The most experienced karate fighters are capable of hitting their opponents with incredible power. Although it is easy to intuit that, more than strength, it is a matter of skill, until now scientists have not been able to unravel the causes of this ability. Now a study published in the journalCerebral Cortexreveals part of the secret:the white matter of the ‘black belt’ brain is structured differentlyto that of the rest of the mortals.
The researchers, from Imperial College London, recruited two groups of volunteers: the first were karate experts with more than ten years of experience, while the second team consisted of people who exercised regularly but had no martial arts experience. The scientists obtained scans of their brains, and measured both the force deployed and the speed of movement when striking.
The results revealed that experienced karate fightersthey hit harder, their movements were more synchronizedand they showed marked differences in the structure of the white matter of the brain, specifically in the cerebellum and in the primary motor cortex, both areas related to movement control.
“Karate ‘black belts’ are capable of coordinating their movements at a much higher level than the rest,” explained Ed Roberts, one of the authors. “This ability appears to be related to fine tuning of neural connections in the brain, allowing them to synchronize arm and trunk movements very precisely.”
Scientists affirm that it is still necessary to study what are the characteristics of the white matter that determine this greater ability. “We are just beginning to understand the relationship between brain structure and behavior, but our results are consistent with previous research showing that the cerebellum plays a critical role in our ability to produce complex and coordinated movements,” said Roberts.
