JUDO IS, IN ITS ESSENCE, A SYMMETRICAL SPORT – BUT IS IT IMPACTING AND DEVELOPING JUDOKAS BODIES IN THIS WAY?

Abstract

Objective. Judo is supposed to represent a sports discipline that symmetrically develops both sides of the human body. This study aimed to review the literature on morphological (a)symmetries in judo. Methods. The literature search was conducted via PubMed, SPORTDiscus and ResearchGate databases and included all works published until December 2020 where papers written in English and where full text was available were included. Review papers, case studies, conference abstracts and books were excluded from the final selection. Results. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Methods used to evaluate morphological symmetries were: Classical Anthropometry, 3D Body Scanning, Bioelectrical Impedance and Ultrasound Imaging. The most frequently identified asymmetry is the forearm girth, followed by the elbow, thigh, and calf girths. Conclusion. The study presents a review of scientific works on the topic of morphological (a)symmetries in judo. This indicates that judo-specific training causes specific morphological adaptations in judokas. However, how they are caused and their impact on performance is unclear. Therefore, further work should combine morphological and functional asymmetries to understand asymmetries' impact on judo performance better. In addition, a unified methodology for judokas should also be used, where researchers should report dominant and non-dominant body sides related to combat stances.