The effect of training on mood in Filipino national elite and varsity taekwondo-in: a pilot study

Reylin San Juan, M.S.1, Caesar Mateo, M.S.2 and Willy Pieter, Ph.D.3
1

Department of Sports Science, College of Human Kinetics, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

Department of Physical Education, University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig City, Philippines
3

Department of Gymnastics and Combatives, Faculty of Sport Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Introduction Aerobic exercise was reported to positively affect different mood states, including tension, fatigue, anger and vigor in normal and clinical populations (Lane & Lovejoy, 2001). Acute bouts of exercise may improve a persons present mood state. Lane, Crone-Grant & Lane (2002) suggested that a single bout of 25 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise at low, moderate or high intensity increases vigor, while decreasing negative mood states. However, the acute effects of intermittent exercise, such as taekwondo, on mood are not yet well understood. Research on mood in taekwondo has been done before, but the emphasis was on mood relative to competition. Pieter et al. (1999) revealed that there was no difference in depression between Filipino national taekwondo-in and winning or losing varsity athletes. However, the winning varsity taekwondo athletes scored lower on depression than their losing counterparts.

San Juan, R., Mateo, C. and Pieter, W. (2011), The effect of taekwondo training on mood in college students, The 3rd International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies, Gyeongju, Korea, April 29-30.

No studies are available on the effect of competition training in taekwondo on mood. The purpose of this study, then, was to assess the psychological implications of regular training in competitive taekwondo athletes.

Methods Subjects were recruited from members of Philippine varsity teams (4 females, 18.25 2.22 years and 5 males, 18.10 0.84 years) as well as those of the national teams (4 females, 16.75 1.71 years, 4 males, 18.50 5.07 years). The Brunel Mood Scale (Terry and Lane, 2003) was administered 10 minutes before and immediately after the training session. A Group*Time ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor was used to determine the differences in mood between the varsity and national teams. The level of significance was set to 0.05.

Results Collapsed over group, tension was reduced after training (2.241.82 vs. 1.121.97, p=0.004, eta2=0.433), but there was no difference in depression: 0.821.19 before versus 1.121.76 after training (eta2=0.067). There was a Group*Time interaction for fatigue (eta2=0.582). Simple effects analysis showed that the varsity athletes were more fatigued after their training session (9.332.29 vs. 2.331.50, d=3.69). After the training, the varsity taekwondo-in also scored higher on fatigue than their counterparts in the national teams (4.632.72, d=1.89).

San Juan, R., Mateo, C. and Pieter, W. (2011), The effect of taekwondo training on mood in college students, The 3rd International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies, Gyeongju, Korea, April 29-30.

Discussion Taekwondo training might have a beneficial effect on some negative mood states, which was thus far found in aerobic activities. Lane et al. (2002) reported that single bouts of exercise at low, moderate or high intensities increased positive mood, while decreasing negative mood. They also claimed that there was a reduction in anger, confusion, fatigue, tension, depression and an increase in vigor after exercise. The current investigation seems to suggest that level of training may have a mediating effect on the relationship between exercise and mood in intermittent physical activities. Since the heart rates of the athletes were not assessed in this study, future research should also employ heart rate monitors as well as using taekwondo-in of various levels of skill to more accurately assess the performance mood relationship in intermittent sports, such as taekwondo.

References Lane, A. M., Crone-Grant, D. & Lane, H. (2002), Mood changes following exercise, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 94, 1: 732-734 Lane, A. M. & Lovejoy, D. J. (2001), The effects of exercise on mood changes: the moderating effect of depressed mood, Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness, 41, 4: 539-45. Pieter, W., Mateo, C. and Bercades, L. T. (2000), Mood and performance in Filipino national and varsity taekwondo athletes, 1st World Congress on Combat Sports and Martial Arts, Universit de Picardie Jules Verne, Facult de Sciences du Sport, Amiens, France, March 31April 2.

San Juan, R., Mateo, C. and Pieter, W. (2011), The effect of taekwondo training on mood in college students, The 3rd International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies, Gyeongju, Korea, April 29-30.