Dr.Hab., Professor V.A. Tajmazov¹
Dr.Hab., Professor S.E. Bakulev¹
Dr.Hab., Professor V.V. Fedorov¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Pavlenko^1
1Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg

Corresponding author: vv570@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to provide a theoretical basis for the individual competitive style improvement options in the modern elite martial arts.

Results and conclusion. In the context of study-specific goals, we would provisionally classify the individual competitive style elements into the following two groups: Group A including the individual competitive style elements always contributing to the competitive progress; and Group B including the potentially negative individual competitive style elements that may hamper competitive progress and cause failures in finals of the top-ranking events. It should be emphasized that this grouping is rather provisional since the same individual competitive style element may alternatively fall in either of the above groups depending on the actual fight situation.

Generally the higher is the individual class/ skill level, the better are the competitive-progress-specific qualities and test rates including the feel of distance, striking instinct, timing, pacing etc. –  manifested in specific actions and combinations of the timely and effective technical and tactical actions. In our studies of the martial arts-specific individual competitive style, we give a special priority to the individual psychomotor profiles to differentiate and predict every competitive timing and spacing skill element, rate the technical and tactical actions timing, sequencing and tempo-rhythmic patterning under pressure from the opponent in every specific competitive fight situation in the modern elite martial arts.

Well-tested, analyzed and synergized individual competitive style elements in the modern martial arts elite help better design and manage the individual martial arts elite training systems so as to effectively control the individual fitness in every aspect in the context of the absolute and conditional genetic markers and psychological aspects – and outline new competitive progress opportunities for professional success.

Keywords: martial arts, individualized approach, integration of individual competitive style components, psychomotor profiles, elite sport skills.

Background. Individual competitive style in modern elite martial arts – viewed as the dynamic personal competitive progress system geared to excel the genetically predetermined individual athletic qualities and resources – has always been of special interest for the elite sports theory and practice.

Objective of the study was to provide a theoretical basis for the individual competitive style improvement options in the modern elite martial arts.

Results and discussion. Many studies have found, among other things, that the individual competitive progress in the context of the individual competitive styles is rather sport-specific, with the individual qualities, resources and gifts analyzable [1] as the synergized subjective traits critical for success [3]. It has also been found that an individual competitive style may be interpreted as the relatively standard/ stable action system (predetermined by a few typological characteristics) that largely secures competitive progresses in a specific martial arts discipline. 

It is the congenital qualities of the individual nervous system that are known to shape up the individual competitive style with a special role of the most beneficial/ key abilities critical for competitive progress – that are both genotype-specific and trainable by multiannual focused individualized excellence systems. It should be mentioned that the genotype-specific nervous system qualities manifest themselves in a wide range of unpredictable and stressful situations typical for the modern elite martial arts.

The individual competitive style may be characterized by its specific imprint on the psychomotor profiles in elite martial arts. Thus our studies have found significant differences in the simple/ complex sensory-motor response rates, attention control and other classes of responses in the athletes grouped by the individual fight control preferences/ tactics [2, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The individual competitive style groupings on higher levels may, as we believe, help generalize the variability of a few genetic markers to rate the individual sensory/ functional asymmetries with their contributions to movement coordination, responsiveness, discriminative sensitivity (to effectively control, e.g., striking speed and power), tactical thinking qualities versus fatigue, motor memory, attention controls, etc.

Collectively the above individual competitive style components are commonly referred to by many traditional martial-arts-specific terms including the ‘feel of distance, striking instinct, feel of opponent, timing, grappling instinct’, etc. competitive progress in the modern martial arts is known to largely depend on the above feels and instincts classifiable into motor, energy, sensory, mental and other components.

The motor component is critical for an individual ability to control fight in a high-pace manner by the most successful technical and tactical actions and their combinations, with effective variations in pressure, striking pace and power, defenses, footwork, movement coordination patterns etc. – so as to use every tool in the individual skill set for success.

The energy component closely associated with the motor component mostly refers to the technical and tactical actions accuracy with fatigue, the counteraction speed, pace and timing under pressure from the opponent, and the decision-making capacity in attacks, counterattacks and defenses.

The sensory component we would consider in the context of the individual discriminatory sensitivity critical for the long-, middle- and close-distance striking power and pace control; tempo-rhythmic patterns of attacks and defenses, and the varying controlled-speed and power striking combinations for success. The individual competitive progress is known to heavily depend on the individual timing and pacing skills and the abilities to make timely adjustments for success in every fight and competitive progress in general. 

As for the mental component we would consider it with a special attention to the individual moral and volitional qualities mobilized under pressure in the context of tactical thinking, attention control, motor memory and motor experience helpful in every bout when the situation requires special efforts to ‘turn the tide’ and win.

In the context of study-specific goals, we would provisionally classify the individual competitive style elements into the following two groups: Group A including the individual competitive style elements always contributing to the competitive progress; and Group B including the potentially negative individual competitive style elements that may hamper competitive progress and cause failures in finals of the top-ranking events. It should be emphasized that this grouping is rather provisional since the same individual competitive style element may alternatively fall in either of the above groups depending on the actual fight situation.

Generally the higher is the individual class/ skill level, the better are the competitive-progress-specific qualities and test rates including the feel of distance, striking instinct, timing, pacing etc. –  manifested in specific actions and combinations of the timely and effective technical and tactical actions. In our studies of the martial arts-specific individual competitive style, we give a special priority to the individual psychomotor profiles to differentiate and predict every competitive timing and spacing skill element, rate the technical and tactical actions timing, sequencing and tempo-rhythmic patterning under pressure from the opponent in every specific competitive fight situation in the modern elite martial arts.

Conclusion. Well-tested, analyzed and synergized individual competitive style elements in the modern martial arts elite help better design and manage the individual martial arts elite training systems so as to effectively control the individual fitness in every aspect in the context of the absolute and conditional genetic markers and psychological aspects – and outline new competitive progress opportunities for professional success.

References

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