Abstract / Summary
Background: Judo performance is multifactorial; judo-specific anaerobic fitness and shuttle agility speed have previously been investigated separately in adolescent judoka. What remains unexplored is whether a technology-assisted neuromuscular training program can concurrently influence these established performance measures alongside plantar-support biomechanics during throwing techniques such as ippon-seoi-nage. Pilot data integrating these domains are lacking in adolescent judoka. Methods: Twenty-four male judoka (aged 15–17 years; ≥3 years of experience) were allocated to an experimental group (EG; n = 12) or control group (CG; n = 12). The EG performed a 12-week technology-assisted neuromuscular training program (BlazePod light-sensor system) before each session; the CG continued standard uchi-komi. Three outcome domains were assessed at baseline and post-intervention: (i) judo-specific anaerobic fitness (SJFT); (ii) specific shuttle agility (BlazePod protocol); and (iii) static plantar pressure (BTS P-WALK baropodometer). Results: Retention was 100% with no adverse events. A 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA (group × time) showed a significant interaction for BlazePod shuttle agility performance (total hits: p = 0.026; average sprint time: p = 0.009), an effect that remained significant after a sensitivity analysis controlling for baseline anthropometric imbalance between groups. A significant interaction was also observed for the SJFT index (p = 0.028), but this effect did not survive the same sensitivity analysis (p = 0.10). No significant group × time interaction was detected for any of the six static plantar pressure regions assessed (all p > 0.09). Conclusions: In this pilot study, feasibility was supported by 100% retention and the absence of reported adverse events. The data provided preliminary evidence of a group × time interaction for judo-specific shuttle agility performance that remained significant after adjustment for baseline anthropometric imbalance, a less certain interaction for anaerobic fitness, and no detectable interaction for static plantar pressure distribution. These preliminary, hypothesis-generating findings support conducting a definitive, randomized, weight-stratified controlled trial.