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Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was conducted to determine the extent of the effect of intermittent training on the physical and skill variables and the level of skill performance of female Taekwondo juniors in Krugi. The research sample was chosen intentionally from female Taekwondo juniors in Krugi at the Qanater Charity Club (2023-2024). Their number was 20 juniors and they were divided into (10). ) young women as a basic sample and (15) young women as an exploratory sample. The program was implemented in the AlQanater Charitable Club. The researcher used the experimental method in a one-group design using pre-measurement, inter-measurement and post-measurement in order to suit the nature of the research. One of the most important results is that the proposed training program using intermittent training had an impact. It has a positive impact on developing the level of performance of the skills under research and the level of physical performance under research. One of the most important recommendations is to work on using interval training within modern sports training methods, using interval training to develop physical abilities because it has a positive effect in improving these abilities and other abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The profession of a doctor is a noble, demanding one, which involves many responsibilities and risks, but also a good knowledge of one's own body scheme, which involves motor adjustments that depend on mental activity. Through its content, the taekwondo course contributes to the knowledge, improvement and completion of specialized knowledge about the human body, its reactions to different stimuli and in complex moments, it can also contribute to the enrichment of knowledge about one's own reactions in extreme cases and their correction in favorable situations. Thus, practicing taekwondo in an organized setting helps us develop our coordination, neuromuscular elasticity, balance, agility, spatial-temporal orientation, effort capacity. In this sense, the research was carried out within the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy on the groups that chose to take the taekwondo course. Purpose: This research wants to statistically highlight the effects of taekwondo, on some psychomotor characteristics, for medical students. Methods: The research was carried out on 130 students, who opted for the basic course in the sports branch of taekwondo, they had not previously practiced another sport in an organized setting, with height (168.35±6.97cm), weight (59.12±9.57 kg) and age (20.6±1.56 years). In carrying out this research, the test RCM1 (Complex Motor Reactivity 1) was used, administered as part of the initial test, at the beginning of the course in the first year, in the final test, at the end of the second year of study. Results: after processing the data, it emerged that taekwondo practiced in the basic course by medical students offers an increase in the indices of psychomotor characteristics by an average of 34.62%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Physical Culture: Upbringing, Education, Training is the property of National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology is the property of Idokan Poland Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The ATP-PCr system represents the main source of energy during high-intensity attack actions in taekwondo matches. In contrast, the glycolytic system supports the maintenance of these actions when repeated techniques are performed. Given the close relationship between anaerobic energy systems and attack activity in combat, the literature relating to the use of sport-specific test protocols for anaerobic assessment has experienced a remarkable increase. This narrative review aims to illustrate the sport-specific anaerobic tests available in taekwondo by retracing and examining development and validation process for each test. Forty-one articles published between 2014 and 2023 were selected via the MEDLINE and Google Scholar bibliographic databases. These tests are the Taekwondo Anaerobic Test and Adapted Anaerobic Kick Test (i.e., continuous mode testing); the 10 s and multiple Frequency Speed of Kick Tests; the chest and head Taekwondo Anaerobic Intermittent Kick Tests; and the Taekwondo-Specific Aerobic–Anaerobic–Agility test (i.e., intermittent mode testing). Coaches and strength and conditioning professionals can use all the tests described in taekwondo gyms as they feature short and easy-to-implement protocols for monitoring and prescribing specific anaerobic training. The guidelines in this review evaluate each test from several perspectives: basic (e.g., validity, reliability, and sensitivity), methodological (e.g., continuous or intermittent mode testing) and application (e.g., time–motion structure and performance parameters). This comprehensive approach aims to assist stakeholders in selecting the most appropriate test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem statement of the research is to examine whether there is any difference between the selected martial arts branches and attention levels and psychological skill levels. Also, there is a significant difference between gender and psychological skill and attention. The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between the psychological skills and attention levels of athletes involved in four different branches of combat sports (Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Taekwondo). A total of 85 athletes participated in the study, consisting of 52 males and 33 females. As data collection tools, a personal information form, the d2 Test of attention, and scale for evaluating athletes' psychological skills were used. To compare the data, the Independent Samples T-Test was applied for binary groups, and the One-Way ANOVA test was applied for groups of three