Comparative Analysis of Visio-Spatial Skills Profiles in Boxing, Karate, and Taekwondo Athletes

Abstract

Background: Visio-spatial skills (VSS) are essential perceptual-cognitive skills that enable athletes to process visual information, interpret spatial relationships, and execute appropriate motor responses in dynamic sporting environments. In combat sports, athletes must rapidly anticipate and react to an opponent’s actions, making well-developed VSS crucial for optimal performance. Although boxing, karate, and taekwondo share similar competitive characteristics, each discipline presents distinct technical and perceptual demands that may influence the development of specific VSS profiles. This study aimed to investigate whether significant differences exist in VSS profiles among boxing, karate, and taekwondo athletes. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional design was used involving 150 amateur combat sport athletes, 50 boxers, 50 karate athletes, and 50 taekwondo athletes. Participants were assessed using a VSS test battery measuring six variables: accommodation facility (AF), saccadic eye movement (SEM), speed of recognition (SR), (HEC), peripheral awareness (PA), and visual memory (VM). Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA with η2, ω2, and Cohen’s f effect sizes, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: One-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in five of six VSS (all p < 0.001). PA produced the largest sport-specific differentiation (η2 = 0.457, Cohen’s f = 0.918), followed by HEC (η2 = 0.273, f = 0.612), SR (η2 = 0.224, f = 0.537), and SEM (η2 = 0.180, f = 0.468). AF yielded a significant moderate effect (η2 = 0.108, f = 0.347). VM was the sole non-significant variable (F (2.147) = 0.74, p = 0.479, ω2 = 0.000), suggesting domain-general encoding processes insensitive to discipline-specific training at this developmental level. Boxing athletes achieved the highest scores in SEM, SR, and PA, while karate athletes led in AF and HEC. PCA revealed a single dominant component (PC1 = 93.91% of variance), confirming that VSS function as a highly integrated perceptual-motor construct rather than independent sub-skills. Conclusions: Visio-spatial skills in combat sports are governed by a dominant integrated factor, with discipline-specific variations reflecting unique performance requirements. Visio-spatial skills in combat sport athletes are highly interdependent and largely governed by a single perceptual-motor construct, with discipline-specific profiles observed across boxing, karate, and taekwondo. The findings support the integration of sport-specific, ecologically valid visual training programs targeting key perceptual-cognitive skills, alongside routine assessment to inform athlete development and performance optimization.