Introduction: The importance of designing training tasks that simulate the cognitive-emotional constraints and demands of competition has recently been highlighted (Headrick et al., 2014). Fighting is a key training task of combat sports, however no research has examined whether the constraints of this task adequately simulate the cognitive-emotional demands of competition. The aim of this study was to use the qualitative course-of-action methodology to explore how the cognitive-emotional responses of elite taekwondo athletes differ between fighting in competition and fighting in training. Methods: Five international (world ranking 11.2 ± 2.2; age 26.8 ± 4 years) and three national level taekwondo players (world ranking 165 ± 97.9; age 18.3 ± 1 year) were video-taped completing a typical fight in competition and a typical fight in training. Following each fight, players participated in a video-facilitated self-confrontational interview where they were asked to comment on the perceptions, thoughts and feelings that influenced each action. Data were analysed using a course of action approach (Theureau, 2002). Each condition was analysed separately and then compared for differences. Firstly, comments relevant to an action were organised into discrete units, termed elementary units of meaning (EUM). Consecutive relatable EUMs were joined together into sequences, with common sequences then grouped together as themes. Themes unique to either the training or competition environment were identified. Results: Results revealed the emergence of several themes unique to either competition or training fights. Unique competition themes: Ego goal orientation, aggression, mental effort, physiological arousal and anxiety. Unique training themes: Mastery focus, low stimulation and opponent familiarity. Discussion: Findings highlight the contextualised nature of cognitive and emotive responses, which emerged from the interaction between the actor and environment. Our interpretation suggests that simply fighting in training does not produce cognitive-emotive responses representative of competition, perhaps due to players being familiar with their team mates and having different goals. Further work needs to empirically test the identified themes and consider how fighting in training can better simulate the constraints and demands of competition.
© Copyright 2016 21st Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Vienna, 6. -9. July 2016. Veröffentlicht von University of Vienna. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.