Investigation of Body Perceptions of Karate Athletes

Abstract

Background: Sports are part of the social life we live in. Sports have an important role in the social, physical, mental and spiritual development of individuals. It has a significant effect on the individual's self-confidence, development of his character, being a social person, development of practical thinking ability, and mental and physical development. One of the ways used for the desired body structure is physical activity. They had the chance to reach a new physical appearance through physical activities. They have a new physical appearance and positive thoughts [1]. Self-perception is positively affected by participation in sports. From this point of view, examining it with different variables causes us to learn various ways to increase the effect of self-concept. Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the body perceptions of karate athletes, gender, sport age, and generation levels. Place & Duration: Data was collected in Turkey. Study duration September 2019 to May 2020. Methods: The research group consisted of 303 people between the ages of 12 and 20 who practiced karate in Turkey. Data collection tools 'Personal Information Form' and 'Physical Self-Perception Inventory for Children and Adolescents' scale were used. The relationships between the body perceptions of karate athletes, gender, sport age and generation levels were examined. The obtained data were made according to Shapiro Wilk normality analysis and it was determined that all variables did not show normal distribution. All analyzes were performed non-parametrically Results: The differences in body perceptions of 303 karate athletes in Turkey according to gender, sport age and generation levels were examined in this study, no statistically significant difference was found between the genders, sport ages and generation levels of the participants. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between body perceptions and gender, sport age and generation levels in karate athletes. Keywors: Karate, Body Image, Adolescence