title: Kinematics of judo breakfall for osoto-gari: Considerations for head injury prevention.
abstract: Previous studies suggest that increasing the skill level of judokas will decrease the number of head injuries sustained during judo. However, the kinematics are poorly understood, making it difficult to establish an effective breakfall teaching programme. Therefore, we studied the kinematic parameters of breakfall for osoto-gari to identify the risk of judo-related head injuries by comparing experienced and novice judokas. This information will provide insight into developing a better prevention plan for judo-related head injuries. A total of 10 experienced and 12 novice judokas volunteered to participate in this study. The kinematic data of the breakfall motion for osoto-gari were collected using a three-dimensional motion analysis technique (200 Hz). We observed a significantly higher peak neck extension momentum in the novice group than in the experienced group. This suggests that neck extension momentum during breakfall is associated with the risk of head injuries during judo. In addition, the novice judokas demonstrated a significantly greater flexed pattern in the trunk and hip movement than the experienced judokas (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the trunk and lower extremity motion are important kinematic parameters that determine the skill level in performing the breakfall for osoto-gari.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Science , Ryotokuji University , Urayasu , Chiba , Japan.
authors.forename: Sentaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koshida
authors.affiliation: b Centre of Liberal Arts , Ryotokuji University, Japan , Urayasu , Chiba , Japan.|c Doctoral Program in Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences , University of Tsukuba , Urayasu , Chiba , Japan.
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.affiliation: d Faculty of Health Science , Uekusa-Gakuen University , Wakaba-ku, Chiba , Chiba , Japan.
authors.forename: Tadamitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health Science , Ryotokuji University , Urayasu , Chiba , Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000517:prevention & control; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006257:Head / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D016139:Martial Arts / Q000293:injuries*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009333:Neck / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Judo; head concussion; injury prevention; martial arts; motion analysis