PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Pavlenko¹
PhD, Associate Professor N.A. Vakhnin²
S.A. Yakovlev^2
1Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg
²Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-Petersburg

Keywords: information technologies, martial arts, athletes’ needs, training system, training and competitive progress.

Background. Modern information technologies are increasingly applied in martial arts training systems – mostly for the technical and tactical performance improvement and progress test purposes including strike technique tests, psychomotor functionality tests, mental control tests etc. [1, 2, 5]. With the seemingly growing application of information technologies in martial arts, at least one important factor is still underestimated as we believe – that is the individual needs of athletes for the informational support for progress. Training and competitive progress in martial arts depends on support from the modern information technologies [3, 4] that need to be sensitive to the athlete’s progress needs to facilitate the individual goals of the training system being attained. Such information technologies support may include: information flows on the modern martial arts training technologies, methods and tools; objective statistical information and analyses; information exchanges in the martial arts community etc. All of the above demonstrates the need for athletes’ demand for information technologies support profiling study for progress in modern martial arts.

Objective of the study was to analyze demand for martial artists’ needs sensitive information technologies support in the martial arts training and competitive process.

Methods and structure of the study. To rate the demand for the athletes’ needs sensitive information technologies support in the modern martial arts training and competitive progress, we sampled the 1-4 year (18-25 year old) students of the Boxing Theory and Practice Department at the Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health specialized in boxing, kickboxing and taekwondo (n=43). The sample included 13 Class I-III athletes, 21 CMS and 9 MS having 4-15-year martial arts experiences. We run an anonymous three-time questionnaire survey of the sample, with the survey data processed, analyzed and ranked by a StatPlus statistical data processing software toolkit.

Results and discussion. Given in Table 1 hereunder is the survey data ranking the demand for individual needs sensitive information technologies support in the modern martial arts training and competitive progress.

Table 1. Ranked martial arts information sources reported by the sample, % (p<0.05)

The survey data showed that the information sources are dominated (88%) by social networks. Furthermore, 67.4% of the sample ranked second by importance the competitive bout videos; with 58.1% reportedly most interested in the leading competitors’ fight styles. As far as the main goal of the data flow is concerned, 76.8% of the sample prioritized the individual training system excellence needs, with 37.2% reporting a special interest in the training models and exercises geared to excel the martial arts techniques and tactics. The survey also found 32.6% of the sample using a variety of data sources to mine necessary information at least 3-5 times a week.

Conclusion. The study data and analysis may be helpful for the martial arts coaches and athletes in their efforts to improve the training and competitive systems taking full benefit from the modern martial arts data sources.

References

1. Bakulev S.E., Pavlenko A.V., Rogozhnikov M.A., Kuzmin V.V. Modern technologies in study of complex coordination motor actions in taekwondo. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta. 2015. no. 2 (120). pp.  133-138.
2. Mokeyev G.I., Ivanov M.P., Kharrasov V.N. et al. Information-measuring system for monitoring the parameters of the training process of boxers. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta. 2010. no. 4 (62). pp. 63-66.
3. Mokeev G.I., Rudenko G.V. Boxers' training process design and content within half-year training macrocycle. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2017. no. 5, pp. 72-74..
4. Rudenko G.V., Mokeev G.I. Junior boxers' integrated training system. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2017, no. 5, pp. 53-55.
5. Simakov A.M., Pavlov I.D. Monitoring of functional state of taekwondokas in annual training macrocycle. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta.  2014.  no. 5 (111). pp. 165-170.

Corresponding author: box74-pavlenko@yandex.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze demand for martial artists’ needs sensitive information technologies support in the martial arts training and competitive process.

Methods and structure of the study. To rate the demand for the athletes’ needs sensitive information technologies support in the modern martial arts training and competitive progress, we sampled the 1-4 year (18-25 year old) students of the Boxing Theory and Practice Department at the Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health specialized in boxing, kickboxing and taekwondo (n=43). The sample included 13 Class I-III athletes, 21 CMS and 9 MS having 4-15-year martial arts experiences. We run an anonymous three-time questionnaire survey of the sample, with the survey data processed, analyzed and ranked by a StatPlus statistical data processing software toolkit.

Research results and conclusions. The authors developed a structure of needs of combat athletes in obtaining relevant information in the field of training and competitive activity: main sources of information; information content; data on leading athletes; purpose of use of received information by athletes; priority orientation of specific tasks and exercises derived from information sources; frequency of use of information resources.

The findings indicate that understanding the athletes’ needs within the information environment enables to improve the methodological tools for solving the training process tasks.