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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Review
article
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THE SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF MARTIAL ARTS PRACTISE AMONG YOUTH: A REVIEW |
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Jikkemien Vertonghen 
and Marc Theeboom |
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2010) 9, 528 - 537 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| Martial arts involvement among the youth has been described in
controversial terms. Studies regarding the effects of martial arts practise
on youth show contrasting images. While some refer to enhanced personal
and social opportunities for those that participate, others warn against
increased levels of aggressiveness and antisocial behavior among its participants.
The aim of the present review is to provide, firstly, an overview of the
major findings of studies concerning the social-psychological outcomes of
martial arts practise. Secondly, the limitations of those studies are discussed.
From more than 350 papers, collected during a two-year lasting literature
study, 27 papers met all criteria to be included in this study. This review
revealed that even though a considerable amount of research on social-psychological
outcomes of martial arts practise has been conducted over the years, to
date, it has not brought clarity in the existing duality regarding the possible
effects of martial arts involvement. It is proposed that a better understanding
can be provided if specific influential factors are taken into account in
future research (i.e., participants' characteristics, type of guidance,
social context and structural qualities of the sport).
Key words: Martial arts, youth, personality traits. |
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