Abstract
This study explores early sport participation patterns in Taekwondo, focusing on early specialization and its potential benefits and drawbacks. An online (REDCap) version of the Exposure to Sport Scale was used to collect demographic information, sport history, current practices, competition engagement, and play experiences from 60 adult Taekwondo athletes (18+) currently or formerly competing at the senior international level. The sample included athletes from North America (n = 22), South America (n = 18), Asia (n = 12), and Europe (n = 8). Athletes were classified into two groups based on their transition age to single-sport participation: highly specialized (n = 37) and other engagement patterns (n = 23). Analysis revealed that highly specialized athletes averaged lower rankings Olympic rankings (t(36.8) = 1.995, p = .054, d = .479). Differences in Olympic ranking were also observed between engagement patterns across regions, but these differences were not statistically significant (F(2,42) = .211, p = .811, η;p2 = .010). A MANOVA comparing super-elite, elite, and competitive ranking groups showed a significant difference in training hours between the competitive and elite groups, (F(2,49) = 4.620, p = .015, η;p2 = .159), and a marginally significant difference in Taekwondo start age, with super-elite athletes starting later than elite and competitive athletes (F(2,49) = 3.049, p = .056, η;p2 = .111). These results suggest alternative engagement patterns benefit Taekwondo athletes pursuing super-elite status; however, further research is needed to identify the optimal early engagement pattern and its potential regional variations.
