Influence of body fat on countermovement jump performance in judo athletes from different weight categories

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the influence of body fat on kinetic parameters of vertical jump in judo athletes from different weight categories. The study included 48 male judokas grouped by categories: 55-60 kg/60- 66 kg (light/half-light), 66-73 kg/73-81 kg (light/half-middle) and 81-90 kg/90-100 kg (middle/half-heavy weight). Judokas performed vertical jumps such as the countermovement jump (CMJ) on a force platform, and the following performance variables were analyzed: jump height and power, maximum power and peak velocity. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) – body fat as covariate – were used with the level of significance set at p < 0.05. The main results showed that athletes in heavier categories (81-90 kg/90-100 kg) showed higher body fat (p < 0.05) and sum of skinfold thickness (p < 0.05) when compared to lighter categories (55-60 kg/60-66 kg and 66-73 kg/73-81 kg). Lower performance was found in almost all CMJ variables when compared to judokas from lighter categories, with highlight for jump height (55-60 kg/60-66 kg = 46.78 ± 6.05 cm; 66-73 kg/73-81 kg = 47.42 ± 4.39 cm; 81-90 kg/90-100 kg = 42.11 ± 4.11; p < 0.05). However, when the effect of body fat was removed, the differences disappeared (p > 0.05). We concluded that the judokas from lighter categories showed higher values in the most of CMJ variables (jump height, power and velocity) when compared with judokas from heavier categories. This seems to be influenced by lower body fat in lighter judo athletes.