Investigating the level of sports success of Iranian karate athletes with an emphasis on individual creativity

To investigate whether the type of early sport participation (early specialization and diversification), age of sport initiation, and level of sports performance can enhance creativity in elite karate athletes.

This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted among National Team and the Premier League Karate athletes (69 subjects). The Torrance Creativity Scale and Personal History Questionnaire were used to determine the individual's level of performance and type of physical activity. The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) (1977) found that fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration were the most important cognitive processes for defining and assessing creativity. Sixty-nine karate athletes (Mage = 24.05, SD = 1.42) were randomly selected to complete a questionnaire regarding creativity, type of participation, and championship history. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS. Examination of the main post-hoc outcomes was performed using pairwise Bonferroni-corrected comparisons. The significance level was set at P=0.05.

The results showed that athlete creativity at the global competitive level is improved by diversifying the sport. However, local competitions encouraged the creativity of early athletes specializing in their sport. Moreover, the beginning of the sports era brought increased precision and flexibility, increased success on a global scale, and influenced creativity. Diversification makes no difference in language ability or originality.

The results indicate that the type of sport practiced and the age at which the sport begins can positively influence creativity in karate athletes.