or more. To determine which groups showed significant differences as a result of the One-Way ANOVA test, Tukey's Post Hoc test was used. At the end of the study, the richness and differences of Muay Thai among combat sports have been brought to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on the assessment of the Taekwondo training program in the division Alaminos City for the School Year 2022-2023. It used a descriptive research design. The total respondents consist of ninety-six (96) taekwondo athletes from Public and Private Secondary Schools in the School Division of Alaminos City with four yearsexperience as a taekwondo athlete. The study found out that in the status of taekwondo training program, the athletes are moderately satisfied with their training on basic movements (kibondongjak), and sparring (kyorugi); and very satisfied with their training on form (poomsae). For the effect of the implementation of taekwondo training program, the athletes found the training on physical fitness, mental health, and emotional development to be effective. In the level of satisfaction in the implementation of taekwondo training program, the athletes are very highly satisfied with their pre-training and training proper; while they are very highly satisfied with their post training. And, with the challenges encountered by the athletes in the taekwondo training program, the athletes have a high encounter. The study recommends that in the status of taekwondo training program, there should be a review and revision to be made to suit the training needs of the athletes particularly on basic movements (kibondongjak), and sparring (kyorugi) since they found it moderately satisfying. Likewise, in the implementation of taekwondo training program, the sports officials, coaches and trainers should focus more on the training of athletes particularly on physical fitness, mental health, and emotional development. Also, in the level of satisfaction in the implementation of taekwondo training program, sports officials, coaches and trainers should strengthen the pre-training and proper training activities of the athletes. Further, on the challenges encountered by the athletes, the SDO personnel concern, coaches and trainers should always attend to the needs of the athletes to enhance their performance and be always on guard of their welfare. Finally, an innovative training design is being proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sports and traditional arts, skilled people have sensory knowledge obtained by repetitive training, called as implicit knowledge. Implicit knowledge is difficult to transfer systematically, therefore, efficient transfer is expected to improve competitiveness in sports and resolve the lack of successors in traditional arts. In addition, instructor evaluation is important when acquiring skills. However, there are limited opportunities to get advice from instructors. Therefore, in this research, our aim is to develop a system that reproduces instructor evaluations using acceleration that can be acquired with a smartphone. Yamanaka et al. developed a martial arts demonstration evaluation system using acceleration data. However, the entire movement was input regardless of the evaluation items and the points of focus in the actual evaluation were different from the points evaluated by the system. In this study, in order to reproduce actual evaluations, we proposed a machine learning model using only the focus points for each evaluation item. In experiments, the accuracy improved when the entire movement data was changed to the data of only the point of focus. We also obtained results suggesting that areas other than the focus area do not contribute to the evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciencia y Educación (2707-3378) is the property of Duanys Miguel Pena Lopez and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite growing numbers of references to Vygotsky’s historical-cultural framework in the international literature, the interventionist principles of his methodology and relationship to practice remain implicit or absent in the literature. The objective of this article is to present a framework for intervention and research rooted in Vygotsky’s framework and one that mobilizes cross self-confrontations. This Vygotskian methodology is part of an intervention in response to a request from a regional taekwondo league, following a change in the application of fighting rules. This article demonstrates how this methodology enables the development of techniques and the analysis of development processes simultaneously. The results illustrate the advancement of athletes’ techniques through the progressive instrumentalization of biomechanical data. The Vygotskian methodology empowers athletes to assume an active role in the analysis of their techniques, thereby facilitating their development. In other words, the principle mobilized here is not to describe technique qualitatively, but to bring about qualitative changes. This is achieved by developing the athlete’s activity through the use of biomechanics as a means of deliberation, comparison, controversy, astonishment, dialog and reworking techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Athletes usually use warm-up and stretching exercises before starting a vigorous physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the positive and negative effects of different stretching and flexing exercises on kicking acceleration performance in taekwondo. A total of 12 elite taekwondo athletes (7 boys and 5 girls) with an average age of 20.75±1.48 years, an average height of 171±10.06 cm, an average body weight of 61.8±11 kg, and an average Body Mass Index (BMI) of 21.1±2.5 kg/m2 participated in this study. For the kick acceleration test (KAT), an accelerometer was used by attaching it to the ankle of the participants with the help of a smart phone and a smart watch. For KAT