In humans, the control of balance during upright standing depends upon the central integration of afferent information from vestibular, proprioceptive and visual systems. These systems contribute to postural control and numerous studies have shown that their stimulation evokes body sway. In this context, sport training enhances the ability to use somatosensory and otolithic information, which have been demonstrated to improve postural capabilities. Compared to non-athletes, athletes such as gymnasts, soccer players, and swimmers have shown to be superior in balance performance during experimental evaluations. However, postural changes are different according to the activity performed and each sport develops specific postural adaptations. For example, judo training leads to greater importance being placed on somatosensory information, whereas dance training results in more attention to visual information.
The postural adaptations of expert athletes have been demonstrated to be more efficient in terms of sensorimotor control during movements specific to the sport, particularly in combat sport. Elite fighters seems indeed to be superior than non-elite athletes in changing their inter-segmentary coordination in order to accommodate the specific constraints of the task.
Karate is a Japanese fighting sport, consisting of repeated sequences of strikes and defences interrupted by recovery periods. Although of a relatively short duration, karate fights are characterized by maximal intensity. The practice of this martial art requires high levels of motor and functional abilities including speed, strength and coordination, in particular balance.
Performing complex motor skills, such as the ones performed by karate athletes, requires a great sense of balance. The posture-kinetic performance seems to be improved by sport practice, especially by sports (such as karate) involving a lot of posture-kinetic activities. Furthermore, it has been reported that those activities, improving the postural performance, might be effective in reducing the risk of falling in the elderly population. Therefore, the aim of this review was to critically analyse the scientific literature to appraise whether any relationship between karate practice and improvements in postural control is scientifically supported.
From:
Is Karate effective in improving postural control?
Davide Filingeri 1,2, Antonino Bianco 2, Daniele Zangla 2, Antonio Paoli 3, Antonio Palma 2
1 - Environmental Ergonomics Research Centre, Loughborough University, UK
2 - Department of Sports Science (DISMOT), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy | School of Sport, CONI Sicilia, Palermo, Italy
3 - Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Physiology Section, Padova, Italy
Archives of Budo, 8(4):149-152
Full text: http://www.archbudo.com/fulltxt.php?ICID=883521
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