ABSTRACT
Introduction
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is an individual sport, characterized by intermittent body movements aimed at the submission (defeat) of the opponent. The sport involves two tactical profiles of fighters: the guard (GG) and the passer (PG), which present potential differences in relation to anthropometric patterns and cardiac autonomic modulation.
Objectives
To evaluate the effects of different BJJ fighting styles on cardiac autonomic modulation.
Methods
Twelve PG-style athletes and 12 GG-style athletes, both male, with mean ages of 30.4 ± 1.9 and 30.6 ± 1.3 years, respectively, participated in the study. The following measurements were taken at rest: anthropometric profile, body composition and hemodynamic parameters (blood pressure [BP], basal heart rate [HR] and heart rate variability [HRV], the latter through linear and nonlinear analysis).
Results
The PG fighters had higher waist and hip circumference diameters compared to the GG fighters (p <0.05). There were no differences regarding baseline hemodynamic parameters of HR and BP. Total HRV as well as parasympathetic modulation indices in both the time and frequency domains were significantly lower in the GG fighters than in the PG fighters (p <0.05). In contrast, the sympathovagal modulation markers in the frequency domain, and the sympathovagal index, were higher in GG than in PG (p <0.05). The SD1 index of nonlinear analysis was lower in the GG fighters than in the PG (p <0.05).
Conclusion
In general, guardian style fighters have lower vagal modulation and cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity at rest, compared to passing fighters. Level of evidence IV; Case series.
Sports; Sympathetic nervous system; Sports medicine; Cardiovascular system; Heart rate
