The Relative Age Effect of Elite Taekwondo Athletes

Abstract

Background. It is because athletes’ physique, physical strength and experience are vital in sports. Objectives. This study was conducted to confirm the relative age effect in Taekwondo, which is an important factor in sports. Methods. Data on the date of birth of 12,054 Taekwondo athletes registered in the Korean Sports Association and data on the date of birth of 11,034,421 public data by the National Statistical Office of Korea were collected, and the birth months were compared. Also, data on the birth dates and the national competition awards of 428 elementary student Taekwondo athletes were collected to confirm the relative age effect. Results. The results are as follows. First, there was a statistically significant difference in comparing the birth month between the general public and Taekwondo athletes. Second, as a result of comparing the birth month of the current elite Taekwondo athletes according to the elementary school player registration, there was a statistically significant difference, and it was found that students with relatively early birth months had a high frequency of player registration. Third, as a result of comparing the birth month of elementary school Taekwondo athletes according to the national competition awards, there was no statistical difference. Conclusion. The athletes with the early birth month had relatively high winning results in the national competitions.