measurements, static stretching exercise (SSE), dynamic stretching exercise (DSE), proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation exercise (PNFE) and ballistic stretching exercise (BSE) methods were applied on different days during the warm-up phase. In this study with elite level Taekwondo athletes, significant differences were found between palding chagi and dollyo-chagi kick acceleration values after SSE and PNFE applications (p<0.05). In addition, statistical analyses showed that DSE were associated with higher acceleration values than PNFE and BSE. As a result of the statistical analyses performed on KAT, it was observed that DSE method showed a significant difference between the measurements of torso level kicking and head level kicking parameters compared to other methods (p<0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that DSE can be preferred to PNFE stretching and BSE when planning flexibility exercises in taekwondo training. According to the results of KAT, DSE did not have a significant negative effect in the training program, and it can be concluded that there is no obstacle to apply DSE in pre-competition warm-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology is the property of Idokan Poland Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology is the property of Idokan Poland Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Nutrição e Esportiva is the property of Instituto Brasileiro de Pesquisa e Ensino em Fisiologia do Exercicio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: The recoverability of athletes at different performance levels may be dissimilar. This study aimed to compare differences in fatigue level and recovery ability between champions and those who did not make it to the top three in the taekwondo category of the National High School Games. Methods: Nine champions were assigned to the excellent group (EXG) and 15 athletes who did not make it to the top three were assigned to the general group (GEG). Before and after the match, countermovement jump (CMJ) and maximum voluntary isometric contraction were evaluated. The selected parameters were jump height, 50ms, 100ms and maximal rate of force development (50ms, 100ms and maximal RFD). The differences in fatigue and recoverability between groups were examined with paired sample t-tests; independent sample t-tests were used to compare differences in percentage change in fatigue and recoverability between groups. Results: The 50ms RFD, 100ms RFD, and maximal RFD after the first match of the GEG were significantly lower than their levels before the first match (p < .05), while the group did not show significant fatigue (p >.05). The jump height of both the GEG and the EXG was significantly lower than that at pre-match (p < .05). The GEG showed significantly higher percentage reductions in 50ms RFD and 100ms RFD than the EXG (p < .05). However, the percentage change in recoverability did not differ significantly between the groups (p >.05). Conclusions: The 50ms RFD, 100ms RFD, and max RFD of the GEG were significantly reduced after the first match, indicating the group's evident fatigue level. Percentage reductions in 50ms RFD and 100ms RFD after the first match were significantly higher in the GEG than in the EXG. Both groups' CMJ height before the second match did not return to the same level as that before the first match. This study suggests that 50ms RFD and 100ms RFD can be used as an evaluation index for taekwondo athletes to determine their degree of fatigue and whether they have a competitive advantage. CMJ height may be an indicator of recoverability of taekwondo athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to determine the relationship between the subjective evaluation of the low back pain scale and Modified Oswestry Disability Index (MODI) and the objective evaluation of muscle function and recovery period for elite Taekwondo players with back pain injuries. The study included 57 elite Taekwondo athletes who participated in advanced competitions at a training camp for the year 2022. An independent-sample t -test was performed to compare the sex-specific measure of back pain, the MODI, muscle function, and recovery period. Pearson's correlation was used to investigate the relationship between variables, and simple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors affecting variables. Statistical significance was set to α = 0.05, and all statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 27.0 for Windows. Male athletes had a lower pain scale (3.41 vs. 4.86; P = 0.006) and MODI (14.03 vs. 20.75; P = 0.004) than female athletes but longer recovery period (8.66 vs. 6.21; P = 0.033). Additionally, for all athletes, the pain scale and MODI affected the left/right rotation ratio (P < 0.001, P = 0.005, respectively) and the recovery period (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, respectively), and, as the pain score and MODI increased, the left/right rotation ratio and recovery period also increased. For all Taekwondo athletes, the pain score and MODI affected the ratio of the left/right rotation and recovery period. