IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE

Background. Humans naturally exhibit laterality, which is influenced by environmental factors, such as daily use frequency and sports participation. Maintaining handgrip strength in judo is crucial, as athletes must repeatedly grapple with their opponents. While studies on maximal isometric handgrip strength in judo athletes are relatively common, limited data exist on the roles of tsurite (lifting/fishing hand) and hikite (pulling hand) in kumi-kata (gripping style). Therefore, this study investigated handgrip strength asymmetry in elite female collegiate judo athletes, examining the relationship between dominant vs. non-dominant handgrip strength and the influence of kumi-kata, specifically the tsurite and hikite.
Material and methods. Participants in this study were 22 right-handed female judo athletes from a university judo team. All participants were elite athletes who had competed in national tournaments or higher. Maximum handgrip strength was measured for each hand using a handgrip dynamometer adjusted for participants’ hand size. Two measurements were taken for each participant, and the more favorable result was recorded. Means were calculated, and paired samples t-tests were performed to compare differences in handgrip strength between dominant and nondominant hands and between fishing and non-fishing hands. An effect size Cohen’s d was calculated for the degree of difference.
Results. Results showed no significant difference in handgrip strength between the dominant and non-dominant hands but indicated significantly greater handgrip strength in hikite than in tsurite.
Conclusions. The findings suggest that the functional demands of judo contribute to a unique handgrip strength profile that differs from other sports, where dominance-based asymmetry is more pronounced.