Hand-grip strength as an indicator for predicting the success in martial arts athletes

Abstract

One main scientific practical tasks in sports is increasing an efficiency and forecasting the sportsmanship growth. The purpose of this work is answer the question whether based on the hand grip strength of different martial arts’ athletes it is possible of their successfulness prognostication. Material and Methods: We examined 28 martial arts athletes: group I (11 of age 18.45 ± 0.39 years, specializing in Greco-Roman and free style wrestling, judo, sambo); group II (17 of age 18.12 ± 0.26 years, specializing in hand-to-hand combat, karate, taekwondo). The level of sportsmanship in groups was approximately the same and varied from beginners to candidate master of sports and masters of sports. We used a battery of tests, which included 41 indicator sportsmen’s physical and functional condition. We studied anthropometrical indicators of general physical condition, the state of upper and lower limbs; we carried out tapping test and measured maximal frequency of grip in impulse mode. Results: The closeness of sportsmen’s physical condition at the account of absence of significant difference in most of indicators was proved. Sportsmen of the group I had greater circumferences of arm and forearm, hand dynamometry. Analysis of correlations showed significant higher quantity of important and confident correlations of grip maximal frequency in impulse mode in sportsmen of group I. These sportsmen’s contribution in system formation of grip strength indicators was 1.5-4 times bigger. Conclusions: We have proved the importance of studying of grip strength as factor of martial arts sportsmen’s successfulness specialising in throws and grips of immobilisation of opponent’s body (judo, sambo, wrestling etc.).