RESEARCH ARTICLE

DOI: 10.34256/ijk24110
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF
KINANTHROPOMETRY

Anthropometric Profile of Elite Male and Female Cadet Taekwondo

Competitors
Amel Mekić 1, *, Rasim Lakota 1, Mladen Živković 2, Muhammet Çelik 3, Merima Merdan 1
1 University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2 Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Nis, 18000 Nis, Serbia
3 Batman Üniversitesi, Spor Bilimleri Fakültesi, Batman, Türkiye

* Corresponding author email: amel.mekic@fasto.unsa.ba

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34256/ijk24110
Received: 28-02-2024; Revised: 05-04-2024; Accepted: 18-04-2024; Published: 30-04-2024

Resumen
Introducción: El Taekwondo se ha convertido en un deporte olímpico, lo que significa que es necesario un
conocimiento profundo de las características de los principales atletas y competidores de Taekwondo. Este estudio
investigó las medidas antropométricas fundamentales de los atletas de Taekwondo de alto nivel, con especial
atención a las disparidades entre géneros. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar y contrastar los atributos físicos
de los atletas de élite de Taekwondo, examinando específicamente las diferencias entre hombres y mujeres.
Métodos: En este estudio participó un grupo de 28 atletas de Taekwondo altamente calificados, compuesto por 14
cadetes femeninos y 14 masculinos. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron una diferencia significativa entre las
variables antropométricas de los competidores masculinos y femeninos, más notablemente en el grosor de los
pliegues cutáneos y la proporción de tejido graso (p≤ 0,01). Conclusión: En consecuencia, estos datos pueden
ayudar a los especialistas en taekwondo en las primeras etapas de selección, especialmente cuando los exámenes
avanzados son imposibles. Estudios adicionales que perfilen a este grupo de respondedores deberían incluir más
características para ayudar a los profesionales a reconocer talentos y crear objetivos en el programa de capacitación.
Palabras Clave: Deporte, Composición corporal, Deporte de combate, IMC

Abstract
Introduction: Taekwondo has developed into an Olympic sport, which means that a thorough understanding of the
main Taekwondo athletes and competitors' characteristics is necessary. This study investigated the fundamental
anthropometric measurements of high-level Taekwondo athletes, with a particular focus on disparities between
genders. The objective of this study was to assess and contrast the physical attributes of elite Taekwondo athletes,
specifically examining the differences between males and females. Methods: A group of 28 highly skilled Taekwondo
athletes, consisting of 14 female and 14 male cadets participated in this study. Results: The results showed a
significant difference between male and female competitors' anthropometric variables, most notably in skinfold
thickness and fat tissue proportion (p≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Accordingly, these data can help taekwondo specialists
in the early stages of selection, especially when advanced examinations are impossible. Further studies profiling this
group of responders should include more characteristics to help practitioners recognize talents and create training
program goals.
Keywords: Sport, Body composition, Combat sport, BMI

Introduction
Taekwondo has undergone significant evolution, emerging as a contemporary Olympic combat sport. While
various governing bodies oversee the sport element of taekwondo, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) holds
official responsibility for enforcing rules and regulations in Olympic competitions and world championships (Bridge et
al., 2014). Beyond the Olympic stage, WTF organizes events at regional, national, and international levels, tailoring
competitions based on athletes' age, sex, skill level, and weight category. Standard matches follow a structure of
three 2-minute rounds with a 1-minute interval between each round (Bridge et al., 2014).