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an exercise program to alleviate the left/right rotation imbalance of Taekwondo athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study outlines the assessment of the cyber–physical system SPERTA, which was designed to evaluate the real-time performance of Taekwondo athletes. The system conducts performance analyses focusing on speed, acceleration, strength, and identifying and quantifying the athlete's movements. The research involved administering an online questionnaire to athletes and coaches to evaluate the system's acceptance and usability. The methodology included using a questionnaire with open and closed questions to assess participant satisfaction and system usability. The results showed a positive response to the system, with participants emphasizing its reliability and ease of use. An analysis of the responses revealed a strong internal consistency, as indicated by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which enhances the research instrument's reliability. Additionally, the analysis of open-ended questions was conducted through thematic analysis to gain a deeper understanding of participants' experiences and perceptions of the system. These results highlight the effectiveness of the SPERTA system as a valuable tool for the real-time performance evaluation of Taekwondo athletes, providing insights for future improvements and the development of more effective training techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid advances in technology are of particular concern in the development of sports. Studies related to the application of technology in sports have begun to develop, especially in the sport of Taekwondo. This research aims to develop an Android-based statistical application that focuses on analyzing taekwondo matches. This is an research and development (R&D) project. Interviews were conducted to collect information needed for researchers and the needs of athletes and coaches in developing this application. Experiments and evaluations are needed to perfect the applications that have been created. The results of the study are statistical applications for analyzing attack techniques, defensive techniques, and game patterns. These applications were specifically designed for the Android platform. The main advantage of this application is its ability to increase efficiency and accuracy in match analysis, replacing manual methods that are prone to errors. By providing tools that can be accessed on a variety of mobile devices, the app hopes to bring positive change in the way coaches and athletes approach competition preparation. In conclusion, it is hoped that the development of an Android-based statistical application can make a real contribution to the development of the sport of taekwondo by providing specific, efficient and responsive technological solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taekwondo has evolved from a traditional martial art into an official Olympic sport. This study introduces a novel action recognition model tailored for Taekwondo unit actions, utilizing joint-motion data acquired via wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. The utilization of IMU sensor-measured motion data facilitates the capture of the intricate and rapid movements characteristic of Taekwondo techniques. The model, underpinned by a conventional convolutional neural network (CNN)-based image classification framework, synthesizes action images to represent individual Taekwondo unit actions. These action images are generated by mapping joint-motion profiles onto the RGB color space, thus encapsulating the motion dynamics of a single unit action within a solitary image. To further refine the representation of rapid movements within these images, a time-warping technique was applied, adjusting motion profiles in relation to the velocity of the action. The effectiveness of the proposed model was assessed using a dataset compiled from 40 Taekwondo experts, yielding remarkable outcomes: an accuracy of 0.998, a precision of 0.983, a recall of 0.982, and an F1 score of 0.982. These results underscore this time-warping technique's contribution to enhancing feature representation, as well as the proposed method's scalability and effectiveness in recognizing Taekwondo unit actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Promoting super-leadership is crucial for the sustainable growth of college sport teams, especially as teams are experiencing a noticeable shift towards a more horizontal dynamic, where athletes themselves are emerging as leaders. However, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of super-leadership and its possible outcomes in the context of collegiate Taekwondo teams. Methods: This study aims to investigate the impact of super-leadership on athletes' self-leadership and exercise commitment and examine the mediating role of self-leadership in this relationship among collegiate Taekwondo athletes in South Korea. A total of 147 survey data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. Results: The findings revealed that super-leadership was found to have a positive impact on both athletes' self-leadership (ß = 0.71, p < 0.001) and exercise commitment (ß = 0.30, p < 0.05). Additionally, the study reveals athletes' self-leadership significantly impacts exercise commitment (ß = 0.34, p < 0.05). Our findings also demonstrate that self-leadership was identified as a partial mediator in the relationship between super-leadership and exercise commitment (χ2 = 4.46, p > 0.05). Discussion: Theoretical and practical implications were discussed based on the current study's findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the key attributes and clusters of policies and systems of Korean Taekwondo based on Park Geun-Hye and Moon Jae-in's regime changes using big data, including 8,030 data points on social media over a period of 8 years. Frequency analysis, term frequency inverse document frequency analysis, and degree centrality analysis were performed using TEXTOM 4.5. In addition, a convergent and correlation analysis was performed using UCINET 6 to visualize related words and analyze clusters. Frequency, term frequency inverse document frequency, and degree centrality analyses revealed 30 high-order terms. A convergence of iterated correlations analysis of the derived words identified three common clusters: improvement, problem, and support. In addition, there were two distinct clusters in the Park Geun-hye government (research and sports policy), and three in the Moon Jae-in government (interview, thoughts, and athlete). The Korean government attempted to improve and address problems related to policies and