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Benefits of the Martial Arts for Children:
A Literature Review
by Efraín Suárez
for INGL3232
Introduction
The Martial arts have had a long history of discipline and training in the West.
The first North American practitioners of the Asian fighting arts were soldiers
stationed in Japan, Okinawa and Korea during the 1940s and 1950s, followed by
the popular 1960s movie star from Hong Kong, Bruce Lee; then by civilian adult
male admirers of Lee. Today, the majority of martial arts practitioners are young
people and children. Many people claim that the practice of the martial arts
encourages good moral and ethical development and develops beneficial
psychological changes. On the other hand, other people claim that receiving
praise and benefit for practicing violent activities (like some martial arts)
reinforces violence and conditions the practitioners to be more aggressive and
hostile outside of their activity. Most images and themes of the martial arts in
television shows and popular movies, plus the popularity of pay-for-view, no-
holds-barred, martial arts tournaments probably help spread and reinforce this
second claim.
Martial arts training
According to Binder1, Endresen & Olweus (2005) conducted a study that
participating in power sports (including kick-boxing, boxing, wrestling, and
weightlifting) "leads to an increase or enhancement of antisocial involvement in
the form of elevated levels of violent as well as non-violent antisocial behavior
outside sports." Since these activities contain few if any moral/philosophical
teachings regarding conduct, this supports our tentative conclusion that
traditional martial arts (which DO typically offer moral/philosophical teachings)
are superior to modern martial arts or combat sport training in reducing antisocial
behavior in children and adolescents.
It is our belief that the real benefits of martial arts practice are mental (some
would say spiritual) rather than physical. Martial art training uses unique
philosophical or societal concepts that other sports/arts don’t incorporate into
their practice. Most martial arts incorporate meditation and relaxation training,
learning how to focus and release energy, moving in tandem with a partner as
well as striving to excel alone, and achieving mind-body unity. The physical
exercise and mastery is, in reality, the means to a non-physical end, whether one
calls this state of mind enlightenment, self-knowledge, or achieving balance.
1 http://userpages.itis.com/wrassoc/articles/psychsoc.htm

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In children with low self-esteem, martial arts training can simultaneously develop
areas such as self-defense skills (to defend against physical bullying), physical
fitness, and instructions on how to handle stressful scenarios in a physical or
mental context, and self-confidence, through successful applications of martial
technique, such as board breaking or kata2. Anxiety and hyperactivity are major
problems that inhibit school performance. Meditation or other relaxation
techniques can reduce both of these problems. A student can be asked simply to
sit quietly and engage in actual meditation for a few minutes to collect his or her
thoughts. Meditation practice has the benefits of teaching children the self-
discipline of sitting still, focusing the mind, achieving a quiet state, and being able
to achieve self-control through an inner-motivated, self-starting activity.
Young children and adolescents need to learn structure, self-discipline, and how
to work in a group. They need to learn a competitive spirit in an environment of
fair play and sportsmanship. As they mature, the child has to learn that his/her
needs cannot be met through throwing tantrums, hitting other people, or
screaming and yelling. Kids also have to learn how to follow instructions, lead
others, think on their own, focus their concentration, and strive for excellence.
Other physical benefits that are seen in young Martial Art practitioners include a
healthier body, a more oxygenated brain, and a better processing of processed
sugars and high-fat junk food.
Also, a sustained commitment to martial arts practice (or any other sport) may
result in the child and parent paying better overall attention to diet, sleep
routines, and daily schedules, leading to a healthier, happier, and more
predictable child.
Muromoto3 and Fung4, both Martial Arts instructors and authors advocate the
emphasis on these mental skills when training children instead of focusing on the
martial /combative aspects. They state that a martial arts teacher should have a
balanced set of criteria in which a young child is judged not just on physical skills,
which will be limited by his age and physical maturity, but also on mental skills
acquired in training. Young5 takes it a step further by stating:
“…And what are your goals for your child? Self-defense? A competent martial
arts instructor will be well aware of the zero tolerance6
policies in force in most
public and private schools. He or she will teach "playground safe" tactics that
allow the child to disengage and seek help from the adults in authority. Avoid like
2 Kata (literally: "form") is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. Kata are
used in many traditional Japanese arts such astheater forms like kabuki and schoolsoftea ceremony (chadō), but are most commonly known for
the presence in the martial arts. Kata are used by most traditional Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.
3 http://www.furyu.com/onlinearticles/WhyDo.html
4 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/martial_arts/110289
5 http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/kidkarate.htm
6 http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/zerotolerance.htm

