Listening to Preferred and Loud Music Enhances Taekwondo Physical Performances in Adolescent Athletes

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of warm-up music preference and loudness on physical performance, perceived exertion (RPE), and enjoyment in young taekwondo athletes. In a crossover counterbalanced design, 20 taekwondo athletes (10 male, 10 female) performed a battery of physical tasks specific to taekwondo under the following five conditions: (a) No music (NM), (b) Preferred music-Soft (60 dB; PMS), (c) Preferred music-Loud (80 dB; PML), (d) Non-preferred music-Soft (60 dB; NPMS), and (e) Non-preferred music-Loud (80 dB; NPML). On each lab visit, participants completed a taekwondo-specific agility test (TSAT), a10-second kick test (KSKT-10s) and a multiple frequency speed of kick tests (FSKT) within each music condition. Pre-exercise enjoyment was assessed using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) after the warm-up, while we obtained RPE scores after each test. The PML condition resulted in significantly better agility test times on the TSAT compared to PMS (p