Abstract / Summary
Taekwondo (TKD) is an Olympic combat sport organized according to sex and weight categories. In TKD competitions, lower-extremity power production is a critical factor affecting optimal athletic performance, and the countermovement jump (CMJ) and absolute kicking power are considered two important methods for assessing lower-extremity power production. To examine the relationships between TKD athletes’ CMJ performance and their absolute striking power (ASP) produced during the Roundhouse kick (RK) and Side kick (SK) techniques, as well as their Composite Striking Power Score, an entropy-weighted and normalized variable (CSPS-EW); and to compare these parameters according to sex and weight category. Thirty-two elite TKD athletes, including 15 female and 17 male with international competition experience, participated in the study. The CMJ test protocol was used to determine participants’ lower-extremity power capacities, while a PowerKube™ device was used to assess ASP during the RK and SK techniques with the Dominant (Dom) and Non dominant (Non-Dom) legs. The weightings of the RK and SK techniques were represented under a single integrated performance indicator using the CSPS-EW Entropy method. Following normality analyses, correlation analysis, independent-samples t-tests, ANOVA, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used; between-group differences were evaluated using Bonferroni post hoc tests. The entropy-weighting method yielded importance weights of 28.26% for dominant-leg RK ASP, 27.14% for Non-Dom leg RK ASP, 4.87% for dominant-leg SK ASP, and 39.71% for Non-Dom leg SK ASP. CMJ height showed statistically significant correlations with ASP scores produced during the RK and SK techniques with both legs, whereas CSPS-EW scores did not show statistically significant correlations. Male participants had significantly higher CMJ heights and RK and SK ASP scores with both legs than female athletes; however, no significant sex-based difference was found in CSPS-EW scores. Flyweight athletes had significantly higher CSPS-EW scores than Welterweight and Heavyweight athletes, while Welterweight athletes had significantly higher Dom leg SK ASP scores than Flyweight athletes. However, no significant differences among weight categories were found for CMJ height, Dom and Non-Dom leg RK ASP, or Non-Dom leg SK ASP. The ASP scores produced by TKD athletes during the RK and SK techniques were associated with CMJ performance, whereas this relationship was not observed for CSPS-EW. In the comparison between sexes, male athletes demonstrated significantly higher ASP values, while no significant difference was found in CSPS-EW values. The marked superiority of Flyweight athletes in CSPS-EW and the advantage of Welterweight athletes in Dom leg SK ASP may reflect differences in the technical demands of these techniques across weight categories. The trial registration number: NCT07656064 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07656064?tab=study ), Unique Protocol (Id: E-15604681-100-321083 and the date of registration: 04.06.2026). Retrospectively registered.