Benefits of Martial Arts to Improve Student Performance
Location
SU-217
Start Date
2-5-2025 9:40 AM
Department
Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Recreation
Abstract
Martial arts are an ancient tradition of highly specialized combat techniques that are designed not only for the sake of sport but for physical, mental, and spiritual development (Brennan, 2024). Martial arts were originally created to help armies prepare soldiers for war and as time progressed, the focus became a vehicle for self development, physical education (PE), and health and wellness. The term martial arts became popular in the 1970s due to the rise of Kung Fu films and the cultural icon, Bruce Lee. While martial arts are mostly associated with East Asian culture, martial arts have been practiced for thousands of years across many cultures in places as far as West Africa and across multiple time periods (Desch-Obi, 2021). Today, martial arts are proven to be a great instrument of human development in terms of cognitive ability, spatial awareness, and behavioral improvement. These benefits are especially apparent in children, particularly in grades K-5 (Twemlow et al., 2008). When working with students, educators tend to primarily focus on attention span and behavior. One case study implemented a Taekwondo program to reduce rates of aggression and improve overall behavior in the classroom. The study showed a significant decrease in aggression, particularly from male students (Hoyt & Lakes, 2004). In the country of Dubai, a study was performed among 6th graders who had their traditional PE classes substituted with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lessons as the experimental group and the other half of the students as the control group, engaged in traditional PE lessons. The experimental group showed exponential improvement in the areas of mental health, classroom behavior, and academic performance (Bueno et al, 2022). As a youth martial arts instructor and exercise science graduate student, I am passionate about further studying the benefits that martial arts has on a students’ experience in physical education and giving them a new and diverse way to be physically active, while improving many areas of their life such as their ability to be social, classroom performance, and improved behavior on top of the many benefits that mart arts provides.
Faculty Sponsor
Kimberly Maljak
Benefits of Martial Arts to Improve Student Performance
SU-217
Martial arts are an ancient tradition of highly specialized combat techniques that are designed not only for the sake of sport but for physical, mental, and spiritual development (Brennan, 2024). Martial arts were originally created to help armies prepare soldiers for war and as time progressed, the focus became a vehicle for self development, physical education (PE), and health and wellness. The term martial arts became popular in the 1970s due to the rise of Kung Fu films and the cultural icon, Bruce Lee. While martial arts are mostly associated with East Asian culture, martial arts have been practiced for thousands of years across many cultures in places as far as West Africa and across multiple time periods (Desch-Obi, 2021). Today, martial arts are proven to be a great instrument of human development in terms of cognitive ability, spatial awareness, and behavioral improvement. These benefits are especially apparent in children, particularly in grades K-5 (Twemlow et al., 2008). When working with students, educators tend to primarily focus on attention span and behavior. One case study implemented a Taekwondo program to reduce rates of aggression and improve overall behavior in the classroom. The study showed a significant decrease in aggression, particularly from male students (Hoyt & Lakes, 2004). In the country of Dubai, a study was performed among 6th graders who had their traditional PE classes substituted with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lessons as the experimental group and the other half of the students as the control group, engaged in traditional PE lessons. The experimental group showed exponential improvement in the areas of mental health, classroom behavior, and academic performance (Bueno et al, 2022). As a youth martial arts instructor and exercise science graduate student, I am passionate about further studying the benefits that martial arts has on a students’ experience in physical education and giving them a new and diverse way to be physically active, while improving many areas of their life such as their ability to be social, classroom performance, and improved behavior on top of the many benefits that mart arts provides.