Weight Cutting: a Biomechanical Investigation of the Effect on Martial Arts Striking Performance
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WEIGHT CUTTING: A BIOMECHANICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT ON MARTIAL ARTS STRIKING PERFORMANCE JARED SCOTT EVANS BSc, Exercise Science, University of Lethbridge, 2008 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Kinesiology University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA © Jared Evans, 2013 Abstract Weight cutting is a phenomenon that exists in combative weight-class-based sports. The goal of this research was to investigate the effect of weight cutting on striking performance parameters amongst mixed martial arts practitioners. Participants were tested on common strikes using a method specifically developed for the investigation of reaction time, power, and accuracy. These tests were performed prior to a self-selected weight-cut procedure and 24 hours after making weight, with the hypothesis that weight cutting would exhibit a negative effect on the tested parameters. The findings demonstrated a negative effect on peripheral reaction time, a positive effect on central reaction time, and mixed results on power and accuracy. No previous work has been performed on weight cutting and reaction time or accuracy. Future research should look to investigate the phenomenon closer to its real sport setting and to further the investigation of reaction time and accuracy. iii Acknowledgements There are many people who were involved with this study and deserve thanks. Firstly I would like to thank Lee Mein, owner and operator of the Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Center, and the athletes involved in local mixed martial arts. Without them, this research would not be possible. I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Gongbing Shan for his mentorship, expertise, support, patience, and guidance. Without the biomechanics laboratory, equipment, and his belief in the research this would not have been possible. Also, a thanks to all the students passing through the biomechanics laboratory who helped with collection and analysis. A special thanks to my entire committee for their patience and support. I would also like to thank Shao-Tsung Chang for his help programming the analysis software in matlab and helping with the collection. Without this program, analysis by hand would have been near impossible. Thanks to Dr. Hua Li as well for his support and patience with me in all things mathematical. A special thanks to my parents, Dr. R. Scott Evans and Sarah Evans, for their never-ending love, support, encouragement, editing, and statistical knowledge. When I felt like giving up, they were there to push me forward. Another special thanks to Karen Graham for her professional editing services and patience with my writing. Without her, the final push would have been much harder. These acknowledgements do not begin to express how thankful I am to this team and more for helping me complete this project. Without this support network, I could not have finished. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... iv List of Tables....................................................................................................................vii List of Figures..................................................................................................................viii Chapter 1: Introduction........................................................................................................1 Background/Theme ........................................................................................................1 Purpose.......................................................................................................................... 4 Significance................................................................................................................... 4 Hypothesis..................................................................................................................... 5 Limitations.................................................................................................................... 5 Delimitations................................................................................................................. 6 Chapter Summary......................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review.............................................................................................. 7 Weight Cutting and Dehydration.................................................................................. 7 Exercise-Induced Dehydration...................................................................................... 8 Hypo-Hydration............................................................................................................ 8 Hypo-Hydration and Weight-Class Based Sports........................................................10 The Consequences of Weight Cutting.........................................................................12 Full-Contact Forms of Martial Arts.............................................................................15 Barriers to Consensus on the Effects of Weight Cutting.............................................17 Martial Arts Striking Performance...............................................................................18 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................19 Chapter 3: Methodology................................................................................................... 20 3D Motion Capture and Laboratory Set-Up............................................................... 20 Power Quantifications................................................................................................. 23 Linear power calculations..................................................................................... 23 Angular power calculations.................................................................................. 25 EMG Measurement and Reaction Time Calculations................................................ 30 Accuracy Calculations................................................................................................ 32 Pre- and Post-Test Design........................................................................................... 32 Participant Information............................................................................................... 33 Statistical Analysis...................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Summary....................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 4: Results............................................................................................................. 36 Overall Effect of Weight Cutting................................................................................ 36 Overall Effect by Hand and Foot Strikes.................................................................... 37 Effect of Weight Cutting by Strike Style.................................................................... 40 Effect of Weight Cutting by Participant..................................................................... 53 v Chapter Summary....................................................................................................... 60 Chapter 5: Discussion....................................................................................................... 61 Pilot Investigation....................................................................................................... 61 Overall Trends............................................................................................................ 61 Trends by Hand and Foot Strikes................................................................................ 63 Trends by Individual Strike........................................................................................ 63 Reaction time components.................................................................................... 63 Power components................................................................................................ 64 Accuracy............................................................................................................... 64 Trends by Individual Participant................................................................................. 65 Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 66 Implications for Practitioners...................................................................................... 67 Implications for Future Research................................................................................ 68 References......................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix A: Ethics Application Approval....................................................................... 81 Appendix B: Consent Form.............................................................................................. 90 Appendix C: