Fitness and skill performance characteristics of Polish female national taekwondo squad members

Abstract

The aim of the research is to describe the influence of some physical factors, motor abilities and technical skills on the performance level in taekwondo. The subjects were 16 female competitors (aged 18-26 years, mean 21.7 years) - members of Taekwondo WTF Polish National / Olympic Team possessing black belts (1st Dan) The data included height, body mass, BMI, ranking and the results of general and special fitness tests for taekwondo. Results showed that less heavily built athletes were superior to those with higher BMI in terms of speed, speed-endurance and flexibility. The results also show that better athletes are generally leaner from their peers and that leaner body build has a positive influence on performance level in taekwondo