Kinematic traits of an elite paralympic karateka: a case report.

Karate is a martial art that includes striking, kicking and punching techniques, and requires high levels of functional skills. Karate counts millions of practitioners worldwide and it is also spreading in Paralympic competitions: there is a need for accurate categories definition for disabled athletes. The aim of the current study was to present kinematic data of an elite Paralympic karateka, in comparison with able-bodied athletes, to promote a better classification within the discipline, based on objective evaluations of physical impairments. A male black belt Paralympic karateka (age: 36 years; body weight: 75.5 kg; height: 173 cm) with lower limbs impairments was evaluated. He performed a standardized sequence of movements (kata) from Shotokan karate. Joints and center-of-mass kinematics were collected with an optoelectronic motion capture system and compared with those obtained in two groups of able-bodied (Masters and Practitioners) athletes from a previous study. The sequence performed by the karateka lasted longer than in both able-bodied groups. Center of mass velocity and acceleration lowered in comparison with Masters. Knees range of movement and peak angular velocity were similar to Practitioners but lower than Masters. We concluded that physical impairments negatively affected the function of lower limbs in the Paralympic athlete, as fundamental skills in karate elite performance (dynamic balance control and joint angular velocity) were lower.

Dynamic balance in elite karateka.

In karate, balance control represents a key performance determinant. With the hypothesis that high-level athletes display advanced balance abilities, the purpose of the current study was to quantitatively investigate the motor strategies adopted by elite and non-elite karateka to maintain balance control in competition. The execution of traditional karate techniques (kihon) in two groups of elite Masters (n = 6, 31 ± 19 years) and non-elite Practitioners (n = 4, 25 ± 9 years) was compared assessing body center of mass (CoM) kinematics and other relevant parameters like step width and angular joint behavior. In the considered kihon sequence, normalized average CoM height was 8% lower (p < 0.05), while CoM displacement in the horizontal direction was significantly higher in Masters than in Practitioners (2.5 vs. 1.9 m, p < 0.05), as well as CoM average velocity and rms acceleration (p < 0.05). Step width was higher in Masters in more than half of the sequence steps (p < 0.05). Results suggest that elite karateka showed a refined dynamic balance control, obtained through the increase of the base of support and different maneuvers of lower limbs. The proposed method could be used to objectively detect talented karateka, to measure proficiency level and to assess training effectiveness.