Dissertation

The Young Judo Athlete: Biological Issues Underpinning Selection and Performance

Giudicelli, Bruno Barbosa

2022

Overview

The great inter-individual variability in growth and maturation processes has consequences for physical and sports performance of children and adolescents, as individuals of the same age and sex may have incompatible functional capabilities and skills. A considerable number of studies show the existing biological variability in children and youth sports practitioners, and in most competitive sports, less mature athletes may be in disadvantage in terms of physical fitness. Therefore, the complex process of growth and maturation must be considered for children and adolescents in sport to ensure suitable training and competition routines. Nonetheless, in combat sports less research attention has been given to the effect of maturation over performance. There is evidence of maturational discrepancies within weight categories in young combat sports, raising questions about the suitability of chronological age and body mass as criteria to guarantee equal conditions among young combat sports athletes. In judo and other combat sports, using body mass as a criterion for distribution of youth athletes into competitive categories is a common bio-banding strategy and could attenuate the maturational effect. Nevertheless, doubts may be raised about the suitability of body mass-based classification to guarantee fair play in combat sports due to evidence of maturation effect within weight categories in young combat sports, and due to rapid weight loss practice as competitive strategy. This doctoral thesis aimed to explore the relationship between chronological age, growth, and biological maturation to explain the physical performance of young Portuguese judo athletes, as well as to investigate the contribution of body mass and other anthropometric variables to the control of possible biological maturation effects on the performance of young judokas. Three specific cross-sectional studies, using the same data collection, were developed, with independent but related objectives, methods, and analysis. Sixty-seven Portuguese young male judokas aged 11.0-14.7 years were included in the sample. Anthropometric assessment and physical fitness tests were performed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlations, multiple linear regressions, and mediation analysis. From the analyzes and discussions underwent in the three studies that composed the thesis, it was evidenced that: (a) biological maturation significantly influenced growth and performance of the young judokas participating in the study regardless of age, in a clear trend that more mature athletes are taller, have greater body mass and greater muscle mass, and perform better than their less mature colleagues in all applied physical tests, predominantly in aerobic performance, general upper body strength and handgrip strength; (b) hierarchical linear regression models confirmed the effect of maturation on the performance of the evaluated judokas, attenuating the effect of age. However, when included in the model as predictors, the variables associated with growth better explained performance and attenuated the maturation effect on the physical capacity tests performed, indicating that the anticipated development of more biologically mature young athletes can translate into performance gains depending on the task. In this perspective, may be necessary to adopt criteria in addition to chronological age to banding young judokas and, by extension, young athletes from other combat sports; (c) when chronological age and body mass were controlled, the maturation effect on aerobic performance and handgrip strength remained, creating disparity of conditions between athletes with different maturity status.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Exercise, kinesiology, and sport sciences / Kinesiology / Martial arts / Physical fitness / Teenagers
• ISBN: 9798290676302