Background Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) may protect against prolonged ischemic damage by improving autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. While IPC has been studied for enhancing athletic performance and recovery, its impact on ANS function and competitive status around exercise remains unclear. This study examined IPC`s effects on ANS function before and after taekwondo-specific tests. Methods This study employed a single-blind, randomized crossover design (IPC vs. Sham). Fifteen taekwondo athletes completed the frequency speed of kick test (FSKT) after each intervention, delivering repeated kicks to an electronic gear within a set time to assess specific anaerobic capacity. Heart rate recovery (HRR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were continuously monitored, while lactate and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured. The data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA or generalized linear mixed models. Results HRV analysis revealed a trend toward significance for the main effect of trial for LF (F = 3.18, p = 0.085, partial n²=0.102) and HF (F = 3.211, p = 0.084, partial n²=0.102). The DFA a1 during warm-up was significantly greater in the IPC (1.29 ± 0.15 vs. 1.15 ± 0.21, p = 0.049, d = 0.74), with a marginal main effect (F = 4.163, p = 0.051, partial n²=0.129). Post-test sample entropy was lower in the IPC (ß=-0.149, SE = 0.052, t=-2.862, p = 0.0125, d = 0.74). HRR at 60 s post-exercise had a significant main effect (F = 6.038, p = 0.02, partial n²=0.177), with higher values in the IPC after the second (22.47 ± 6.83 bpm vs. 17.53 ± 5.34 bpm, p = 0.036, d = 0.79) and third tests (31.2 ± 8.78 bpm vs. 25.13 ± 6.05 bpm, p = 0.036, d = 0.78). The 5-minute HRR post-test also improved with IPC (72.33 ± 8.71 bpm vs. 66.33 ± 12.85 bpm, p = 0.041, d = 0.53). Compared to SHAM, the total quantity of each set of FSKTs in the IPC was greater (98.67 ± 6.48 vs. 93.8 ± 5.00, p = 0.029, d = 0.83; 94.67 ± 7.05 vs. 89.13 ± 5.85, p = 0.027, d = 0.85; 94.00 ± 7.29 vs. 87.47 ± 6.27, p = 0.014, d = 0.96), and the first-round scores increased in the third test (19.93 ± 1.44 vs. 18.73 ± 1.53, p = 0.035, d = 0.81). Lactate clearance rate was greater in IPC (13.20 ± 4.84% vs. 9.22 ± 6.71%, p = 0.047, d = 0.66). IPC attenuated oxygen desaturation during peak exertion (post-test: +2.09%, 95% CI 1.18-3.00; p < 0.001), reducing the cumulative SpO2 decline by 56% compared. Conclusion IPC can optimize taekwondo athletes` ANS function, improve their physiological state during warm-up, and accelerate post-exercise sympathetic/vagal balance and metabolic adaptation, potentially improving competitive performance. Clinical trial number ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07146399 (Retrospectively registered), 22/08/2025.
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