| Summary: | This study investigated physical fitness components of aerobic and anaerobic
capacities, flexibility and muscular performance of young female sedentary
individuals, silat and taekwondo practitioners. Thirty six young female participants
with age ranged 15 to 20 years old were recruited. There were three groups with 12 participants per group in this study. The groups were sedentary control group, silat
group and taekwondo group. All participants performed anthropometric and body
composition assessments, aerobic capacity measurement via estimated maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) test, Wingate test anaerobic capacities test, flexibility measurement via sit and reach test, muscular strength and explosive power
measurements via hand grip strength test, back and leg strength test and standing
long jump explosive power test. One-Way ANOVA was performed to determine the
differences of the measured parameters among groups. This study found that silat
group showed significantly (p<0.05) greater flexibility and handgrip strength of
dominant and non-dominant hands compared to sedentary control group. Taekwondo
group showed greater value of estimated VO2max compared to sedentary control
group and silat group respectively. There were no significant differences in back and
leg strength, jumping explosive power and Wingate anaerobic capacities among
sedentary control, silat and taekwondo groups. In conclusion, these findings imply
that engagement in silat and taekwondo could enhance certain physical fitness
components compared to sedentary lifestyle. Silat practitioners are characterised by high flexibility and strong hand muscle. Both taekwondo and silat practitioners
possessed similar anaerobic capacity, however, taekwondo practitioners showed
higher aerobic capacity than silat practitioners. It is hoped that the present findings
obtained from this study can be used as guidelines for planning training programs for
taekwondo and silat practitioners, as well as promoting active lifestyle by engaging
in martial arts such as taekwondo and silat.
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