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Weight cutting in judo: a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications

2026-06-04T08:08:23Z

Weight cutting in judo: a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications Soroka, V.; Ponomarov, V. Purpose: to conduct a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications devoted to the problem of weight cutting in judo using data from the PubMed database and VOSviewer visualization tools. Materials and Methods. To create the study sample as of December 31, 2025, a bibliometric analysis of the PubMed database was performed. The following search terms were used: «judo»; «rapid weight loss» or «weight cutting» or «dehydration» or «weight cycling» or «body composition»; «performance» or «health» or «physiology». The publication analysis covered the period from 1981 to 2025. The software VOSviewer 1.6.19 was used, including keyword co-occurrence analysis and direct citation analysis with the construction of bibliometric maps, cluster density visualization, and weighting by citations. Results: using VOSviewer 1.6.19, a total of 288 publications were identified. All publications were written in English. A substantial increase in the number of publications was observed in each five-year period, which can be explained by the growing popularity of the studied topic. A total of 1128 researchers from 622 organizations investigated the issue of weight cutting in judo. The publication activity of 1128 authors was analyzed, and they were grouped into 16 clusters. The most productive authors were Franchini E. (16), Real R. (10), Drid P. (8), Silva A. (7), Lakicevic N. (6), Langan-Evans C. (6), and Kirk C. (6). For network visualization, 117 keywords were selected and grouped into 5 clusters. The most prominent research topics were centered around the keywords «humans», «male», «martial arts», «body composition», «female», «adults», «athletes», «young adults», «weight loss», «adolescent». Temporal analysis of keywords showed an evolution of scientific approaches: early studies were mainly focused on fundamental physiological and biochemical mechanisms of adaptation to physical exercise without a clear specialization in combat sports. Later, research interest shifted toward applied aspects, particularly body mass reduction and nutritional support for athletes. Conclusions. The results of the bibliometric analysis indicate a clearly structured research field in body mass reduction among judo athletes, with a predominance of studies related to rapid weight loss, physiological adaptation mechanisms, and body composition control. The interdisciplinary nature of the problem, integrating sports training, medicine, and nutrition science, was confirmed. The contradictory evidence regarding the effects of rapid weight loss on performance and athletes’ health highlights the need for cautious application of such practices. Future research should focus on developing safe and scientifically grounded strategies for body weight management in athletes.

Modern scientific approaches to the analysis of competitive activity in boxing

2026-06-04T08:05:05Z

Modern scientific approaches to the analysis of competitive activity in boxing Shtanagei, D.; Dovhaninets, O.; Buhaiov, M.; Yurchenko, O.; Yanishevskyi, Y. Purpose: to generalise and systematise contemporary scientific approaches to the analysis of competitive activity in boxing. Material and Methods. The study was based on the analysis and synthesis of modern scientific and methodological sources devoted to the investigation of boxers’ competitive activity. The literature search was conducted using scientometric databases (in particular Google Scholar), open-access scientific repositories, and specialised international journals, applying relevant search queries in both Ukrainian and English. Scientific articles, systematic reviews, and dissertation studies addressing technical-tactical, physiological, biomechanical, and psychophysiological aspects of competitive activity in boxing were included in the analysis. Comparative and structural-logical methods were used to systematise the selected sources and to identify the main research directions. Results. The analysis of scientific literature demonstrated that contemporary studies of competitive activity in boxing are characterised by a comprehensive and multidimensional approach. The key research areas include the identification of performance indicators, analysis of technical-tactical actions, determination of factors influencing victory, and the impact of athletes’ individual characteristics. It was established that the most informative indicators of performance are the number and accuracy of punches, the effectiveness of offensive and defensive actions, as well as the variability of technical-tactical decisions during a bout. The findings indicate that successful boxers demonstrate higher technical efficiency, greater attacking activity, and more rational tactical behaviour. At the same time, competitive activity indicators vary depending on athletes’ qualification level, sex, age, and weight category. Additionally, a growing body of research focuses on physiological, biomechanical, and psychophysiological aspects, expanding the understanding of the structure of competitive performance in boxing. Conclusions. The generalisation of modern scientific approaches allows competitive activity in boxing to be considered as a multifactorial system formed by the interaction of technical-tactical, functional, and psychophysiological components. Technical efficiency, punch accuracy, and activity volume are identified as the most significant determinants of performance. At the same time, current research trends highlight the need for integrating different analytical approaches, which provides a basis for improving the objectivity of performance assessment and optimising the training process in boxing.