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DOI: 10.34256/ijk24110
In light of the sport's relatively recent inclusion in the Olympics in 2000 at Sydney, it is considered a young
Olympic discipline. Prior research by Toskovic et al. (2004) suggests that success in taekwondo necessitates a high
level of anthropological dimensions. Furthermore, Sadowski et al. (2012) and Gao (2001) emphasize the role of low
adiposity levels in elite junior and senior taekwondo athletes for achieving optimal performance. further advocate for
low subcutaneous fat tissue percentage in taekwondo athletes.
Physical characteristics are acknowledged contributors to performance across various sports (Carter &
Heath, 1990), yet research on martial arts athletes is limited. Existing studies, predominantly on elite athletes in judo,
karate (Claessens et al., 1986; Pieter & Bercades, 1999), and some in taekwondo (Taafe & Pieter, 1990), underscore
the scarcity of information on recreational and professional martial arts athletes and, more specifically, taekwondo
practitioners. Although articles like the extensive review on body composition by Bridge et al. (2014) lack
categorization according to official weight categories, which poses like a challenge, differences between weight
categories exist (Čular et al., 2021). However, scarcity persists in studies focusing on male-female contestant
differences.
According to the author's knowledge, the only study comparing male and female taekwondo athletes was
conducted by Čular et al. (2017), however, it included 258 national competitors who were considered sub-elite.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate and compare elite Taekwondo competitor's body characteristics and
compare them between sexes.

Materials and Methods

Experimental Approach to the Problem
All data were collected once during the European Cadet Championship held in Sarajevo. Since all
participants are minors, the respective federations were informed, and 'written consent forms' were provided to them.
Parents or legal guardians could complete these forms if they agreed to their child's participation in the study. All
procedures were conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration and after obtaining approval from the Ethics
Committee of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. All testing was carried out by experts from the Faculty.

Participants
In the study, a total of 28 young elite Taekwondo competitors participated, comprising 14 female cadets and
14 male cadets, all of whom were participants in a European competition, representing various European countries.

Body Composition Measurements

Body height was determined using a stadiometer (BSM370, InBody, Korea) (Čaušević et al. 2023; Čović et
al. 2023), while body mass, percentage and quantity of fat and muscle tissue were measured using a BIA scale
(Inbody 370) as advised in previous studies Mašić et al. 2024; Kovačević et al. 2022. Skinfold thickness on the back,
biceps, triceps, abdomen, thigh, and calf was measured using a caliper. All measurements were taken in the morning,
before breakfast.

Results
Tabel 1. Descriptive statistics and differences of body composition
Male Female Mean
T value Sig
Mean SD Mean SD difference
Age
13.55 0.68 13.18 0.87 0.36 1.59 0.11
(year)
Body height
168.65 10.95 162.02 9.62 6.62 2.36 0.02*
(cm)
Body weight
52.53 12.83 46.59 9.49 5.93 1.97 0.05*
(kg)
Skinfold triceps
6.45 1.84 9.08 2.59 -2.63 -4.00 0.00*
(mm)
Skinfold
Back 6.25 2.35 7.27 2.67 -1.02 -1.43 0.15
(mm)

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DOI: 10.34256/ijk24110
Skinfold biceps
4.50 1.31 6.16 2.33 -1.66 -2.92 0.00*
(mm)
Skinfold abdomen
7.35 4.17 8.16 3.81 -0.81 -0.74 0.46
(mm)
Skinfold
calf 7.00 2.47 7.94 3.83 -0.94 -0.99 0.32
(mm)
Skinfold
thigh 9.50 2.69 12.83 4.89 -3.33 -2.82 0.01*
(mm)
BMI
18.18 2.76 17.41 2.37 0.76 1.10 0.27
(kg/m2)
%FAT
10.28 3.82 15.31 4.86 -5.03 -4.00 0.01*
(%)
Muscle mass
26.01 6.94 21.02 4.17 4.98 3.39 0.01*
(kg)
BMI – body mass index; %FAT – body fat percentage; *- p < 0.05
Table 1 presents gender differences and mean values by gender. Body weight, the proportion of fat and
muscle mass, and the skinfold thickness of the upper arm, both biceps and triceps, showed statistically significant
differences. Furthermore, while body height and muscle mass were statistically considerably higher in male
competitors, all markers of fat tissue percentage were higher in female competitors. There were no statistically
significant gender differences in other variables.

