Energy absorbed by electronic body protectors from kicks in a taekwondo competition

Objective: Although some scientific information on electronic body protectors in taekwondo is available, no research has been done to assess the impact of kicks in a competitive situation. The purpose of this study, then, was to assess the energy absorbed by these protectors from kicks performed in an actual taekwondo competition. Methods: Subjects consisted of junior (14-17 years) and senior (≥18 years) male taekwondo-in, who participated in an open tournament. Data on the energy imparted by valid kicks in Joules (J) were collected from a public visual electronic monitor. Results: Energy was higher for the seniors: 264.31 ± 56.63 J versus 224.38 ± 48.23 J for the juniors (eta2 = 0.121). The seniors scored lower in percent impact but the effect was trivial: 123.46 ± 24.77% versus 136.70 ± 26.33%(eta2 = 0.087). Conclusions: The difference between senior and junior taekwondo-in in absolute energy generated was small, while the difference in relative energy impact was trivial in favour of the junior taekwondo athletes.