Features of the competitive activities of female boxers at the European championship

Abstract

Purpose: to analyze the competitive activities of female boxers at the 2023 European Championships and identify the dynamics of technical and tactical actions during the fight. Material and methods. The study analyzed 12 final bouts of the European Women's U22 Boxing Championship (Budva, Montenegro, 2023). Video recordings from the official channel of the International Boxing Association were used to analyze technical and tactical actions. Punches were classified into side, hooks and straight, and movements were classified into steps and jumps. All punches and significant body movements of the athletes were evaluated for each round separately, with the calculation of average values ​​and standard deviations. Results:  in the first round, female boxers delivered the highest number of direct punches (26,6±10,7), while in the third round, the highest number of side punches (25,9±8,4). Hooks remained stable throughout the fight, with average values ​​ranging from 10,3 to 11,8 punches. The total number of punches delivered by female boxers in percentage was: 34,3 % of the total number of punches per fight in the first round, decreased to 32,3 % in the second and increased to 33,4% in the third, which may indicate a change in the intensity of attacks in the final phase of the fight. The dynamics of the number of movements was as follows: in the first round, steps dominated (53,7±12,3), decreased to 49,2±14,1 in the second and increased to 54,3±16,7 in the third. The number of jumps remained relatively stable (33,5–35,1±11,2–13,7). The total number of movements decreased in the second round (83,9) and increased to 87,9 in the third, indicating strategic planning of the athletes' actions during the competition. Conclusions. The results demonstrate the change in the intensity of attacking and tactical actions during the fight. The highest number of direct blows was in the first round, while side blows prevailed in the third. Movements were characterized by the dominance of the number of steps, with a decrease in the second round and a recovery in the third. The total number of blows and movements reached a maximum in the first round, decreased in the middle of the fight and increased at the end. These data emphasize the importance of strategic distribution of forces during the fight and adaptation to the opponent's tactics.