@article{2018,title={Weight Descending Behaviors of Female Taekwondo and Karate},abstractNode={This study aims to find the weight descending behaviors of female Taekwondo and karate athletes. It is aimed to achieve success by losing more than 5% of their body weight in a very short time in order to improve the performance potential and to be superior against the competition in a lower order. However, many athletes use methods that can adversely affect health and performance in order to win in the lighter weight category and to have the advantage of combat. Rapid reduction in body mass reveals fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Rapid weight loss is associated with adverse effects of hematological parameters and nitric oxide, which signal in red blood cells, and the kicking frequency of Taekwondo athletes is negatively affected. Although athletes struggling in combat sports lose weight quickly in practice, experts recommend gradual weight loss. Fast weight loss methods impair aerobic and anaerobic performance of the athlete, accelerate the release of muscle glycogen deposits, cause stress in the heat regulation system, reduce plasma volume, disrupt liquid-electrolyte balance and increase heart rate. The Atlanta Olympic Games recently showed that a judo's death in the sauna and the death of athletes due to the rapid weight loss hyperthermia of 3 university wrestlers in 1997 continue to use unhealthy weight loss methods. It is reported that fast weight loss methods are also used extensively by Turkish weight sportsmen. 88 Taekwondo and 78 karate female athletes answered the questionnaire prepared by the researchers. Statistically t-test and chi-square test were used. Age average for Taekwondo was 21, 09 ± 0, 30 and for karate’s it was 21, 08± 21, 87± 0, 25. Weight decrease age for Taekwondo is 14, 15±0, 49 on average and it is 14, 18±0, 41 years for karate’s. There is a meaningful no difference between the starting age of the related sport, height, body weight, and weight loss decrease (p>0, 05). Continuous weight loss decreasing female athletes before competitions have a percentage of % 45, 16 for Taekwondo, %48, 72 for karate’s and %46, 99 on total. Victorious female athletes who lost weight for the events have a percentage of %42, 26. The ones who did not lose weight have a percentage of %45,16. %30, 97 of the female athletes mentioned they lost weight in order to be powerful against their opponents and %35, 42 said they lost weight in order to increase their possibility of winning. No meaningful difference has been found between branches and their reasons of weight loss decreasing (p>.05). When losing weight is being performed by athletes, some of the athletes lose weight in a short period of time, close to the race contest, while others perform this process in the long run. Most of the wrestlers stated that they started to lose weight 7 to 9 days before the match. However, taekwondo athletes stated that they started to lose weight more than 1 to 4 days before the competition and karate athletes started to lose weight 5 to 8 days before the competition. In some studies surveyed in the literature, women judo and wrestlers are reported to have a lower success rate because weight loss falls unconsciously, even though there is a higher percentage of those who have not lost weight. Conclusion: Taekwondo and karate females have similar behaviors during weight decreasing. It can be said that the athletes in both sports do not have a correct approach towards losing weight. Period of before competitions, consciousness-raising trainings should be made about weight loss or weight control.},author={Feyzullah KOCA-- Osman İMAMOĞLU},year={2018},journal={Journal of Turkish Studies}}