 15.0. All the results were expressed in mean and standard deviations. A comparison of the lactate concentration taken at three distinct moments (before the match, 1 minute after the match, and 3 minutes after the match) was made using the one factor ANOVA with repeated measures. To determine the correlation between the variables of HR and [Lac], the Pearson correlation coefficient was used, and for the comparison of the means between males and females and between the two levels of competition, a t-test for independent samples was used. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.
Results
Temporal structure of combat In Table 2, the extracted values from the temporal analysis of judo combat can be observed. The mean total combat time of the matches was 375.06 30.39 seconds. During this time, there is an average of 12 work Table 2: Temporal structure of judo combat Variable
sequences lasting a mean time of 24.06 7.07 seconds, each one alternated with 11 rest periods lasting between 5.73 1.21seconds. Throughout the match the judokas had between 3 and 4 floor sequences lasting 9.81 3.70 seconds.
Judokas Seconds SD
Total work time (TT) Total standing work time (TST) Total ground work time (TGT) Total rest time (TRT) Time per work sequence (TWS) Time per rest period (TRP) Time per ground sequence (TGS) Number of work sequences (NWS) Number of rest periods (NRP) Number of ground sequences (NGS) Heart rate in combat The HR recorded during combat development indicates that the judokas reached a HRmax of -1 188.6 6.9 beatsmin and a mean HR -1 (HRmean) of 180.4 8.4 beatsmin . During the rest periods the judokas recorded a minimum -1 HR (HRmin) of 163 12.6 beatsmin . Lactate concentration in judo combat The obtained data of the basal [Lac] show a -1 mean of 1.3 0.5mmolL . A statistically significant increase was found in the lactate concentration after the match, both one minute later and three minutes later (p<0.05), with -1 values of 8.4 1.2mmolL and 8.1 -1 1.4mmolL , respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the [Lac] at one minute and at three minutes after the match. Correlation between heart rate and lactic acid concentration No statistically significant relationships were found between heart rate during judo combat, the basal [Lac], and the [Lac] obtained after the match was completed (p>0.05).
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375.06 30.39 253.47 21.73 36.78 22.20 67.25 21.70 24.06 7.07 5.73 1.21 9.81 3.70 12.81 2.90 11.81 2.90 3.56 2.16
Discussion
There are not many international references about the temporal structure in judo. The match recordings indicate that judo combat has duration of 375.06 30.39 seconds in competition, which is very similar to the 430 seconds of total combat duration at the 5 regional level that was cited by Gorostiaga 1 and the 455.7 seconds cited by Iglesias et al. . 21 Further, Arruza , who analysed the 1987 World Championship, found that 80% of men's matches lasted 7 minutes, and women's matches lasted 6 minutes. Nevertheless, there are studies where the total combat duration in an official competition is much less, between 4 6, 7, 22 . Therefore greater than 7 and 5 minutes minutes of total time (including rest periods) could be considered adequate for organising judo training systems. On the other hand, the results indicate that there are 11 rest periods during judo combat, and they last 5.73 1.21 seconds. This is not in accordance with the studies in judo, for example a 7 sequences of rest periods lasting 12 seconds each cited by Castarlenas and
Planas among male judokas competing at the national level, nor is it in agreement with the 16.5 rest periods lasting 13 seconds each during a simulated competition with male judokas competing at the national level cited 23 by Bonitch . These discrepancies between the different authors could be due primarily to 20 the differences in the rules between previous studies and the present study. It is observed that upon shortening the intermediate pauses, the rhythm of combat was more dynamic. However, it seems logical to have in mind that in one match there are 7-16 rest periods of an average 5-13 seconds each. The mean work time registered in each work sequence was 24.06 7.07 seconds, coinciding with the work sequences between 24 20 and 30 seconds cited by Monteiro but higher than others cited in the bibliography 6, 22, 23 . This between 10 and 18 seconds aspect again corroborates the influence of the 20 rule modification on the temporal structure of combat, since the officials, while trying to make combat more dynamic and fluid, are slower to call "mate" (intermediate pause) to penalise the judokas. Therefore these data demonstrate how the work time during actual judo combat is greater than rest time, which offers a useful and adequate orientation when planning training methods specific to the judoka. This may be the most determinant temporal aspect when it directly affects the specific resistance of the judoka (anaerobic lactate), as judokas in pauses (mates) within combat do not have sufficient time to recover from the demanding physical effort made during the previous period of effort, coinciding with 9, 11 . various authors The registered data of HR show a HRmean of -1 about 180.4 8.4 beatsmin during judo combat, coinciding with values cited by other 1, 9, 10, 11 , demonstrating that the official authors 20 rule modifications do not directly affect this parameter. Further, in accordance with the 21 study by Arruza on HR in different methods of judo training, where it is corroborated that the HRmean with the method of randoricompetition (free-style sparring) reaches a -1 value of 180 beatsmin , it can be induced that the use of this method is very appropriate for the specific training of judo competition combat. This is indicated by the positive relationship between HRmean during judo combat in the present study (180.4 8.4 -1 beatsmin ) and the HRmean reached in the
