The effects of taekwondo themed plyometric training on physical fitness parameters and taekwondo performance protocol of 9-12 year old taekwondo players

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a taekwondo-themed plyometric training program on physical fitness parameters and the TPP (Taekwondo Performance Protocol) in 9-12 year-old female taekwondo athletes. The study involved the voluntary participation of 23 female athletes aged 9-12 years who were training in the Polatlı district. The study was conducted on two groups: an experimental group (n=12) that received taekwondo-themed plyometric training and a control group (n=11) that received classical taekwondo training. In this 8-week study, the experimental group athletes participated in classical taekwondo training 3 days a week and taekwondo-themed plyometric training 2 days a week, while the control group athletes participated in classical taekwondo training 5 days a week. The athletes' height and body weight were measured, and their body mass indexes were determined. Flexibility, agility, visual reaction time, and vertical jump tests were administered to examine the participants' physical fitness parameters. To examine the effect of TPP, the TPP test, a performance test specific to Taekwondo, was conducted. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0.0, and alpha levels were set at 0.05 for significance. Data are presented as mean (X) and standard deviation (SD). While a significant improvement was observed in the experimental group in vertical jump values (p<0.05), no significant improvement was noted in the control group. While positive changes were observed in flexibility and agility measurements in favor of the experimental group, these changes did not reach statistical significance. While improvements were noted in both groups in reaction time assessments, the difference between the groups was not significant. While the TPP findings indicated improvements in technical speed, the increase in kick count did not reach the desired level; this was associated with the effective kick rate during practice. As a result, it was concluded that a taekwondo-themed plyometric training program could be effective in improving physical fitness parameters and taekwondo-specific performance outcomes such as technical speed, technical frequency and agility in 9-12 year old athletes.