Abstract - Are there gender differences in reactive stress tolerance levels of Brazilian judo athletes
Background. In combat sports, such as judo, reactive stress tolerance is a variable that influences the performance of athletes. This variable plays a crucial role in controlling the movements of body segments and may contribute to sports success.
Problem and aim. Little is known about the behavior of this variable in elite athletes in judo. This variable can be influenced by different factors. This study aims to investigate if there are any gender differences in reactive stress tolerance between the athletes in the Junior Brazilian Judo Team.
Methods. The entire population of athletes from the Brazilian team. participated in the study (n=34; 17 male 18.56 ± 3.45 years and 17 female 18.90 ± 3.60 years) Reactive stress tolerance (complex reaction time, number of correct responses, number of incorrect responses, and omitted responses) was measured by the Determination Test (DT/S1; Vienna Test System SPORTS®).
Results. The number of incorrect and omitted answers presented significant differences (ES = 1.07/ 1.01) in the comparison by gender. Female athletes made fewer mistakes and omitted fewer responses than males. There were no significant differences (ES = -0.54 / -0.59) about the time of complex reaction and the number of correct answers.
Conclusion. The elite athletes of the Brazilian judo team do not show different performance levels caused by gender differences. The findings of this study show that at the highest levels of performance this variable is homogeneous.