Using Inertial and Physiological Sensors to Investigate the Effects of a High-Intensity Interval Training and Plyometric Program on the Performance of Young Judokas

The use of inertial and physiological sensors in a sport such as judo is scarce to date. The information provided by these sensors would allow practitioners to have a better understanding of sports performance, which is necessary for an accurate training prescription. The purpose of this study was to use inertial and physiological sensors in order to investigate the effect of a plyometric and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) training program on Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) performance and speed of execution of throws in young judokas. A total of 32 participants were divided into two groups: experimental and control. The intervention consisted of six sessions with a duration of 60 min for 3 weeks. Physiological sensors collected heart rate data to assess the Special Judo Fitness Test, and inertial sensors collected angular velocity. The results show a significant decrease in the SJFT index (Score pre: 22.27 ± 2.73; Score post: 19.65 ± 1.70; p ≤ 0.05; d = 0.61) and a significant increase in the angular velocity of the X-axis (Pre: 320.87 ± 51.15°/s; Post: 356.50 ± 40.47°/s; p ≤ 0.05; d = 0.45) and Y-axis (Pre: 259.40 ± 41.99°/s; Post: 288.02 ± 65.12°/s; p ≤ 0.05; d = 0.31) in the experimental group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that using inertial and physiological sensors allowed us to analyze the effect that a high-intensity interval training program and plyometrics had on the performance of young judokas. Strength and conditioning coaches should consider these results because including plyometric training and HIIT in judokas’ workout programming can be especially positive for eliciting increases in performance. However, future training interventions should investigate the training adaptations to longer interventions.