Risks and Benefits of Martial Arts

Many students get involved with martial arts to help improve their lives with physical activity and learning how to merely defend themselves. A multitude of students practice martial arts. However, some people say martial arts is a dangerous sport for children to be involved in. In an academic journal, “The Future of Mixed Martial Arts or a Detriment to America’s Youth? A Call to Regulate Children’s MMA” by Daniel Neyra, a student of Kan Karate-Do for twenty-five years. In the journal, he discussed that there should be regulations against children sparring in a ring with minimal gear on. In some places, it is illegal for children to participate in MMA, which is why most fighters are over the age of eighteen due to how violent the brutal sport is, “children are competing in unsanctioned and unregulated amateur MMA fights without any state or federal government oversight, which puts children’s safety and well-being at risk”. There are many arguments about martial arts saying that the injury is not worth the risk. One of the reasons is that people believe that the injuries are so severe that it converts them away from practicing. On one hand, there are many arguments about martial arts saying that the injury is not worth the risk. On the other hand, others would say that martial arts are beneficial not just because it teaches self-defense, but the students get so much more out of training. Participants that are in martial arts will manage to achieve not getting hurt, but sometimes there are risks when sparring. People will say that the risks do not outweigh the benefits or that there is a risk, but for people that have participated in martial arts will say that the benefits you get out of training is so beneficial in one’s life.

Some people cannot sit around all day and stare at a television. Those who like to go out and perform activities, such as sports tend to experience a healthier life. Martial arts is a sport for anyone, young, old, tall, short, it does not matter. Students that have been with martial arts for a long time have grown to either enjoy it or despise it. In the article “Martial Arts Offers Brain-Boosting Benefits for All Ages” by Ashleigh Johnstone, a neuroscientist at Bangor University discussed how Martial Arts benefits students in all sorts of ways that most people would not think about. The sport helps students in all kinds of ways but it is known to, “reduce feelings of stress, as well as being better able to manage stress when it is present in young to middle-aged adults”. Martial Arts can help with memorization, discipline, and learning how to follow various tasks with a diverse group of students. Martial arts can encourage children to perform simple tasks while looking at the bigger picture of if they can learn then they can also help other students grow as well. There are many ways that martial arts can improve the lives of the students involved. With all the countless hours that one invests on the mat, students learn how to follow directions and are given multiple tasks to help improve their listening skills. In a LIVESTRONG article “What Are the Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids?” by Lisa Maloney, a retired personal trainer, discusses the different aspects to which martial arts can improve brain power. Students that have disabilities and practice martial arts can benefit by helping improve motor skills and by memorization. Martial Arts can help improve all sorts of skills with students that have a disability, “including social interaction and communication skills, self-regulation, memory, cognitive function, and postural control.” To practice martial arts, one has to be okay with being knocked down a few times to grasp the genuine value of this sport. Although, in the end, the student will get so much more than just self-defense. The student will learn that not all of their training is physical but mental and the mental part is what students carry over into their ordinary lives not just in practice.

With every contact sport, there is a risk that is taken. Even though people do not completely identify the risk that they are taking when starting martial arts. While most people that get into a contact sport end up loving it, there are a few people that do not think that the risk of the sport is worth it. In the academic journal “Youth Participation and Injury Risk in Martial Arts” by Rebecca A. Demorest and Chris Koutures. Demorest works for General Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Fellowship, Pediatric, and Adolescent Sports Medicine, University of Wisconsin. Koutures is involved with the CHOC Children’s Hospital and St Joseph Hospital Of Orange. One of the many aspects of martial arts is learning how to block, fall and kick, “Kicks to the head and face are legal and serve as point-scoring techniques in full-contact Tae Kwon Do. Some protective equipment is used but not always hand or foot padding.” Due to the level of difficulty and the level of power behind some of the more advanced kicks, they are assigned to the more superior ranks. Even though the kicks are traditionally produced for the superior ranks, it does not make the skill any less dangerous. Students have to be careful with the types of moves that they throw. For example, if their partner does not block a certain move, they could suffer from a concussion or their nose broken; it merely depends on how the foot lands. Research has also been done on Olympic TaeKwonDo, “kick impacts used in Tae Kwon Do had acceleration and recorded impacts equivalent to or greater than documented concussive injuries in American football. There is a risk when an opponent is trying to kick to the head to obtain extra points, but it is even more hazardous not to block. Most students like to spar against another opponent to see if their combinations can land them points. The points represent a way for the students to see what strike will help them get away from an attacker, but at the cost that someone might get hurt.

Ultimately, there are many risks and benefits, one has to look at when Considering to partake in martial arts. Martial arts is not a violent sport; it is preparing one how to defend themselves in a real-world situation. Although a student might get hurt, they can learn from their injury what they should have done. For example, a leg check while sparring will help the student learn that they need to pick up the knee so an opponent does not hurt them with that skill. A leg check is where the back leg of the offender has to make contact with the front leg thigh of the opponent. The only way to block this kick is for the opponent to pick up the front leg. It only takes a few times for a student to get hurt to say I need to block or I should not do that move anymore. In my personal opinion, I believe that the benefits outweigh the bad. Although there are many risks with injuries; bone and bruises will heal and in the end what you retain is for a lifetime. Even if a person has not practiced martial arts for years, the muscle memory is still there.  

Works Cited

1. Neyra, D. (2014). The future of mixed martial arts or a detriment to America’s youth? A call to regulate children’s MMA. Journal of Combative Sport, 2(2), 1-12.
2. Johnstone, A. (2018). Martial Arts Offers Brain-Boosting Benefits for All Ages. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-body/201804/martial-arts-offers-brain-boosting-benefits-all-ages
3. Maloney, L. (2019). What Are the Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids? Livestrong. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/146371-what-are-the-benefits-of-martial-arts-for-kids/
4. Demorest, R. A., & Koutures, C. G. (2011). Youth participation and injury risk in martial arts. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 21(4), 352-356. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e31821d4e4a
5. Pieter, W., & De Martelaer, K. (2014). Injury profiles of young taekwondo, judo and karate athletes. European Journal of Sport Science, 14(Suppl. 1), S130-S136. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2012.740051
6. Omiya, M., Yamamoto, Y., & Yamamoto, Y. (2017). Injury rate and type among children and adolescents practicing martial arts. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 16(2), 230-236.
7. Zetaruk, M. N., Violán, M. A., Zurakowski, D., & Micheli, L. J. (2005). Karate injuries in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 105(6), e76. doi: 10.1542/peds.105.6.e76
8. Gartland, S., & Malik, M. H. (2014). Risk of injury in martial arts: a systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(2), 98-102. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2012-091417
9. Balasubramanian, S., & Arumugam, M. (2015). Analysis of martial arts injuries treated in emergency department. International Journal of Scientific Study, 3(3), 108-112. doi: 10.17354/ijss/2015/307
10. Cassisi, J. E. (2016). Concussions and head injury in combat sports: a review. Journal of Athletic Training, 51(11), 1036-1042. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-51.12.02