Recovery strategies to improve the performance of martial arts athletes

The research focuses on the importance of recovery in taekwondo, an Olympic combat sport characterised by intense physical exertion and quick responses. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different recovery strategies, including Partial Body Cryotherapy (PBC), Cold Water Immersion (CWI), and Foam Rolling (FR), on physiological, physical, and psychological aspects in elite Latvian and Polish taekwondo athletes. Taekwondo athletes face substantial physiological and psychological stress, making recovery essential for peak performance, especially during rapid, repeated combat sessions. The research objectives include validating and adapting the Recovery Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport-36) to assess psychological recovery and stress levels, investigating the physiological measures induced by recovery strategies, evaluating the psychological effects of these strategies, and establishing the most effective recovery strategy. The scientific novelty lies in directly comparing physiological and psychological results to assess the effectiveness of different recovery strategies in elite taekwondo athletes. The study involves 40 athletes from Latvia and Poland, with interventions such as PBC, CWI, FR, and a control group. Physiological measures include muscle soreness, saliva markers of muscle damage, and heart rate variability, while psychological aspects are assessed using the RESTQ-S-36 questionnaire and the Determination Test.

Project related news

Participation in an International Summer School/Conference on the Sustainability of Physical Activity and Creativity

From August 19–23, 2024, in Kaunas, Lithuania, the international summer school/conference "The Outdoor Sports and Recreation Education Summer School" (OSRESS) was held.

During the event, RSU lead researcher Behnam Boobani gave a presentation titled “Recovery Strategies to Improve the Performance of Martial Arts Athletes”, which is related to his postdoctoral grant research on recovery strategies for improving martial arts athletes' performance. The audience, including professors and students from various countries, showed great interest, which led to the development of new partnerships with European universities—especially in Poland—for future research collaboration.

More about the event: https://www.lsu.lt/en/the-international-summer-school-will-…

Published: 26.08.2024

Participation in the 83rd International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia

The 83rd International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia took place from January 29 to March 7, 2025. The conference offered a unique platform for scientific discussion and collaboration at both national and international levels, promoting innovation and the exchange of experiences.

On March 7, during the section “Sports for the Sustainability of Society”, RSU lead researcher Behnam Boobani presented preliminary results of the RESTQ questionnaire in his talk titled "A Pilot Study of the Latvian Version of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire."

More information: https://konference83.lu.lv/en/

Published: 31.03.2025

Participation in RSU Research Week 2025

From March 24 to 28, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) hosted the international Research Week 2025. This large-scale scientific event included five international conferences, various masterclasses, workshops, and other activities. The event brought together researchers, students, cooperation partners, representatives from public administration, NGOs (including diaspora organizations), and media.

During the Research Week, RSU lead researcher Behnam Boobani presented and later discussed with colleagues and other guests of RSU Research Week the topic "Monitoring Stress and Recovery: Preliminary Latvian Version of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (RESTQ-Sport)", including preliminary RESTQ results.

Additionally, there was an opportunity to consult with representatives of the Horizon Europe National Contact Point (NCP).

More information: https://rw2025.rsu.lv/

Published: 31.03.2025

Participation in 18th Conference of Baltic Society of Sport Sciences

From April 28 to 30, Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania hosted 18^th Annual Conference of the Baltic Sport Science Society (BSSS). The annual event brings together teachers, research fellows, and doctoral and master's students from higher education institutions in the Baltic States and other countries around the world.

As part of the conference, RSU lead researcher Behnam Boobani gave a presentation on the results obtained during the study "Exploring Constructs of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire through Factor analysis".

Book of abstract - 2025-expanding-horizons-in-sport-science-and-innovations.pdf
More information: https://www.balticsportsciencesociety.org/new-page-2

Published: 07.05.2025

Participation in an International Summer School/Conference

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From August 24–29, 2025, in Lithuania, the international summer school/conference "The Outdoor Sports and Recreation Education Summer School 2025" (OSRESS2025) "SCIENCE-BASED MOTION THERAPY: OUTDOOR RECREATION STRATEGIES FOR ILLNESS PREVENTION, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS" was held.

During the event, RSU lead researcher Behnam Boobani gave a presentation titled “Monitoring Stress and Recovery post-Exercise Tools and Applications”, which is related to his postdoctoral grant research on recovery strategies for improving martial arts athletes' performance. 

More about the event: https://osress.pages.dev/editions/2025

​Published: 01.09.2025

Scientific Result Achieved within the Grant

On 22 September 2025, a project proposal titled “Application of Artificial Intelligence as an Exercise Recovery Tool in Athletes” (AI-ERA) was submitted under the ERC-2026-STG (Call for Proposals for ERC Starting Grant).

Published: 22.09.2025

Participation in European Researchers’ Night 2025

On 26 September 2025, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) hosted the European Researchers’ Night 2025 from 18:00 to 22:00, inviting visitors to explore the fields of medicine, dentistry, sports science, and the achievements of RSU researchers.

During the event, visitors had the opportunity to learn about B. Boobani’s Postdoctoral Grant research on recovery methods after physical activity, including:

• cryosauna,
• cold-water immersion,
• foam rolling,
• stress management using a GDV camera,
• emotion recognition with FaceReader,
• and to assess their stress response using the OptoJump Next system.

Published: 30.09.2025.

Publication

• ‘’Effect of green exercise on stress level, mental toughness, and performance of taekwondo athletes.’’ Archives of Budo Journal of Innovative Agonology, vol. 20, 2024.   Access to Document 
• ‘’Utilizing Facial Emotion Analysis with FaceReader to Evaluate the Effects of Outdoor Activities on Preschoolers' Basic Emotions: A Pilot Study in e-Health" (in the press, Q2 Scopus and WoS). International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering. Vol. 21 No. 7, 2025.  Access to Document