This systematic review aims to assess the genetic determinants influencing combat sports performance and address potential gaps in previous reviews. Twenty-four selected studies were analysed, investigating genetic influences on physiological performance, psychological traits, psychophysiological factors like pain perception, and injury susceptibility in combat sport athletes. The systematic literature search, using keywords, encompassed PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, Medline, and Google Scholar. The Covidence systematic review management software facilitated the screening process and the creation of the PRISMA flow diagram. The quality assessment complied with the PRISMA guidelines, featuring a custom 10-point scale and the STREGA criteria for more reliable study inclusion. Collectively, the 24 studies incorporated 18,989 participants, of which 3323 were combat athletes of majority European ancestry (71.7%) from various combat sports disciplines. Twenty-five unique genetic variants were significantly associated with combat sports performance across diverse domains. These included physiological performance (nine genetic variants), psychological traits (ten genetic variants), psychophysiological factors (one genetic variant), and injury susceptibility (four genetic variants). In conclusion, this systematic review lays the foundation for a more comprehensive exploration of the association between genetics and athletic performance in the demanding arena of combat sports, offering valuable insights for talent identification, training optimisation, and injury prevention.

This systematic literature review evaluates the benefits of judo practice designed for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Intellectual Developmental Disorders (IDDs), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This review adheres to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, focusing on the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of judo. A comprehensive search across databases, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, B-On, and Scopus, was conducted, and relevant studies were selected based on explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sixteen intervention studies were included, which contributed to a detailed understanding of the impact of judo. The results indicated significant benefits in terms of physical activity, social interactions, emotional well-being, and cognitive functions among participants. A synthesis of results is presented, showing the overall positive effect of judo practice. This review highlights the potential of judo as supportive therapy for individuals with NDDs, advocating its inclusion in therapeutic and educational settings. Limitations due to study heterogeneity and the need for more randomized controlled trials are also discussed.

Combat sports athletes seeking a competitive edge often engage in weight management practices to become larger than their opponents, which ultimately includes periods of gradual weight loss, rapid weight loss, and weight regain. This pattern of weight loss and regain is known as weight cycling and often includes periods of low energy availability, making combat sports athletes susceptible to metabolic dysfunction. This narrative review represents an effort to explore the metabolic perturbations associated with weight cycling and outline the short-, medium-, and long-term effects on metabolic flexibility, function, and health. The short-term effects of rapid weight loss, such as a reduced metabolic rate and alterations to insulin and leptin levels, may prelude the more pronounced metabolic disturbances that occur during weight regain, such as insulin resistance. Although definitive support is not currently available, this cycle of weight loss and regain and associated metabolic changes may contribute to metabolic syndrome or other metabolic dysfunctions over time.

This systematic review aimed to assess the available body of published peer-reviewed articles related to the effects of Olympic combat sports (OCS) on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in the non-athlete population. The methodological quality and certainty of evidence were evaluated using PRISMA, TESTEX, RoB, and GRADE scales. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (code: CRD42023391433). From 4133 records, six randomized controlled trials were included, involving 855 non-athletes (mean age = 27.2 years old). The TESTEX scale reported all studies with a ≥ 60% (moderate-high quality) score. The GRADE scale indicated moderate to low certainty of evidence. It was only possible to perform a meta-analysis on direct methods to maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max). The main results indicated significant differences in favor of OCS compared to active/passive controls in VO2max (SMD = 4.61; 95%CI = 1.46 to 7.76; I2 = 99%; p = 0.004), while the individual results of the studies reported significant improvements in favor of the OCS on the indirect methods of the CRF. OCS improved CRF in a healthy non-athlete population of different ages, specifically showing a significant improvement in VO2max with direct tests, such as cardiopulmonary tests. However, moderate to low certainty of evidence is reported, so no definitive recommendations can be established.

To analyze possible changes in body composition in elderly individuals with combat sports as an intervention.
This study is characterized as a systematic review and meta-analysis. The PRISMA criteria were followed, and the study was registered in PROSPERO under the number CRD42023392613. The databases used were MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Science Direct. The risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed using Robins-I, Cochrane, and Testex tools.
Of the 126 publications found, 9 studies were included (5 controlled and randomized studies and 4 intervention studies). Of these studies, 6 provided data for the meta-analysis. A total of 126 publications were found and, the studies included in this systematic review had an average of 51 weeks, 3 times a week, and 50 min per session. In the results presented by the meta-analysis the variable body fat showed a reduction (SMD: -0.11; 95% CI: -0.99 to 0.09; p = 0.02; I2 = 0%).
Combat sports showed an improvement in the body composition of the elderly, with a reduction in the percentage of body fat.

This systematic overview aimed to review studies investigating the benefits and risks of judo training in older people, and to explore practical methodological applications (Registration ID: CRD42021274825). Searches of EBSCOhost, ISI-WoS, and Scopus databases, with no time restriction up to December 2022, resulted in 23 records meeting the inclusion criteria. A quality assessment was performed through the following tools: ROBINS-I for 10 experimental studies, NIH for 7 observational studies, and AGREE-II for 6 methodological studies. A serious risk of bias emerged for 70% of the experimental studies, whereas 100% of the observational and 67% of the methodological studies presented a \"fair\" quality. When involving 1392 participants (63 ± 12 years; females: 47%), the studies investigated novice (n = 13), amateur/intermediate (n = 4), expert (n = 4), and unknown (n = 3) level judoka by means of device-based, self-reported, and visual evaluation measures. Mean training encompassed 2 ± 1 sessions. week-1 of 61 ± 17 min for 7 ± 6 months. In relation to judo training exposure and outcomes, three main themes emerged: (i) health (56% of studies; e.g., bones, anthropometry, quality of life); (ii) functional fitness (43%; e.g., balance, strength, walking speed); and iii) psychosocial aspects (43%; e.g., fear of falling, cognition, self-efficacy). Although the included studies presented relevant methodological weaknesses, the data support the positive effects of judo training with advancing age. Future research is needed to help coaches plan judo programs for older people.

