Is Martial Arts an Effective Way to Prevent Violence?
Can martial arts prevent violence? (picture source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elsamu/)
In a 2001 study, the researcher concluded that teaching children traditional martial arts in middle school can reduce violence.
Here’s the background:
60 boys in a large urban middle school were required to take a traditional martial arts course in their school. Before doing so, their teacheres rated their violent behavior.
The boys were separated into two groups: the “treatment group” (those taking the martial arts course) and the “control” group (those not taking the martial arts course).
What were the results?
There were significant differences between the groups on self-reported happiness and schoolwork and on one measure of attention. The treatment group showed decreased violence and positive changes in psychological risk factors.
And after the “controls” took the martial arts course, their scores fell into line with the treatment group’s scores of lower violence.
Their scores improved significantly in the areas of resistance to rules, impulsiveness, and inappropriate social behavior.
This study seems to suggest traditional martial arts training for middle school age children helps decrease violence.