Post-Activation Performance Enhancement in Combat Sports: A Narrative Review

Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) strategies have been investigated to acutely improve muscle power in combat sports. These strategies involve a conditioning activity followed by a power-related or sport-specific task. This narrative review synthesized studies on PAPE in unarmed combat sports, emphasizing performance outcomes relevant to striking and grappling disciplines, considering sport-specific tasks. In striking sports, effectiveness depends on the conditioning activity, recovery interval, and task specificity. In boxing, velocity-loss resistance protocols may enhance punching force and speed. For kicking actions, squats, plyometrics, and resisted kicking have produced acute benefits, especially with recovery intervals of 3–10 minutes. Research in taekwondo is extensive, indicating that both plyometric drills and repeated sport-specific techniques can acutely enhance repeated-effort and agility performance, with shorter intervals favoring plyometrics and longer intervals supporting high-intensity techniques. In grappling sports, research has primarily examined judo. Conditioning activities such as broad jumps, resistance band pulls, and contrast exercises consistently improved performance in the Special Judo Fitness Test, particularly in the first set, even with minimal recovery intervals. Overall, evidence suggests that coaches should prioritize conditioning activities that replicate the biomechanical and metabolic demands of the target task and carefully manipulate recovery intervals to optimize potentiation while minimizing fatigue.