Introduction. Martial arts and combat sports are practical sports that are being practised by an increasing number of women. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the ability of female judo, taekwondo and karate competitors to fall safely and their susceptibility to injuries during falls.
Material and methods. A total of 120 persons participated in the research. The study group consisted of 45 female judo, taekwondo (WTF) and karate Shotokan competitors; in the control group there were 75 persons who did not practise sport professionally. The research tools included the Test of Susceptibility to Injury during Falls (TSIDF) developed by Kalina and a questionnaire designed by the authors.
Results. The female martial arts competitors had considerably lower TSIDF results (p<0.001), which means that they made fewer errors when performing motor tasks. The mean result of the TSIDF was 2.48 for the study group and 6.08 for the control one. Significant differences (p<0.001) were found between the groups for all types of errors and all of the motor tasks.
Conclusions. Women practising combat sports and martial arts made significantly fewer errors in the Test of Susceptibility to Injuries During Falls, which can be seen as evidence for the practical usefulness of the training they are undergoing.