This review aimed to identify the effects of strength training programs on the physical fitness of Olympic combat sports (OCS) athletes. The systematic review included peer-reviewed articles that incorporated interventions that included pre- and post-intervention physical fitness assessment. The search was performed in the SCOPUS, PubMed, and Web of Science databases between April and September 2022. PRISMA and the TESTEX checklist were used to select and assess the methodological quality of the studies. Twenty studies with 504 participants (428 males and 76 females) were included. Significant improvements were found in athletes\' maximal dynamic and isometric strength, muscle power, flexibility, and balance. In addition, improvements in favor of the training groups in specific actions of judo, karate, fencing, and boxing were observed. In conclusion, interventions aimed at the development of muscle strength in OCS, specifically in judo, boxing, karate, wrestling, and fencing, proved to be beneficial at a physical fitness level, resulting in significant increases in favor of the training groups with OCS, which could be used by trainers and coaches to improve the physical performance of athletes.

While studies on dietary nitrate (NO3-) supplementation and its impact on combat sports performance are increasing, finite conclusions from currently available investigations remain unclear. Thus, the present systematic review examined the acute and chronic ergogenic effect(s) of dietary nitrate intake from beetroot on different aspects of combat sports performance. A systematic search for randomized placebo-controlled studies investigating the effects of beetroot supplementation on combat sports outcomes was performed through Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scielo, Sport Discus, and Cochrane Library databases up to 2 January 2023. The different terms related to beetroot and to combat sports were connected in the search strategies using the Boolean operators \'AND\' and \'OR\'. A total of nine studies with good methodological quality (based on the Cochrane risk of bias tool) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Seven studies used an acute supplementation strategy, while the other two studies utilized chronic supplementation. Findings showed beetroot intake may be an effective tool to improve oxidative metabolism and muscle force production (i.e., isokinetic and isometric) in combat sports athletes. However, these effects may depend on the population, intake duration, muscle group activated, and exercise type. Future studies are required to (1) understand the effects on female athletes and (2) elucidate the impacts of dosing protocols and specific exercise modalities for enhancing combat sports performance.

BACKGROUND: The application of various martial arts programs can greatly contribute to improving the of physical fitness of preschool and school children. The purpose of this review paper was to determine the effects and influence that martial arts program intervention has on children\'s physical fitness, which includes motor skills and the aerobic and anaerobic abilities of children.
METHODS: We searched the following electronic scientific databases for articles published in English from January 2006 to April 2021 to gather data for this review paper: Google Scholar, Pub Med, and Web of Science.
RESULTS: After the search was completed, 162 studies were identified, of which 16 studies were selected and were systematically reviewed and analyzed. Eight studies included karate programs, four studies included judo programs, two studies contained aikido programs, and two studies contained taekwondo programs. The total number of participants was 1615 (experimental group = 914, control group = 701). Based on the main findings, karate, judo, taekwondo, and aikido programs showed positive effects on the physical fitness of the experimental group of children. According to the results, the effects of these programs showed statistically significant improvements between the initial and final measurements of most of the examined experimental groups.
CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that martial arts programs were helpful for improving the physical fitness of preschool and school children, especially for parameters such as cardiorespiratory fitness, speed, agility, strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance.

Nutritional ergogenic aids (NEAs) are substances included within the group of sports supplements. Although they are widely consumed by athletes, evidence-based analysis is required to support training outcomes or competitive performance in specific disciplines. Combat sports have a predominant use of anaerobic metabolism as a source of energy, reaching peak exertion or sustained effort for very short periods of time. In this context, the use of certain NEAs could help athletes to improve their performance in those specific combat skills (i.e., the number of attacks, throws and hits; jump height; and grip strength, among others) as well as in general physical aspects (time to exhaustion [TTE], power, fatigue perception, heart rate, use of anaerobic metabolism, etc.). Medline/PubMed, Scopus and EBSCO were searched from their inception to May 2022 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Out of 677 articles found, 55 met the predefined inclusion criteria. Among all the studied NEAs, caffeine (5-10 mg/kg) showed strong evidence for its use in combat sports to enhance the use of glycolytic pathways for energy production during high-intensity actions due to a greater production of and tolerance to blood lactate levels. In this regard, abilities including the number of attacks, reaction time, handgrip strength, power and TTE, among others, were improved. Buffering supplements such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and beta-alanine may have a promising role in high and intermittent exertion during combat, but more studies are needed in grappling combat sports to confirm their efficacy during sustained isometric exertion. Other NEAs, including creatine, beetroot juice or glycerol, need further investigation to strengthen the evidence for performance enhancement in combat sports. Caffeine is the only NEA that has shown strong evidence for performance enhancement in combat sports.