PREDICTING PUNCHING ACCELERATION FROM SELECTED STRENGTH AND POWER VARIABLES IN ELITE KARATE ATHLETES:AMULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS IRINEU LOTURCO, 1,2,3 GUILHERME GIANNINI ARTIOLI, 2,4 RONALDO KOBAL, 1 SAULO GIL, 1,5 AND EMERSON FRANCHINI 2 1 NAR-Nucleus of High Performance in Sport, Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil; 2 Martial Arts and Combat Sports Research Group, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil; 3 Brazilian Karate Confederation, Coaching Staff, Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil; 4 Laboratory of Applied Nutrition and Metabolism, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil; and 5 School of Physical Education and Sport, University of Sa˜o Paulo, Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil ABSTRACT Loturco, I, Artioli, GG, Kobal, R, Gil, S, and Franchini, E. Predicting punching acceleration from selected strength and power variables in elite karate athletes: A multiple regression analysis. J Strength Cond Res 28(7): 1826–1832, 2014—This study investigated the relationship between punching acceler- ation and selected strength and power variables in 19 profes- sional karate athletes from the Brazilian National Team (9 men and 10 women; age, 23 6 3 years; height, 1.71 6 0.09 m; and body mass [BM], 67.34 6 13.44 kg). Punching acceleration was assessed under 4 different conditions in a randomized order: (a) fixed distance aiming to attain maximum speed (FS), (b) fixed distance aiming to attain maximum impact (FI), (c) self-selected distance aiming to attain maximum speed, and (d) self-selected distance aiming to attain maximum impact. The selected strength and power variables were as follows: maximal dynamic strength in bench press and squat-machine, squat and countermovement jump height, mean propulsive power in bench throw and jump squat, and mean propulsive velocity in jump squat with 40% of BM. Upper- and lower-body power and maximal dynamic strength variables were positively correlated to punch acceleration in all conditions. Multiple regression analysis also revealed predictive variables: relative mean propulsive power in squat jump (W$kg 21 ), and maximal dynamic strength 1 repetition maximum in both bench press and squat-machine exercises. An impact-oriented instruction and a self-selected distance to start the movement seem to be crucial to reach the highest acceleration during punching execution. This investigation, while demonstrating strong correlations between punching acceleration and strength- power variables, also provides important information for coaches, especially for designing better training strategies to improve punching speed. KEY WORDS martial arts, strength training, power training, correlation, combat sports, fighters INTRODUCTION C ompetitive karate performance is a multifactorial phenomenon influenced by technique, tactics, and fitness, among other factors (5). In karate combats, offensive actions are performed at very high speeds; athletes must strike before their opponents are able to defend the attack or counter attack themselves (13). Indeed, studies assessing the speed of high-intensity actions during simulated karate combats reported that they last from 0.3 6 0.1 seconds to 2.1 6 1.0 seconds (1,10). In official competitions, it has been reported that punching techniques prevail over kicking techniques, probably because they are faster to execute (4). Thus, punching techniques should be one of the main focuses of high-level karate athletes’ training. In preparation for competition, karate athletes undertake strength and conditioning programs. This is an important aspect of training, as highlighted by a recent study showing that both upper- and lower-body muscle power are higher in winners as compared with defeated international level karate athletes (20). One can speculate that upper- and lower-body muscle power might influence speed, acceleration, and power of karate techniques, thereby contributing to compet- itive performance. Therefore, training strategies aiming to maximize muscle power may be of great value for karate athletes. Identifying the physical capacities associated with karate techniques is relevant to improve training methods, especially concerning the exercise type and loads that should be applied to improve karate technique speed, power, and Address correspondence to Irineu Loturco, irineu.loturco@terra.com.br. 28(7)/1826–1832 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Ó 2014 National Strength and Conditioning Association 1826 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research the TM Copyright © National Strength and Conditioning Association Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.