Study Review
Aside from many growing global issues, mental health is one of the primary concerns in the health care industry. Mental health issues are significant worldwide, and due to the combination of the high cost of mental health care and limited resources, many who struggle are not getting the help they need. This is creating major issues with personal distress, disability, reduction in labor force participation, and larger social and economic impacts (Moore 2021). The annual global cost of mental health problems worldwide is estimated to be $2.5 trillion (Moore 2021). While improvements in health care need to be made to address this issue, in the meantime, we can search for alternative therapies that are inexpensive and readily available for all people. Martial arts may be one of these resources. The following study conducted by B. Moore 2021 suggests martial arts may be a useful alternative resource to combat mental health issues as the study finds that martial arts have positive effects on developing students’ resilience (Moore 2021).
Previous studies have found that martial arts have been shown to increase confidence and self-esteem. The purpose of the study conducted by Moore 2021 investigates if a martial arts training program promotes resiliency in secondary school students. To test the hypothesis that martial arts increases resiliency through an emphasis on respect, self-regulation, and health promotion, researchers conducted a study on 283 secondary school students (aged 12-14 years) from government and catholic secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Students underwent a 10-week martial arts training course during school. Each week consisted of one 50–60-minute session (Moore 2021).
Each of the 10 training sessions were based on the traditional martial arts model, the dichotomous health model, and the social cognitive theory. The social cognitive theory “suggests that knowledge can be acquired through the observation of others in the context of social interactions, experiences, and media influences, and explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between personal cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences” (Moore 2021). Each of these describes the modes of learning that occurs in traditional martial arts classes: (1) modeling (learning which occurs through observation), (2) outcome expectancies (to learn the modelled behavior, the potential outcome of that behavior must be understood. An example of this would be reward vs. punishment after performing the modelled behavior), and (3) self-efficacy (the extend to which an individual believes they can perform a behavior required to produce a particular outcome) (Moore 2021). To accomplish the goals of including these topics, each class consisted of 7 subjects: (1) Psycho-education (including a guided group discussion on topics such as respect, goal-setting, self-concept, self-esteem, courage, resilience, bullying, peer pressure, self-care, caring for others, values, optimism, and hope), (2) A warm up (jogging, star jumps, push-ups, and sit-ups), (3) Stretching, (4) Technical practice (stances, blocks, punching, kicking), (5) Pattern practice (katas, ippons, kihons, etc), (6) Sparring, and (7) Meditation. Finally, at the end of the 10-week course, outcome expectation was accomplished by awarding participants a yellow belt prior to giving the follow up assessments (Moore 2021).
Data concerning resiliency was collected prior to the martial arts class starting, right after the martial arts class ended, and 12 weeks after the martial arts class ended. Results indicated the 10-week martial arts class had significant positive effects on developing students’ resilience. Interestingly, resilience was stronger directly following the treatment compared to 12 weeks later (Moore 2020).
Why is this study important and what are my thoughts?
I thought this study was very comprehensive as it included many research subjects over a relatively long period of time with several tests to assess the increase in resiliency. The results of the study are promising because (1) we now understand that practicing martial arts helps us to be resilient both inside and outside the dojo, (2) we can help children to become more resilient as they develop and face struggles such as bullying in school, and (3) we can focus specific techniques such as psycho-education and meditation on students in class who are struggling with resiliency in challenging situations. Moreover, martial arts may be an excellent resource to include in school curriculum to increase students’ self-esteem, confidence, and resilience.
Works Cited:
Moore, B., Dudley, D., & Woodcock, S. (2020). The effect of martial arts training on mental
health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy, 24(4), 402-412.
Moore, B., Woodcock, S. Dudley, D. “Well-being warriors: A randomized controlled trial
examining the effects of martial arts training on secondary students’ resilience.” The
British Journal of Educational Psychology, [s.l.], v. 91, n. 4, p. 1369-1394, 2021. DOI
10.1111/bjep.12422. Disponivel em:
If there was ever a time that our youth need direction it is now. Looks like the Martial Arts is the path to develop young minds and bodies to become good citizens. Thank you.