The Effect of Taekwondo Course on Health-Related Physical Fitness and Body Coordination of Students with Intellectual Disabilities

• Main Authors: LIN, WEI-JU, 林韋如
• Other Authors: WANG, CHEN-HSUAN
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/e7g3qw

碩士 === 國立體育大學 === 適應體育學系 === 105 === Individuals with intellectual disabilities have poor level of body coordination and motor performance, which reduce the opportunities to participate in physical activity. This leads to low level of fitness, affecting their daily living functions. Taekwondo (TKD) improves speed, agility, muscular strength and endurance, and coordination. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of taekwondo course on the fitness and body coordination for students with intellectual disabilities. Participants were voluntarily recruited from a special school in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Twenty participants with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (TKD group, n=10; control group, n=10) participated. The TKD group participated 50 minutes each time, three times a week, for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-test health-related physical fitness test (body composition, sit and reach test, sit up test, 800-meter walk run) and body coordination tests (standing on one leg on a balance beam-eyes open, walking forward on a line, jumping in place-same sides synchronized, tapping feet and fingers-same sides synchronized) were measured. Descriptive statistics, independent-sample t test, paired-sample t-test, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Johnson-Neyman technique were performed for the data analysis. Statistical significance was set at a level of p < .05. The results revealed that the TKD group had significantly better performance in flexibility and jumping in place-same sides synchronized than the control group. This study thus suggests that taekwondo course can improve flexibility and bilateral coordination in students with intellectual disabilities. Schools should implement taekwondo courses and ensure their availability in the health and physical education of students with intellectual disabilities to enhance their fitness and motor skills, thus improving their quality of life.