Sexual dimorphism in anthropometric and fitness measurements of top ju-jitsu contestants

A ju-jitsu fight is characterized by a great variety of complex technical and tactical actions which can be used by both men and women in vertical and horizontal positions. Division into weight categories helps provide equal chances for the competitors, not only in terms of body weight but also their locomotor abilities, range of punches and kicks (used in the first phase of the fight), strength and leverage after catching the clothes to perform a throw (the second phase of the fight) and using immobilization, choke and joint manipulation techniques during groundwork (in the third phase of the fight). A popular tendency before tournaments is body mass reduction that affects body composition. The athletes usually aim at increasing the percentage of fat-free mass in overall body mass in order to improve relative strength when competing in a particular weight category [1]. The fight is characterized by increased activity in both attack and defence, which represent a high-intensity exercise. Duration of these intermittent efforts largely depends on the effectiveness of technical and tactical actions in individual phases of the fight. Fighting according to the regulations for sport ju-jitsu is a combination of the skills typical of karate and judo competition [2,3]. Therefore, it was adopted that special fitness tests developed for karate (SPFT) and judo (SJFT), although having its individual specificity, might be used in ju-jitsu [4]. Conception of study. It was assumed that a sport ju-jitsu fight makes similar demands on both women and men [5]. Division into weight categories in both genders provides equal chances for all the competitors. We propose a hypothesis that women differ more in body build and composition than men rather than in quality of performing specific fitness tests which contain technical skills typical of the judo fight. The aim of this study is to compare anthropometric data, body composition and sport-specific fitness of male and fe male subjects, and to establish an anthropometric profile and fitness patterns of elite ju-jitsu athletes.