Fitness level of male competitive judo players

Nowadays Judo is becoming a more and more demanding sport, both physically and mentally. According to this it is necessary to pay special attention to physical preparation for the competition. During training and competition, the human body uptakes energy for the activities, depending on their intensity and duration. Research has shown that the energy for muscle activity in judo is predominantly derived from anaerobic sources. Dal Monte [1] suggests that of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) replenishment comes from creatine phosphate (CP) in 90 %, and lactate glycolytic pathway up to 10 %. It is also well documented that muscle strength represents one of the most important motor abilities in Judo as a sport. The Judo coaches choose training methods and tools according to each competitor’s weight category and fighting style. In order to make good training protocol it is also necessary to understand the energy pathways during a short term judo fight of high intensity. Functional diagnostics in Judo means determining and measuring the abilities which are important and influence sport results. During the initial training process and transition period, the final measurements are performed to monitor the effects, and modify the training course order to achieve the desired training goals. The aim of our study was to determine the fitness level (anaerobic capacity and muscle strength) in the group of judo players during adaptation to a long-term sport training. The secondary goal of the study was to compare the findings and observe the differences between each weight-category.