Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7 - Page 8 - Page 9 - Page 10

Some the scientific research that has been conducted on martial art related subjects

Perception of Nigerian athletes of the use of mouth guards to prevent the stresses of sports injury

O. Adegbesan and C. Onyeaso
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2004; 38:685-689

The perception of Nigerian athletes of the use of mouth guards to prevent the stresses of sports injuries was examined using psychological, sociological, and physical stress variables.

The results from the measurement of 333 random participant revealed that female athletes perceived the use of mouth guards as being more important to prevent the stresses of sports injuries than male athletes, while athletes who had used mouth guards for longer periods also perceived them as being more important to prevent the stresses of sports injuries compared to those who had used them less. The result also revealed a significant difference among the various sport groups as independent variables on the psychological and physical stress variables.

Conclusions. The study concluded that since the impact of injury is perceived to affect the cognitive function of athletes, athletes should be educated on the use of mouth guards to reduce the incidence of oral and dental injuries to the barest minimum.

Physical activity of moderate intensity in leisure time and the risk of all cause mortality

J. Bucksch
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2005; 39:632-638

There are conflicting data about the health benefits of moderately intense physical activity so this study examined the effect of such activity on all cause mortality in a German sample of men and women.

Physical activity during leisure time of 3742 men and 3445 women aged 30 to 69 was assessed in a baseline questionnaire from 1984 to 1986. The participants were observed during the follow up period until 1998 when a mortality follow up was conducted.

During the follow up period, 300 women and 643 men had died. Moderate intensity activity (for example, gardening, walking, cycling) compared with sedentary lifestyle showed a clearly protective relationship in women but not in men. Following the recommendation for health enhancing physical activity, a second analysis was conducted; 2.5 hours per week taking part in physical activity of moderate intensity decreased the relative risk of overall mortality for women and men.

Conclusions. The volume of lifestyle activities of moderate intensity in leisure time was inversely associated with all cause mortality in women but not in men. With regard to the health enhancing physical activity recommendation as a threshold, there were favorable findings only in women.

Risk of cervical injuries in mixed martial arts

T. Kochhar, D. Back, B. Mann, and J. Skinner
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2005; 39:444-447

Mixed martial arts have rapidly succeeded boxing as the world’s most popular full contact sport, and the incidence of injury is recognized to be high. This study assessed qualitatively and quantitatively the potential risk for participants to sustain cervical spine and associated soft tissue injuries.

Four commonly performed maneuvers with possible risks to the cervical spine were analyzed with respect to their kinematics, and biomechanical models were constructed.

Motion analysis of two maneuvers revealed strong correlations with rear end motor vehicle impact injuries, and kinematics of the remaining two suggested a strong risk of injury. Mathematical models of the biomechanics showed that the forces involved are of the same order as those involved in whiplash injuries and of the same magnitude as compression injuries of the cervical spine.

Conclusions. This study shows that there is a significant risk of whiplash injuries in this sport, and there are no safety regulations to address these concerns.

A comparison of the reverse and power punches in oriental martial arts

K. Gulledge
2006, Indiana University

Traditional martial arts punches, such as the reverse punch, rely on the acceleration of the combined mass of the arm and parts of the torso through a long range of motion to generate momentum for transfer to the target. However, the martial arts also use focused striking techniques that use of very small ranges of motion prior to impact, such as the three-inch "power punch" that begins with the knuckles of the punching hand about three inches from the target, and then drives directly into the target from this position without any countermovement. Some martial artists believe that the power punch is as potent as the reverse punch. This is surprising, because the limited range of motion should not be expected to allow the fist to reach a large velocity before impact.

This study sought to find out if the power punch is as potent as the reverse punch, and if so, to find out what are the mechanical reasons for it.

Twelve expert male martial artists stood on a force plate, and executed reverse and power punches against a padded target. An infrared motion tracking system measured punch velocity and the force plate measured punch force.

The reverse punch produced larger velocities immediately before impact than the power punch. The peak force exerted by the fist was also larger in the reverse punch than in the power punch. However, the linear impulse exerted by the fist during the main part of the impact was similar in the reverse and power punches.

Conclusions. The results suggest that the power punch is less potent than the reverse punch, but is similarly effective for throwing the opponent off-balance.

Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7 - Page 8 - Page 9 - Page 10