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the plague any school that shows a small child stepping into a "fighting stance"
against a mature adult. That's hype and so far from reality as to be laughable.
Pay particular attention to curricula that emphasize awareness and avoidance. A
kid will never, pound for pound, be able to fight off an adult. To believe so or
allow a child to believe so is ridiculous. Children don't need to be taught how to
"fight" (except for points and the joys of tourneys); they need to be taught to be
aware of the surroundings, how to avoid or escape and where to go for help.
Self-defense7
is vastly different than fighting8
, and both are very different than
martial arts9
.”
Fung states in his article that:
“I’m aware that, especially in the make-your-child-feel-good-at-all-costs
environment of the United States, a lot of little kids have been awarded "black
belts." Well, although it should be obvious, a child black belt doesn't have near
the skill level or experience or understanding of an adult trained by the same
teacher at the same school. Teachers are much less strict on their young
students than they are on adults, and that's as it should be. To teach a student
how to fight, an instructor must be harsh, strict, and demanding. And the student
has to learn how to tap into her killer instinct, to overcome any natural inhibitions
he might have about intentionally hurting someone. Because in the end, that's
what defending yourself comes down to: hurting your attacker more than he can
hurt you in as short a time as possible. Call me crazy, but I believe children
simply shouldn't be taught how to think that way; they'll have plenty of time to
learn how to mean when they grow up, and they shouldn't have to learn how to
defend themselves. That's why they have parents and teachers and police
officers. For a kid, karate class should be about exercise and fun, about learning
how to focus and how to set a goal and achieve it. Not how to maim and kill…I
believe children are innocent and sweet and adorable. But I also believe that they
can be shockingly mean and nasty - yes, even your sweet little angel has a nasty
mean streak that can come out if provoked. And since children aren't known for
impulse control, I don't think teaching them efficient, powerful ways to be nasty is
such a good idea…”
Choosing a martial arts style
One of the crucial features of the Martial Arts training is the type of martial art
chosen, as well as the lesson plans of the instructor. It is important to remember
that most martial arts were developed for survival. So, they tend to contain some
dangerous or lethal techniques. Thus, an important thing to remember when
choosing a style for your child is how effectively an art can be watered down
without losing its essence. For instance, it is difficult to make striking arts such as
Muay Thai and Wing Chun "kid-friendly." There's no way to avoid teaching
aggressive techniques in Muay Thai or Wing Chun. Also, a boxing program with
7 http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/self-defensetraining.htm
8 http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/fight_selfdefense.html
9 http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/martialarts.html

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a competition-oriented instructor will not provide the same experience as a Tai
Chi instructor who emphasizes awareness of one’s actions and thoughts.
Although both boxing and Tai Chi can be defined as martial arts, their histories,
emphases, and other features are very different. Looking more specifically at
karate, a Kyokushin Kai karate class (which emphasizes full-contact sparring with
bare knuckles) versus a Shotokan karate class (which places more emphasis on
personal discipline and control than fighting). Binder’s excellent review10
suggests that certain martial arts might lead to development of beneficial
psychological changes more quickly than others. If this is true, perhaps the more
complex movements and foreign concepts involved in some martial arts produce
changes more slowly. This distinction between a philosophical or societal
approach and a martial/combative approach to the lessons is a very important
issue.
With the evolution of martial arts into combat systems like Krav Maga and
combat sports (Kickboxing, Submission Wrestling), many students may only be
taught how to fight without lessons in the proper context for applying these
techniques, something that is emphasized in more traditional martial art curricula.
Studying an art without these philosophical/societal teachings is of little
therapeutic benefit (and arguably, detrimental to psychological health).
Summary
There is an abundance of empirical evidence over three decades that supports
anecdotal reports about the positive psychosocial benefits of martial arts
practice. Only three studies report no changes promoted by martial arts training.
One of these studies links this lack of change to training that emphasizes the
physical techniques of the arts without the ethical, moral, spiritual, or meditative
components included. Three reports make a similar conclusion about martial arts
students who develop negative traits According to Binder’s study; a goal for
future research will be to design experiments to determine which specific aspects
of the martial arts affect these positive changes.
Despite the unanswered questions about how these changes occur, the martial
arts are finding a niche in the treatment of psychological disorders. This is called
Martial Arts Therapy and it refers to the usage of martial arts as an alternative or
complementary therapy for disorders of the body or of the mind. The therapy may
involve applications such as promoting kinesthetic balance in the elderly or
impaired, through Tai Chi Chuan, or reducing aggressiveness in specific
populations This will likely prove to be a useful complement to verbal therapy,
though we have very strong reservations about equating Martial Arts instructors
with medical professionals. This said it is gratifying to know that research is
beginning to support the claims of the old masters: the martial arts can help
develop both improve physical fitness, improve mental/spiritual health and may
lead to a better, more peaceful society.
10 http://userpages.itis.com/wrassoc/articles/psychsoc.htm

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References
Binder, Brad (1999, 2007)
Psychosocial Benefits of the Martial Arts: Myth or Reality? A Literature Review
http://userpages.itis.com/wrassoc/articles/psychsoc.htm
Fung, Kent (2004)
Children and the martial arts
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/martial_arts/110289
MacYoung, Marc (?)
Children in Martial Arts
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/kidkarate.htm
Muromoto, Wayne (2003)
Kids and Martial Arts
http://www.furyu.com/onlinearticles/WhyDo.html
Ripley,Abida (2003)
An Awesome Alternative to Drugs:
Martial Arts Practice As Treatment For Children With AD/HD
http://www.capella.edu/portal/alumni/scontent/ProfOpp/EM_Ripley.pdf