Home Advantage in Judo: Analysis by the Combat Phase, Penalties and the Type of Attack

• Published in: Journal of human kinetics 2017-06, Vol.57 (1), p.213-220
• Main Authors: Brito, Ciro José, Miarka, Bianca, de Durana, Alfonso López Díaz, Fukuda, David H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: home advantage; martial arts; performance analysis; Section IV – Behavioural Sciences in Sport
• ISSN: 1640-5544; 1899-7562; 1899-7562
• DOI: 10.1515/hukin-2017-0062

Previous studies indicate positive home advantage in judo; however, the factors that influence home advantage have yet to be fully explored. This study investigated the potential differences in technical-tactical variables between home and visiting athletes. A total of 1411 video recorded matches were analyzed (123 home, 1288 away) from 36 international judo competitions contested in 2011-12. The matches were analyzed by the following criteria: combat phases (approach, gripping, attack, defense, groundwork and pause), penalties (by the athlete or the opponent) and the types of attacks (with or without a score). Elite judo athletes competing in their home country attacked more frequently using trunk/leg couple techniques ( < 0.011) and scored more frequently with arm/leg couple techniques ( < 0.001), while visiting judo athletes received fewer scores from penalties ( < 0.001) and engaged in more frequent pauses during competition ( < 0.01). The results of this study provide an outline of technical-tactical differences that may contribute to home advantage in judo.