A NEW APPROACH TO EVALUATE KARATE PUNCH TECHNIQUES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine reaction time, attacking speed and punch force of the well-trained Karateka in various karate punch situations using a quick feedback approach. Twelve subjects (8 male, 4 female), the ROC National Karate Team for the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, were asked to perform four punch techniques in this study. The four conditions are stand straight, stand reverse, forward straight and forward reverse punches. The results showed that there were no systematic differences between straight and reverse punches. However, the reaction times in forward punch (550-650 ms) were longer than stand punch (350-450 ms), and the attacking speeds in forward punch (2.7-3.0 m/s) were faster than stand punch (1.9-2.1 m/s). In this study, the punch force was expressed by the impact acceleration of the target. The punch forces of the male subjects (43-54 g) were larger than female subjects (24-39 g) as expected. The results of this test could be used as a quantitative index for coaches to improve the punch techniques of the athletes.