A Comparison of Visual Memory and Space Intelligence of Two Female Athletes Practicing Karate Committee and Kata in a Case-Control Study in Tehran

Visual memory and space intelligence are the most important talents for karate athletes. Therefore, the present study investigated the visual memory and space intelligence of female Karate students who practiced Kata and Kumite.
The method of this research was Ex post facto design. One hundred seventy selected female athletes who were practicing in Karate under the supervision of Iran Karate Federation were selected. Ninety of athletes practiced in Kata, and eighty of them practiced Kumite. The sample was selected by targeting method. The instruments of this study were two questionnaires included; John Luis Selier visual memory test, and Minnesota space visualization test.
The results showed that female athletes who practiced Kata had significantly higher visual memory than Kumite group. However, there was no differences between space intelligence in these two groups.
Our data revealed that the visual memory and space intelligence are very vital and play a key role in karate. To achieve a better result in karate competitions, practice and reinforcement of these skills seems to be crucial.