Background & Study Aim: The purpose of the current case study was to
describe the activity pattern of individual exponents during competitive fights
completed before and after six weeks circuit training programme. Material
& Methods: Thirteen and 16-year-old experimental (E13 and E16) and
control (C13 and C16) participants were paired and videoed with fighting
before and after 6-week training. Exponents were chosen based on their age,
maturation, weight, competitive standard (none had participated in an official
silat match), and initial fitness performance. All matches were converted into
.mpg files and analysed using the same procedure. The distribution of
outcomes was analysed and used as an index of performance for more
detailed analysis. Results: The E13 increased the frequency of kicking during
competition post-training, which is suggested to reflect transference of
improved fitness to competition. Both E13 and C13 improved the ability to
dodge their opponent attacks, likely reflecting a response to technical
coaching. The frequency of actions during competition generally decreased
for both older participants, suggesting limited fitness transference to
competition. All individuals demonstrated some meaningful improvements
in fitness following the intervention period. However, these responses did not
necessarily reflect the group finding. Conclusions: This was the first case
study to examine the changes in competitive fighting performance of four
young performers from experimental and control groups following a silatspecific
circuit training programme. Therefore, fitness gains together with
technical coaching may transfer to competition in younger exponents, while
alterations in strategy may have been more decisive in the older group. The
research has provided further insight of fitness development and trainability,
and also transference fitness into competitive performance in youth silat which may help to facilitate coaches of the demands and requirements of the
combat sport.