"Hungrig varg jagar bäst?" : En kvalitativ studie om manliga kampsportutövares syn på och erfarenhet av drastisk viktminskning inom svensk seniorelit

Sammanfattning: Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine male martial arts athletes' views on and experiences of drastic weight loss as well as how the athletes believe it affects their sports performance. The following research questions were used to answer the aim of the study:  1. What are male martial arts athletes' views and experiences of drastic weight loss? 2. How do martial arts athletes within the Swedish senior elite experience that drastic weight loss affects their sports performance? Method: The method applied to achieve the purpose and answer the study's research questions consists of qualitative semi-structured interviews with five different male martial arts athletes within the senior elite. The athletes have different levels of experience in various forms of martial arts, mainly wrestling, judo and MMA. The study draws inspiration from hermeneutic and phenomenological analysis. The athletes were given fictitious names to ensure their confidentiality: Benjamin, Bruno, Jakob, Martin and Björn. Results: The results show that martial arts athletes have different views on drastic weight loss. All respondents expressed that their views on drastic weight loss are affected by both external and internal factors. Knowledge and experience proved to be very essential in drastic weight loss. The two most prominent factors that affects the athelet’s sport performances are the extent of weight loss and the length of time in which the weight lost. In addition, the results also display that athletes have changed their views regarding drastic weight loss, where several athletes now choose to carry out less extensive weight loss because it has been shown to positively affect sports performance when you lose less weight before competition. Conclusion: We can see several connections between previous research and the results of this study. For example, martial arts athletes have different views on drastic weight loss and that it affects athletes in different ways. In sum, the five martial arts athletes in the study experienced extensive drastic weight loss as negative in regards to their sports performance. Despite this, it turns out that the athletes have carried out, or are still carrying out, drastic weight reductions on some occasions. This seems to be due in part to the culture that exists within martial arts sports, and in part to the recovery time between weigh-in and competition.