Features of the manifestation of psychophysiological functions in qualified athletes of different combat sports

2026-06-04T08:00:17Z

Features of the manifestation of psychophysiological functions in qualified athletes of different combat sports Romanenko, V.; Tropin, Y.; Boychenko, N.; Ananchenko, K.; Machaidze, E. Purpose: to determine the specific features of the manifestation of psychophysiological functions in qualified athletes representing different combat sports. Material and Methods. The study involved 25 qualified combat athletes (Candidate Master of Sports of Ukraine, Master of Sports of Ukraine): freestyle wrestlers (n=11; 17.5±1.04 years) and taekwon-do athletes (n=14; 17.6±0.76 years). To assess psychophysiological functions, five mobile tests were used: «Visuomotor Choice Reaction» - choice reaction; «Reaction Go/No-go» - inhibitory reaction; «Test ST Memory» - short-term visual memory; «Spatial Perception» - spatial perception; and «Size Test» - reaction to changes in object size. The following integral indicators were analyzed for each test: reaction time (ms), standard deviation (SD, ms), percentage of errors (%), accuracy of task performance (%), and task duration (s). Statistical analysis was performed in RStudio (version 2026.01.0+392). Descriptive statistics were presented as mean (Mean), standard deviation (SD), median (Me), and the first and third quartiles (Q1, Q3). Between-group differences were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: the results of psychophysiological testing in qualified combat athletes were obtained. It was found that the distributions of the integral psychophysiological indicators in taekwon-do athletes and freestyle wrestlers were generally similar. In taekwon-do athletes, the median reaction time values in the Go/No-Go, Spatial Perception, and VCR tests were slightly lower, indicating a tendency toward faster sensorimotor responses. At the same time, freestyle wrestlers demonstrated slightly higher median values of overall short-term visual memory accuracy. In general, the results showed substantial overlap of the interquartile ranges in the two groups, confirming the similarity of the studied indicators. According to the comparison of the integral psychophysiological indicators between taekwon-do athletes and freestyle wrestlers using the Mann-Whitney U test, no statistically significant between-group differences were found (p>0.05). This indicates an overall similarity in the level of development of the studied psychophysiological functions in athletes of both groups. Conclusions. The obtained results indicate the absence of statistically significant differences in the level of development of integral psychophysiological functions between qualified taekwon-do athletes and freestyle wrestlers (p>0.05), which points to their overall similarity. At the same time, a tendency toward higher sensorimotor response speed was observed in taekwon-do athletes, whereas freestyle wrestlers demonstrated slightly better short-term visual memory indicators. The substantial overlap of interquartile ranges confirms high individual variability of psychophysiological characteristics within each group. The identified features may be associated with the specificity of competitive activity and the nature of the training process in different combat sports. The obtained data should be taken into account when individualizing training and improving the system of pedagogical control of athletes.

Comparative analysis of competitive performance indicators of freestyle wrestlers at the european and asian championships

2026-06-04T07:51:34Z

Comparative analysis of competitive performance indicators of freestyle wrestlers at the european and asian championships Korobeynikov, G.; Shatskykh, V.; Dokmanac, M.; Chertov, I.; Kostyuchenko, V. Purpose: to conduct a comparative analysis of competitive performance indicators of freestyle wrestlers at the European and Asian Championships. Material and Methods. A total of 335 bouts from the 2025 European Championship (n=178) and Asian Championship (n=157) in senior freestyle wrestling were analyzed. Competitive activity was examined using the Internet platform Performance Data Analysis. Results. The comparative analysis showed that scoring actions in the standing position dominated in both groups, with a slightly higher proportion among Asian wrestlers (71.89 % vs. 68.63 %). The analysis of standing techniques indicated that single leg attacks remained the basic offensive action, especially among European wrestlers. A higher proportion of takedowns and step outs among Asian wrestlers reflected a different tactical model. The dominance of gut wrenches in parterre for both groups confirmed their key role in scoring. The highest scoring activity was observed during the 2nd–3rd minutes of the bout in both groups. Lower scoring in the first minute among European wrestlers indicated a more cautious start, whereas Asian athletes demonstrated higher activity from the very beginning. The absence of significant differences in the average points per bout and per minute indicated a generally similar level of performance between wrestlers from the two continents. Higher values of the success index in standing and the overall index among Asian wrestlers indicated more effective execution of offensive actions. Nearly identical success indices in parterre suggested that this component was relatively uniform at the international level. The advantage of Asian wrestlers in both technical and non-technical indices reflected a more comprehensive competitive performance that included effective use of offensive techniques. Conclusions. The comparative analysis of freestyle wrestlers’ competitive activity showed that standing-position scoring dominated in both groups, with slightly higher values among athletes at the Asian Championship. Differences were identified in the structure of technical and tactical actions: European wrestlers more often used single leg attacks, whereas Asian wrestlers relied more on takedowns and step outs. At the same time, the overall scoring level did not differ significantly (p>0.05), although the success index was higher among wrestlers at the Asian Championship (p<0.05). The obtained data confirm both similarities and differences in the competitive activity of wrestlers from different continental schools and can serve as a basis for further improvement of athlete preparation with consideration of comparative characteristics.