Research in Sport Medicine and Technology

Judo is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. Researchers reported a higher risk of injuries during training rather than the time of competition. So, the safe and effective training methods should be considered. As development and application of injury prevention approaches and athletic performance enhancement is necessary, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 8-week Judo Specific Functional Training on the injury risk factors and athletic performance in non-elite male judokas. 46 non-elite judokas participated in this study. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (23:N) and control (23:N). For a period of 8 weeks, the experimental group attended a special judo functional training program designed by the researchers. At the same time, the control group participated in the usual judo training program presented by the coaches. The exercises were performed 3 sessions per week and 90 minutes per session. The subjects participated in pre- and post-tests. After data collection, in order to approve data normality and compare the variables, Shapiro-wilk, ANCOVA analysis was implemented at the significant level (p≤0.05) using SPSS version 21. The results showed that scores of functional movement screening (p=0.001), upper extremity Y balance test (p=0.001), vertical jump (p=0.001) and special judo fitness test (p=0.001) significantly increased among the experimental group in comparison to the Control group. This Judo specific functional training program simultaneously modifies or decreases the injury risk factors and improves the athletic performance and has more efficiency and effectiveness rather than the usual judo training program.