Preparedness for sport depends on a number of different cognitive factors, and it is believed that the manifestations of athlete’s readiness for sport may be different among athletes from different combat sports backgrounds. This study sought to identify links between neurodynamic and cognitive functions among athletes practicing different martial arts.
28 wrestlers, 34 judokas, and 23 boxers underwent tests to identify nonverbal intelligence, comparison of numbers and speed of perception.
Wrestlers demonstrated the greatest visual analysis ability as well as the lowest processing time, followed by judokas.
Impulsiveness (the ability of the nervous system to quickly shift during excitation and braking conditions) was greatest in boxers and lowest in wrestlers.
On tests of nonverbal intelligence, wrestlers and judoka demonstrated faster decision making but lower efficiency in comparison to boxers.
These findings highlight differences in cognitive abilities of different combat sports athletes, which are likely an adaptation of their regular training interventions, but also identify areas that may be focused on with specific cognitive training techniques
#thescienceofstriking #combatsports #cognition #boxing #wrestling #judo
[1] G. Korobeynikov, ‘Link between neurodynamics and cognitive functions among athletes practicing different martial arts’, Rev. Iberoam. Psicol. Ejerc. El Deporte, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 149–154, 2021.