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randori-competition method (180 beatsmin ). However, the HRmax recorded during judo combat has been situated around 195-200 -1 15, 16 , which is higher than the beatsmin values found in the present study, where it was -1 found to be 188.6 6.9 beatsmin . This difference may have its origin in that the data from the cited study correspond to studies done in the context of an official competition, where the athletes are subjected to higher psychological and physiological demands to 19 those suffered in the context of practice . On the other hand, the current study was done during a simulated competition in which the judokas competed against their own teammates. In the bibliography, the HRmin in judo combat -1 1, 11, 19 has been cited at 130-155 beatsmin but in this study it was found to be as high as -1 163 12.6 beatsmin . This may occur 20 because the rule changes strengthen the dynamism of combat, directly affecting the number of pauses and the duration of these pauses in combat by decreasing them (11 rest periods lasting 5-6 seconds each), is lower 6, 23 . than what has been found in other studies It can be observed that the rest periods are shorter and the judoka has a lower ratio of work time/rest time, which may indicate a higher cardiac demand. This may suggest that as the rhythm of training and competition in the international judokas is higher, the phenomenon of specific adaptation is slightly more pronounced in the international level judokas. The basal [Lac] measured in the judokas increases significantly after combat (p<0.05), -1 reaching values of up to 8.9mmolL , as 3, 9, 10, 15 , indicated in other studies demonstrating that these modifications in the rule do not affect this parameter. These values are similar to those obtained after a judo training session, where, after a warm-up, uchikomis (repetitions of a technical skill), ne waza (ground judo) and 3-7 standing randori (free-style sparring), the values of mean lactate -1 25 . This affirms the were 9.1 1.1 mmolL large similarity of metabolic demand in judospecific work and judo combat. The results do not indicate that there is any relationship between the lactate concentration and the different measurements of HR during judo combat (maximum, mean, and minimum), 19 coinciding with results of other studies . The
-1
explanation may be as indicated by Thomas et 14 al. that during judo combat, the HR plateaus, with values at 85-90% of HRmax, while [Lac] keeps increasing as the effort continue. Keeping in mind that the obtained values were very elevated, we can deduce that the kind of metabolic pathway that predominates is the anaerobic pathway. Further, it is observed that the practice of judo along the time may indicate the possibility of a pronounced adaptation of the training and competition process in the international level judokas. Therefore after demonstrating the temporal analysis of judo combat, characterised by being an intervallic effort where the working time is three times higher than the rest time and relating it to the elevated data obtained from the recordings of HR and [Lac] during judo combat development, it can be corroborated that judo combat requires a high demand of the studied physiological parameters. Maybe this principle could be connected to the recent study by Franchini et 17 al. who described the physical and anthropometric profile of two groups of judokas at different levels of competition, concluding that there are no significant differences between them. Therefore, if the judokas from different levels have similar physical and morphological aspects, it seems reasonable that the physiological demands of judo combat between judokas of two competitive levels do not show great discrepancies. This is why it would be interesting to carry out future studies in this line of research, to figure out more exhaustively the behaviour of the physiological parameters in practice and competition in athletes of different competitive levels. That way, better approximations for improving specific training in this sport can be obtained and, along with that, greater athletic success.
Acknowledgements
This study was carried out thanks to the unconditional support of the Sports Medicine Center (Navarra, Spain). Thanks also for the interest and commitment shown by the coaches at the Sports Performance Training Center, Ms Yolanda Soler and Mr Jose Tomas Toro, as well as the involvement of the group of judokas that they coach.
Address for correspondence:

Professor Gema Torres-Luque, Faculty of Education, University of Jan, Campus de Las Lagunillas, Edificio D2, 23071 Jaen, Spain Tel.: 0034 953 213397 Email: gtluque@ujaen.es
References
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Conclusions
Since the changes the rules affect the temporal structure of combat, decreasing the number of pauses and the duration of these pauses, as well as increasing the duration of the work sequences. This study demonstrates the high physiological demand in judo combat, with HR values of 180 -1 to 190 beatsmin and [Lac] values about -1 8mmolL . These data are very important in the specific training of judo.
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International SportMed Journal, Vol. 10 No. 3, 2009, pp. 145-151 http://www.ismj.com

ISMJ International SportMed Journal