Morphological Characteristics and Body Composition in Female Kata and Kumite Karatekas

Elite female karatekas should have specific morphological characteristics suitable for their specializations. This study aimed to determine the differences in morphological characteristics and body composition of female karatekas according to different specializations. This study consisted of a total of 15 female karatekas divided according to specialization in kumite (fighting) and kata (form or movement pattern) disciplines. The subject sample included healthy, female senior karatekas, with no prior injuries divided into kumite (n-8, 22.75±4.65 years) and kata (n-7, 22.00±4.58 years) athletes. Morphological characteristics and body composition were evaluated by a battery of 11 variables: body height (BH), body mass (BM), triceps skinfold (TS), biceps skinfold (BiS), back skinfold (BS), abdominal skinfold (AS), upper leg skinfold (UlS), lower leg skinfold (LlS), body mass index (BMI), fat percentage (FP), and muscle mass percentages (MP). Based on the t-test for small independent samples, findings showed that female kata and kumite karatekas do not have different morphological characteristics. Although there was no difference in morphological characteristics, for more complete conclusions an analysis should be performed on a larger sample of elite female karate athletes.