Differences in Judo Attack Systems Between Weight Categories

In judo, athletes compete based on weight categories, which are required to adapt the training process accordingly, but not enough research is present to understand their particularities. The present study aimed to verify the differences in judo attack systems performed between the seven male weight categories in world-class athletes.

A cohort of 5847 attack systems from 1106 international judo matches was analyzed. The Chi-square automatic interaction detector was used to identify the association between the variables tori approach (attacker), uke approach (defender), tori’s grip, stance and direction of attack.

The main results showed that: (1) the grip is the main predictor of attack systems; (2) laterality exerts a strong influence on attack systems; (3) the ≤ 81 kg and > 100 kg categories were differentiated by the use of unconventional grips; (4) the ≤ 60 kg used more kenka-yotsu (opposite sides) right stance with the Only Right Hand grip; (5) the ≤ 81 kg category used more the ai-yotsu (same side) left stance with the Only Left Hand grip.

The results reported from this study can help coaches and athletes in choosing the best technical–tactical actions when developing combat strategies.