Competition Injuries and Their Mechanisms in Malaysian Taekwondo Athletes

Willy Pieter1, Wan Zairatulnas2 and Thung Jin Seng3

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School of Health Sciences, Science University of Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, UiTM, Arau, Perlis, Malaysia 3 Conditioning Unit, National Sports Institute of Malaysia, National Sports Council of Malaysia, Bukit Jalil, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The purpose of this study was to assess competition injuries and their mechanisms in young Malaysian taekwondo athletes. Subjects (100 males and 106 females) were recruited from the 2004 Malaysian Games. Simple check-off forms that describe the athlete, nature, site, circumstances, and severity of the injury were used to collect the data. Injury rates were expressed per 1,000 athlete-exposures (AE) and odd ratios (OR) calculated. The total injury rate for the males was 168.37/1,000 A-E and for the females, 153.01/1,000 A-E (OR=0.86, 95%CI=0.47-1.57). Receiving and delivering a roundhouse kick were the main injury mechanisms in the females (49.18/1,000 A-E each), while delivering a roundhouse kick was the major mechanism (76.53/1,000 A-E) in the males. When divided into two weight divisions, the fly/featherweight categories in the females recorded a rate of 87.43/1,000 A-E, and 65.57/1,000 A-E for their heavier counterparts (OR=0.94, 95%CI=0.39-2.26). The values in the men were 96.94/1,000 A-E and 71.43/1,000 A-E (OR=1.00, 95%CI=0.44-2.29). In the females, the main injury mechanism for those competing in the fin/featherweight divisions was delivering a roundhouse kick (38.25/1,000 A-E), while that in the light/heavyweight categories was simultaneous roundhouse kicks (27.32/1,000 A-E). In the males, delivering a roundhouse kick was the main mechanism (66.33/1,000 A-E) in the fin/featherweight group, while simultaneous roundhouse kicks (35.71/1,000 A-E) was the main injury mechanism in the heavier divisions. Coaches are advised to emphasize blocking skills in their training and to modify the athletes game plans to help avoid injuries. Acknowledgements This study was supported by a grant from the National Sports Institute of Malaysia/National Sports Council of Malaysia (WP and TJS, principal investigators). Gratefulness is extended to Rebecca Wong Sook Kwan and Victor Kwong for their assistance in data collection.

Pieter, W., Zairatulnas, W. and Thung, J. S. (2005), Competition injuries and their mechanisms in Malaysian taekwondo athletes, First Asia Pacific Sports Science Conference 2005, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, March 28-29.