Physical, physiological characteristics and sport goal orientation of top Portuguese kickboxing athletes

摘要

Kickboxing emerged under the influence of other martial arts and combat sports (Buse, 2009) andit is characterized by consecutive changes of direction in a large spectrum of exercising. In addition,this sport requires complex technical and tactical skills (Ouergui, et al., 2014). Several studies havebeen conducted in various combat sports and martial arts, in order to characterize the physiologicaland anthropometrical profile of the athlete; however, in the case of Kickboxing the literature islimited on small samples (ZabukovecandTiidus, 1995). Such information provides guidance fortraining interventions, performance testing and talent identification.