Angular velocity characteristics and inter-limb asymmetry during jodan-tsuki execution in a world champion female karate athlete: a case study

Background Jodan-tsuki is a frequently performed offensive technique in kumite karate requiring rapid, coordinated movement. However, three-dimensional evidence on angular velocity characteristics and inter-limb differences during Jodan-tsuki in elite female karate athletes remains limited. Purpose This study investigated kinematic characteristics, peak angular velocity profiles, and inter-limb differences during right-hand Jodan-tsuki in a world champion female karate athlete using three-dimensional motion analysis. Methods In this case study, a world champion female karate athlete (20 years; 50 kg weight category) performed 22 technically successful right-hand Jodan-tsuki trials. Three-dimensional motion capture was used to quantify trunk, cervical, upper- and lower-extremity kinematics. Temporal-spatial variables, joint range of motion (ROM), peak joint and segment angular velocities, and bilateral asymmetry indices (AI) were calculated. Descriptive statistics, coefficients of variation, and 95% confidence intervals were determined across trials. Results The highest peak angular velocity was observed at the striking-side elbow (351.42 ± 38.12°·s⁻¹), followed by the right ankle (237.53 ± 24.02°·s⁻¹), left knee (174.39 ± 18.20°·s⁻¹), and right shoulder abduction–adduction (168.45 ± 18.20°·s⁻¹). Peak magnitudes differed across the analysed joint and segment variables, with the largest whole-cycle absolute peak at the striking-side elbow. Peak timing was not quantified; therefore, proximal-to-distal sequencing was not demonstrated. Greater task-related bilateral differences were observed for shoulder flexion (AI = 106.2%), elbow flexion (AI = 88.0%), and hip flexion (AI = 78.3%), whereas smaller differences were observed for knee flexion (AI = 9.8%) and ankle dorsiflexion–plantarflexion (AI = 10.1%). Trunk angular ranges were smaller than cervical angular ranges. Conclusions In this world champion female karate athlete, right-hand Jodan-tsuki was characterized by the highest whole-cycle peak angular velocity at the striking-side elbow and task-related bilateral differences of varying numerical magnitude. Peak angular velocity magnitudes describe the distribution of whole-cycle peak values but do not establish their temporal order. These findings provide a three-dimensional biomechanical characterization of Jodan-tsuki in this individual elite athlete. Given the single-athlete case-study design, the findings should be interpreted as an individual biomechanical profile rather than generalized to elite karate athletes.

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