PRE-COMPETITION PHYSICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STATES OF TAEKWONDO ATHLETES

ABSTRACT Combined analysis of pre-competition physical, physiological and psychosocial features in taekwondo has not been performed. Therefore, this study examined the pre-competition physical, physiological and psychosocial states of taekwondo athletes participating in the Brazilian Taekwondo Championship. In a pre-experimental study, five athletes of the men’s Paraíba taekwondo team (26±8 years old; 1.76±0.04 m) underwent anthropometric assessments, measurement of markers of muscle damage, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, and evaluation of mood and recovery-stress states and of explosive power of lower limbs at two time points: 30 (pre) and 2 (post) days before the Brazilian Championship. Data were analyzed by the Wilcoxon test (95% confidence). The percent difference (Δ) between time points and Cohen’s effect size (d) were calculated. Percent effects were observed on muscle damage (Δ= −25.7% in CK, d= 1.1) and antioxidant activity (Δ= 22.7% in MDA, d = 2.56). Conflicts/Pressure and Depression states increased by 40% (d= 1.11) and 100% (d= 1.30), respectively, while lower limb explosive power increased by 9.05% (d= 4.24). We conclude that athletes exhibited increased Conflict/Pressure and Depression states, but improved the explosive power of lower limbs and maintained the physiological state expected for competition.