Taekwondo Across the Lifespan: Physiological Demands, Training Adaptations, and Health Benefits

Taekwondo physiology is an expanding field that examines the acute responses, chronic adaptations, performance determinants, and health effects associated with this globally practiced martial art and Olympic sport. Competitive Taekwondo now includes distinct formats—Gyeorugi (sparring), Poomsae, Breaking, and Demonstration—each involving different technical, metabolic, neuromuscular, and biomechanical demands. Although research has grown substantially, the evidence remains concentrated on Gyeorugi and elite athletes. Comparatively less is known about the physiological requirements of other competitive formats, the most effective approaches to training and monitoring, and the effects of Taekwondo participation across different ages, fitness levels, and health conditions.This Research Topic aims to consolidate contemporary evidence on the physiological demands of Taekwondo competition and training, while advancing understanding of its potential contribution to health and physical function across the lifespan. We encourage studies that clarify event-specific physiological responses, identify determinants of performance, evaluate training and recovery strategies, and investigate how Taekwondo can be safely and effectively prescribed for recreational, youth, older, and clinical or adapted populations. Contributions may also help address current gaps in physiological profiling, body-mass management, training-load monitoring, and the representation of Poomsae, Breaking, Demonstration, and Para-Taekwondo in the scientific literature. Health benefits will be considered across the full range of practitioners, including children, adults and older adults, individuals with obesity, type 2 diabetes or hypertension, and people with disabilities, with an emphasis on the underlying physiological mechanisms rather than descriptive or epidemiological analyses. The Research Topic will focus on physiological, biomechanical, and physical-function outcomes; manuscripts centred primarily on cultural, social, or psychological aspects without a clear physiological component will fall outside its scope.To gather further insights into Taekwondo physiology from competitive performance to health promotion, we welcome Original Research, Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses, Brief Research Reports, Mini Reviews, and Perspective articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Physiological and metabolic demands of Gyeorugi, Poomsae, Breaking, and Demonstration• Time–motion analysis, energy-system contribution, and performance determinants across formats, weight categories, and rule sets• Training prescription, periodization, physiological profiling, and training-load monitoring• Body-mass management, weight making, recovery, fatigue, and overtraining• Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and power, flexibility, balance, and postural control• Physiological adaptations to Taekwondo training in children, adolescents, adults, and older adults• Effects on obesity, body composition, cardiometabolic health, physical function, balance, fall prevention, and sarcopenia• Para-Taekwondo and adapted training for individuals with disabilities• Validity, reliability, and application of methods for assessing Taekwondo performance and physiological responses Topic editors: Sang-Seok Nam, Wonil Park, Hyun Chul Jung, Hun-Young Park Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86127/taekwondo-across-the-lifespan-physiological-demands-training-adaptations-and-health-benefits