Karate kumite involves repetitive one-sided moves such as punches, kicks and blocks, which in all of them if the core muscles are not strong enough to do their job accurately and perform the movements correctly, over time these incorrect movements can be stored and repeated which, may lead to injuries (Akuthota et al. 2008; Mêtel, Milert, and Szczygie³ 2012; Slobounov 2008). Research showed that Pilates is an efficient core training method in enhancing core strength (Critchley et al. 2011; Sekendiz et al. 2007; Wang et al. 2012); however, limited study has been carried to investigate the effects of Pilates in improving core strength of adolescent karate kumite players. Therefore, this study attempted to determine if the combination of Pilates and karate training improves isometric and dynamic core strength of junior karate kumite players. The design of the study was a pretest-posttest randomised groups and the study lasted for 12 weeks. 29 male karate kumite players (junior category) from Hayashi-ha Karate Team, Kuala Lumpur randomly assigned into experimental (n=15) and control (n=14) groups. The experimental group completed 36 sessions of karate training including 30 minute Pilates (120 minutes, 3 times per week), while the control group only attended their regular karate training for 36 sessions (120 minutes, 3 times a week). Both groups were given tested regarding their isometric and dynamic core strength using Isometric Back Strength and Timed Sit-up test, respectively. The data were analysed using paired sample and independent samples t-test. There was a significant difference between the mean of the experimental and control group in the level of isometric core strength (t = 2.13, p < 0.05) and dynamic core strength (t = 2.66, p < 0.05) after the intervention. Findings confirm that the application of Pilates into karate training leads to enhancement in junior karate players` isometric and dynamic core strength.
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