Relationship between leg muscle explosive power and sickle kick speed in pencak silat athletes

Background and Study Aim. Pencak silat is a traditional martial art originating from Indonesia, characterized by dynamic movements and complex techniques. Practitioners are required to possess a high level of physical fitness, including strength, speed, and precision, particularly during attack and defense actions. One of its essential techniques is the sickle kick, which demands both leg muscle explosiveness and execution speed. This study aimed to examine the relationship between leg muscle explosive power and sickle kick speed. Materials and Methods. This study used a descriptive method with a correlational design and a quantitative approach. The sampling technique was total sampling, involving 42 pencak silat athletes. The research instruments included a vertical jump test to assess leg muscle explosive power and a sickle kick speed test, which involved performing kicks toward a kicking box for 1 minute (30 seconds with the left leg and 30 seconds with the right). Data were analyzed using normality, linearity, and correlation tests with the assistance of SPSS version 21. Results. The results showed that the significance value for the relationship between leg muscle explosive power and sickle kick speed was 0.01 < 0.05, indicating a statistically significant relationship. Conclusions. There is a significant relationship between leg muscle explosive power and sickle kick speed in pencak silat athletes. These findings can serve as a reference for identifying physical factors that contribute to improving kick speed in pencak silat athletes.