Physiological versus psychological evaluation in taekwondo elite athletes.
OBJECTIVE
To anticipate outstanding athletic outcomes, the selection process of elite athletes simultaneously considers psychophysiological and technical parameters. This study aimed to investigate whether selected and nonselected athletes for the Italian national taekwondo team could be discriminated by means of sport specific performances and psychophysiological responses to training.


METHODS
5 established Italian national athletes and 20 elite Italian taekwondo black belt athletes (9 women, 16 men; age 23.0 ± 3.1 y; body mass 67.0 ± 12.1 kg).


METHODS
To update the Italian national-team roster, the 20 elite athletes participated in a 1-wk selection camp (7 training sessions). Selected athletes (n = 10) joined established national athletes during the following 3-wk national training period (7 training sessions/wk). During the 1-wk selection camp, differences (P < .05) between selected and nonselected athletes in performances, heart-rate responses, blood lactate accumulation [La], subjective ratings of perceived exertion (session RPE), and mood were examined. During the 3-wk national training period, differences (P < .05) in mood between selected and established national athletes were investigated.


RESULTS
With respect to nonselected athletes, selected athletes responded better to training in terms of session RPE (P = .047) and [La] (P = .046). No difference in performance and mood between subgroups emerged. After the 3-wk national training period, differences (P = .035) emerged for confusion, with decreases in the established national athletes and increases for recently selected athletes.


CONCLUSIONS
Session RPE and [La] seem to be more effective than psychological measures in discriminating between elite taekwondo athletes. Evaluation of mood could be effective in monitoring athletes' response to national training.
Dept of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Erika
E
Casolino
Cristina
C
Cortis
Corrado
C
Lupo
Salvatore
S
Chiodo
Carlo
C
Minganti
Laura
L
Capranica
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001835:Body Weight; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D016139:Martial Arts / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010465:Perception; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D019344:Lactic Acid