Amateur boxing events, like other martial arts events, are often conducted over the course of several days, with weigh-ins being conducted on each day of competition. For optimal outcome within the event, it is important that athlete performance is maintained throughout this time.
This study assessed power-related measures of 14 (8 male/6 female) Brazilian international level boxers over the course of a 4-day tournament. Each athlete participated in 3 matches over the 4 days, and following each match countermovement jump, as well as bench press and half squat maximal power were assessed. These power-based assessments were chosen due to the correlation between power generation and success in boxing. Body mass measurements were also taken daily.
The results of the study showed that these measurements of power remained consistent throughout the course of the event.
This may have implications for coaches and S&C professionals, highlighting the value of monitoring power levels throughout the course of a multi-day event, and also suggesting the utility of event-simulation training sessions, conducted over multiple days, to ensure that the athlete is able to maintain this power output.
It would have been nice to see these measurements compared with pre-event measures, prior to the weight cut. It would have also been great to see this compared over a larger sample size to see whether maintenance of power levels over the course of a competition was correlated with great success levels.
#boxing #thescienceofstriking #sportsscience #sportsperformance #olympics2021 #combatsports
Loturco, Irineu, Michael R. McGuigan, Tomás T. Freitas, Chris Bishop, Pedro E. Alcaraz, Felipe Romano, Mateus Alves, Valter P. Reis, Lucas A. Pereira, and Emerson Franchini. “Variations in the physical performance of Olympic boxers over a four-day national qualifying tournament.” Sports 9, no. 5 (2021): 62.