A comparative study of flexiblity among yoga gymnastics and karate practitioners

Introduction: Flexibility training is one of the key components of a balanced fitness program; it should be a part of the exercise routine. Having good flexibility allows us to increase our physical performance, allowing the joint the ability to move further with less expenditure of energy. Many sports require large range of motion movements for proper and safe execution of skills. Objective: The purpose of the study was to compare the flexibility between Yogasana, Gymnastics and Karate groups. Method: A total of 45 male practitioners (Yogasana n=15, Gymnastics n=15 and Karate n=15 aged 11-14yrs) with national level certification were selected purposively for this study. The flexibility scores of Sit and Reach test, Bridge-up test and Shoulder and wrist elevation test were considered for measuring flexibility. To analyze data Mean, SD, ANOVA with LSD were calculated by SPSS. Results: The result indicated that in hip and back flexibility Yogasana group (Mean±SD= 37.53±5.01) was significantly better than Gymnastics(Mean±SD= 27.33±5.46) and Karate group(Mean±SD=13.06±3.59). In spine flexibility Yogasana group (Mean±SD= 20.27±3.10) was significantly better than Gymnastics(Mean±SD=28.27±3.77) and Karate group(Mean±SD=34.53±8.38). In shoulder and wrist flexibility Gymnastics group (Mean±SD=6.0±3.48) was significantly better than Yogasana(Mean±SD=9.6±5.80) and Karate group(Mean±SD=23.26±7.01) The level of significance was 0.05 for the study. Conclusion: After performing the statistical analysis on the collected data, it was determined that the Yogasana group was significantly better than Gymnastics and Karate group in terms of flexibility among 11-14 year old school going boys