A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TECHNIQUES USED IN А TAEKWONDО COMPETITIONS BETWEEN 2009-2019

ABSTRACT Practiced by millions of people around the world, taekwondo has quickly become a popular sport due to its technical innovation and spectacularity. The goal is to objectify the refereeing and make taekwondo even more attractive to the general public. Comparing technical performance in competitions spanning a decade would shed more light on the specific endurance needed by the modern taekwondo fighter. The aim of our study was to determine how the technical (quantitative and qualitative) indicators in competition have changed for the elite taekwondo athlete since the introduction of the electronic scoring system in 2009. The video analysis we performed on Sofia Grand Prix 2019 enabled us to compare the data with previously reported such from 2009. We discovered that the types of kicks used by the competitors amounted to 13 (2009) and 28 (2019). The variation analysis we performed showed that the average strikes per match were 76 (2009) and 193 (2019) with an average per round amounting at 25.33 (2009) and 64.33 (2019). The match-es with the most kicks 121 (2009) 208 (2019) were compared, as well as those with the least hits 40 (2009) and 108 (2019). In 2009, the competitors performed a kick every 4.73 seconds, while in 2019 every 1.86 seconds. Based on our findings we concluded that the number of kicks in a taekwondo match has increased twofold compared to 10 years ago, which means that the requirements for speed and strength endurance are even greater. Although the introduction of the electronic scoring system in taekwondo has led to a significant increment in the number and types of techniques in the taekwondo match, the technical indicators of the winners demonstrate that it is not necessary for the athlete to master the whole set of kicking techniques. It is enough to know 3 to 4 kicking techniques but to apply them successfully.