Abstract

Seven male taekwondo practitioners and seven males who were not involved in any taekwondo practice were tested for leg extension and flexion isokinetic strength at the knee joint on an Orthotron II at the following speeds: 120 degrees, 180 deg. and 250 degrees/sec. Peak torque and position of peak were expressed in absolute terms and relative to body weight, lean body mass, thigh and lean thigh volume. Knee extension peak torque was higher across all speeds than knee flexion peak torque for both groups. The control group showed higher values for knee extension peak torque for all speeds in both absolute and relative terms, while the taekwondo group showed higher values for knee flexion peak torque in both absolute and relative terms across all speeds. The taekwondo group reached peak torque earlier at 120 deg. and 250 degrees/sec and later at 180 degrees/sec than that control group. The largest peak torque variance accounted for (44) was by LBM for the taekwondo group during knee flexion at 120 degrees/sec. Body weight, lean body mass, thigh volume and lean thigh volume accounted for 82 of the variance in peak torque during knee flexion at 180 degrees/sec for the control group. Verf.-Referat