The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lunge training on the striking ability of kendo players. Twelve university kendo players were assigned to either a training (n=6) or a control (n=6) group. The subjects in the training group performed lunge training three times a week for four weeks. After this training period, the pull-speed of the left leg during striking (p<0.01), the forward step distance of the right foot, maximal ground reaction force, maximal leg extension power, and the greatest leg split distance (p<0.05) all increased significantly in the training group. This study demonstrated that lunge training was effective in increasing the striking ability (i.e. increasing the pull-speed of the left leg after a strike) of kendo players.