21.02
Muscle mass (kg)
26.01
15.31
%FAT (%)
10.28

12.83
Skinfold tigh (mm)
9.5
Skinfold biceps (mm) 6.16
4.5
9.08
Skinfold triceps (mm)
6.45
46.59
Body weight (mm)
52.53
162.02
Body height (mm)
168.65
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Female Male

Figure 1. Descriptive parameters and differences between groups

Discussion
This study aimed to evaluate and compare elite Taekwondo competitors' body characteristics and compare
them between sexes.
The results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the anthropometric variables
recorded in the male and female population. In addition to the fact that the results confirmed that male competitors
are taller than female competitors and have greater muscle mass, which was previously recorded in all age
categories, from juniors (Bešlija et al., 2021; Mathunjwa et al., 2015), cadets (Bešlija et al., 2021) to seniors (Čular
et al., 2020) clear differences were observed in the proportion of fat in total body mass and the size (thickness) of
skin folds. More specifically, in addition to the directly measured higher proportion of fat tissue in the total body mass,

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DOI: 10.34256/ijk24110
out of a total of 6 "skinfold measures", indicators of the proportion of fat tissue in the total body mass, statistically
significantly higher results were recorded in 4 of the female competitors compared to the male competitors.
Observing the rest of the variables used, and considering that they are all indicators of the body fat proportion,
it can be noted that they are at the same low level in both sexes. Similar results were observed in earlier studies.
Markovic et al. (2005) observed almost identical (15.3%) values of fat tissue percentage in the total body mass in "A
category" athletes and defined them as "top-quality female taekwondo competitors", while in "B category", in female
competitors who had not won medals until that moment, significantly higher values of the percentage of fat tissue
were observed (17,6%). Similar results were observed by Agopyan et al. (2022) in males. They observed similar
values of the proportion of fat tissue in the total body mass in competitors who won medals, while in competitors who
did not, they noticed slightly higher values (11.43%). On the other hand, Sevinç Yılmaz et al. (2021) noticed a
significantly higher percentage of adipose tissue in total body mass in a sample of slightly older (aged 14-16) elite
Taekwondo male (10.28% to 17.36%) and female competitors (15.31% to 19.8%).
The results, viewed globally, are in accordance with the results of the review article (Bridge et al., 2014),
based on the previous 42 studies, came to the unequivocal conclusion that one of the characteristics of elite and
sub-elite taekwondo competitors of both sexes is low body fat percentage. Furthermore, these results can be useful
to coaches because they show that by simply measuring skin folds it is possible to categorize taekwondo competitors
and make a basic selection if they are not able to carry out more detailed diagnostic procedures.

Conclusion
This research provided an insight into the basic anthropometric characteristics of elite taekwondo
competitors. Furthermore, the findings indicated clear differences in the indicators of the proportion of fat tissue in
the total body mass between these two groups. In accordance with the above, these results can help taekwondo
experts in the initial stages of selection, especially in the case when the implementation of sophisticated tests is
impossible. Further studies aimed at profiling this group of respondents should include a larger number of variables
and thus help experts from practice in the process of identifying talents and setting the goals of training programs.

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Acknowledgments
No funding was received for this research study

Author Contributions
Amel Mekić: Concept, implementation of test procedures, methodology, and writing; Rasim Lakota: methodology,
and writing; Mladen Živković: Concept, implementation of test procedures, methodology, and writing; Muhammet
Çelik: Concept, methodology, and writing; Merima Merdan: implementation of test procedures, methodology, and
writing. All the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest

Data availability
Full access to data on request.

Ethics Approval Statement

Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University
of Sarajevo.

Funding
There is no external funding to declare

Informed Consent Statement

Parents or legal guardians signed the study consent forms.

About the License

© The Author(s) 2024. The text of this article is open access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License.
Int. J. Kinanthrop. 2024, 4(1): 81-85 | 85