systems for the development of Taekwondo. However, as Taekwondo policies and systems were implemented from different perspectives by each regime, systematic policies and systems could not be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the comprehensive understanding of taekwondo, the application of fourth industrial revolution technologies in various kinds of sports, the development of taekwondo through artificial intelligence (AI), and essential technology in the fourth industrial revolution while suggesting advanced science directions through a literature review. Literature was sourced from six internet search electronic databases, consisting of three English databases and three Korean databases, from January 2016 to August 2023. The literature indicated cases of sports convergence with the application of fourth industrial revolution technologies, such as the game of go, golf, table tennis, soccer, American football, skiing, archery, and fencing. These sports not only use big data but also virtual reality and augmented reality. Taekwondo is a traditional martial art that originated in Republic of Korea and gradually became a globally recognized sport. Since taekwondo's competition analysis is an analysis in which researchers manually write events, it takes a very long time to analyze, and the scale of the analysis varies depending on the researcher's tendencies. This study presented the development of an AI Taekwondo performance improvement analysis and evaluation system and a metaverse-based virtual Taekwondo pumsae/fighting coaching platform through an AI-based motion tracking analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The accurate prediction of strength development relies on identifying the most appropriate measurement methods. This study compared diverse strength measurement techniques to assess their effectiveness in predicting strength development. Participants were taekwondo athletes competing at the red–black belt level or above. Methods: Technical striking forces (palding, dollyeo chagi, dwit chagi, and yeop chagi) were measured using a Herman Digital Trainer fixed to a striking stand. Quadriceps and hamstring strength were assessed with a Lafayette force measuring device. Explosive leg strength was evaluated through a standing long jump test, normalized for leg length. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine relationships between measurement methods. Results: The standing long jump test showed no significant correlation with other strength assessments. A moderate positive correlation was found between Herman digital trainer measurements and Lafayette digital hand-held dynamometer results. A high positive correlation (r = 0.736, p < 0.001) emerged between hamstring strength and palding chagi technical strike force results. Technical strike kicks showed a significant positive correlation with each other and, also, a right foot–left foot correlation was observed. Conclusions: It was concluded that the standing long jump test, which was shown as one of the explosive leg strength measurement methods in field studies as an alternative to laboratory tests, did not correlate with other strength tests; therefore, this test is weak and insufficient to predict strength skills in taekwondo. In addition, this study showed that the hamstring muscle was more predictive in the measurement of technical strength. In future studies, it might be more useful to measure hamstring muscle strength or technical kick strength instead of a standing long jump field test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the bilateral kinematic differences in temporal variables between the dominant and non-dominant legs in the roundhouse kick of college-level women practicing Taekwondo. Four male athletes with black belts volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were instructed to perform five kicks with each leg after visual stimuli at maximal velocity allowing 30-s passive recovery time between each kick. Reaction time, movement time, and attack time in the roundhouse kick were assessed using video cameras and force platforms for both the dominant and non-dominant legs. The analysis revealed no significant differences in reaction times (0.15 ±0.03 and 0.15 ±0.04 s, n = 20), movement times (0.62 ±0.06 and 0.64 ±0.04 s, n = 20), or attack times (0.77 ±0.09 and 0.79 ±0.06 s, n = 20) for the dominant and non-dominant legs (p > 0.05). However, a bilateral dominance was observed, consistent with the sporting level of the participants. These results support an equally oriented training regimen focusing on both the left and right kicking legs to enhance overall performance in Taekwondo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When many people think of Asian martial arts, they picture the white uniform and black belt as used in many Japanese and Korean martial arts. With that image in mind, belt-rank promotion and the often-theatrical fashion of these events symbolize an important ritual in fostering loyalty and reinforcing hierarchy. It is a significant source of revenue for martial arts schools and organizations. Against this backdrop, this article focuses on the popular Korean martial art of taekwondo, which is also an Olympic sport. Participation in the Olympics and other international taekwondo events requires a black belt certificate issued by the Kukkiwon (Gukgiwon), a quasi-South Korean government-supported organization. On the other hand, the Olympic sport of taekwondo is administered by World Taekwondo (WT), an international sports organization. In 2017, the idea arose within WT of issuing its own black belt certificates, thereby sidelining the Kukkiwon. Accordingly, this article aims to describe the present conflict between these institutions, which is threatening the survival of the Kukkiwon, which is not only a symbol of taekwondo but also of Korean national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]