The effect of 6-week plyometric training on athletic performance in taekwondo athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 6 weeks of plyometric training on athletic performance in taekwondo athletes. The inclusion of taekwondo in the Olympic Games, the multidimensional evaluation of competition elements, and the design of targeted training programs have increased the interest of researchers. The study group consisted of 30 volunteer athletes with at least red and black belt levels competing in the Junior category (ages 14–17) between 2025 and 2026. The athletes underwent a 6-week training period in accordance with the competition schedule, and the study was conducted within a pretest-posttest model. Performance parameters such as body composition, body mass index, body fat percentage, muscle mass, jumping performance (Countermovement Jump [CMJ] and Drop Jump [DJ]), taekwondo-specific agility, flexibility, and balance were evaluated. The study examined the effects of different 6-week training programs on performance variables in taekwondo athletes. According to the findings, although partial improvements were observed in some motor characteristics (balance and agility) in the PA group (plyometric training), these changes were not statistically significant overall (p>0.05). However, a significant improvement in PA group performance was achieved in the Illinois agility test (p=0.041). A significant difference was observed in hand grip strength (p=0.009) in the control group (p=0.024). A significant difference was observed in back-leg strength performance between the PA group and the control group (p=0.022). Overall, it was determined that the implemented training programs had positive effects on performance variables, but most of these effects did not reach statistical significance. In particular, taekwondo-based plyometric exercises were observed to provide partial improvement in branch-specific skills such as agility and balance. These results suggest that combining plyometric exercises with branch-specific practices in planning training programs for taekwondo athletes may be important for improving performance. Keywords: Taekwondo, plyometric training, athletic performance, body composition, agility, anaerobic power, jump performance.