Martial Arts for Health: Translating Research into Practice

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American conceptualization of Asian martial arts : an interpretive analysis of the narrative of taekwondo participants

The purpose of this study is to investigate American conceptualizations of Asian martial arts practice. The study collected American martial arts literature that were known as influential to the American martial arts community and analyzed them to grasp how American literature conceptualizes Asian martial arts practice in American society. On the other hand, the study collected narratives of American martial arts practitioners to investigate how ordinary American participants interpret martial arts practice in the contexts of their own social lives. The informants were selected from the population of over 3 5 year old adult male and female taekwondo black belts. Through the open-ended interview, narratives were collected from 18 informants (male: 9, female: 9). American martial arts literature conceptualized Asian martial arts as a spiritual discipline and rejected the practically oriented perspective of martial arts including the competitive and sport-oriented modem version of martial arts. American martial arts literature emphasized the value of the traditional Asian cultures of martial arts practice and viewed some Asian world views and philosophies as a significant part of the arts. American literature accepted Japanese perspectives of martial arts as the main referential framework and neglected to discuss other cultures of martial arts, particularly the Chinese and Korean resources

The benefits of using traditional martial arts as an intervention programme for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

The aim of this paper is to examine the potential use of a traditional martial arts programme as a form of intervention for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (also known as BESD) and the benefits that such an intervention could offer. As a special education teacher and Karate-Do practitioner, I believe I can present the use of martial arts in the school setting in a different light, explaining their usefulness as a psychotherapeutic tool that promotes inclusion. In this paper the benefits and inclusive characteristics of martial arts will be examined, as well the importance of the instructor as a mentor, therapist and role model. There will also be a brief overview of similar intervention programmes that have already been successfully implemented in schools

Pedagogical inspiration through martial arts instruction

This article discusses how the martial arts studio can be used as a model for improved instruction for the classroom teacher. Four common teaching techniques, common to the martial arts classroom, are defined and described. They are (a) motivating by praise and recognition, (b) differentiating instruction, (c) using formative assessments, and (d) employing preventive discipline. Explanation and illustrations of how to generalize each technique for the academic classroom are also included

The definition of Martial Arts Studies

This article argues against all forms of scientism and the widespread perceived need to define martial arts in order to study martial arts or ‘do’ martial arts studies. It argues instead for the necessity of theory before definition, including theorisation of the orientation of the field of martial arts studies itself. Accordingly, the chapter criticises certain previous (and current) academic approaches to martial arts, particularly the failed project of hoplology. It then examines the much more promising approaches of current scholarship, such as that of Sixt Wetzler, before critiquing certain aspects of its orientation. Instead of accepting Wetzler’s ‘polysystem theory’ approach uncritically, the article argues instead for the value of a poststructuralist ‘discourse’ approach in martial arts studies

Integration of National Complex and Sports Techniques: A View on the Historical Media of the Chinese Martial Arts from Unification of Martial Arts (1934-1935)

The Unification of Martial Arts was an important publication about martial arts during the period of the Republic of China. As a media for communication, it exerted a huge positive impact on spreading traditional Chinese martial arts in its ways and the contents. Therefore, this paper explores this journal through the method of literature and logic analysis. The study finds that, in terms of the content spreading, Unification of Martial Arts mainly has analyzed the martial arts from its unified concept, its ambitious thought of building China into a powerful nation, the basic knowledge of martial arts, its history and the legendary stories related to it. In terms of the ways, photographs have become an important carrier of martial arts techniques and a way of expressing national complex. The communication and investigation have presented the readers with a learning platform for interaction. Meanwhile, the dissemination of information about other sports has broken through the limitation in martial arts communication, demonstrating the inclusive spirit in the sporting world

Martial Arts Participation, Aggression, and Self-Control: An Examination of the “Gentle Arts.”

The recent emergence of mixed-martial arts (MMA) as a professional sport has led to an increased interest in martial arts in the United States. While the visibility of the violence that constitutes mixed martial arts might be cause of concern, MMA is not indicative of martial arts participation as a whole. The martial arts have become an increasingly popular form of leisure that draws a broad, diverse group of participants. This study explores the relationships between martial arts participation, aggression, and self-control. Using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) (1992) and Tangney’s Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) (2004), my findings show that compared to non-participants, individuals who participate in martial arts training are less verbally aggressive, less hostile, less angry, and exhibit more self-control. &nbsp

Promoting Youth Development through Martial Arts in a Community-Based Program

The purpose of this study is to describe and interpret the experiences and perspectives of participants in a community-based TPSR martial arts program designed to promote positive youth development among at-risk African American adolescents living in an urban environment.Case study methodology was use to do investigate and analyze the experiences and perspectives of participants, relative to the benefits of martial arts, relevance of martial arts on life, youth development, and skill acquisition.Participants were four male members of the YMCA Community Action Plan (Y-CAP) program.Data sources included observational field notes, case files, and interviews with Y-CAP staff, participants, and parents.The specific questions that guided the research was: What was the objective of the martial arts club; What knowledge did the participants gain from their martial arts experience; Did the martial arts club promote positive youth development among at-risk youth; and Did the martial arts club experience promote physical skill and technique development?Results brought into view four diverse cases that proved relevant and informative in capturing the experiences and perspectives of participants in the martial arts program

PARENTS’ ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHOICE OF MARTIAL ARTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN

Child engagement with martial arts contributes to the development of their personality. These are sports activities that are not done within the school but during their leisure time. This children’s choice is linked to the social and cultural environment of the family and constitutes part of the family practices of social reproduction according to P. Bourdieu This paper examines the pre-school and school children’s involvement in martial arts in relation to their social origin. The sample of the survey consists of 268 parents whose children are involved in the martial arts in their leisure time. The questionnaire was used as a means of collecting data. According to the results of the survey, boys are more involved in martial arts than girls are a fact which highlights the contribution of martial arts to the reproduction of gender discrimination. There was a statistically significant relationship between the choice of the martial arts and the profession, the educational level and the income of the parents. It seems that both the profession and the level of parenting education and their annual family income influence the choice of the martial arts sport for their children. In conclusion, the martial arts, although they had started from the lower social strata nowadays a social development is observed. More and more educated parents, who belong to the middle and upper social classes, get their children be involved in martial arts, in their free time, since they have realized the importance of the martial arts and how these help in creating and developing a complete personality.  Article visualizations