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Are these claimed benefits any different from those that gained from other sports activities?

Martial arts are similar to other physical activities in that they include physical activity, physical fitness, skills acquisition, and social activity. However, there are also differences. Most sports emphasize competition and winning, while the martial arts traditionally emphasize self-knowledge, self-improvement, and self-control that are gained through ethical teachings, ceremony, ritual, emphasis on integration of mind and body, and meditation. Some studies have shown that these non-physical aspects of the martial arts have a unique influence on the long-term, psychosocial changes seen in participants that is not seen in participant of other types of sports.

What specific aspects of martial arts training bring about these changes?

While it may be argued that what we get out of the martial arts is what we bring into the training, it is also possible that martial arts training makes us grow beyond what we bring. Some studies have tried to demonstrate the importance of class content on the changes observed in subjects. One study evaluated students from traditional martial arts schools (emphasis on meditation, respect, light-contact sparring, and patterns) and students from modern martial arts schools (limited meditation, respect not stressed, heavy contact sparring, and little emphasis on patterns). Beginning students in both traditional and modern schools had similar scores but advanced students in the traditional schools showed lower scores for aggression than beginning students while there was no change in the scores for advanced modern students. Another study found that both traditional and modern styles of training led to improvements in general mental health but that traditional students showed significant increases in scores for self-acceptance that were not reported for the modern students. Most research supports the hypothesis that the training environment and style of instruction influence these differences.

These findings suggest that martial arts should be much more than just kicks and punches. The training environment and/or the instructor influence whether or not positive psychosocial changes occur in martial artists, so, whether these changes occur or not is impossible to predict since there are many differences between martial arts classes, instructors, and teaching methods.

Is martial arts training an effective means to treat people with violent tendencies?

Since physical activities have been shown beneficial for various special needs populations, some studies have evaluated the martial arts as a means to treat psychological problems. These studies have shown that martial arts training was beneficial in recovering from psycho-sexual abuse, eating disorders, substance abuse, and growing up in dysfunctional families. One of the studies [Trulson, M.E. (1986) Martial Arts Training: A Novel "Cure" for Juvenile Delinquency. Human Relations 39: 1131-1140] evaluated juvenile delinquents that assigned to one of three groups: a group receiving traditional Taekwondo training, a group receiving modern Taekwondo training, and a group receiving increased physical activity not involving the martial arts. Students in the traditional Taekwondo group showed a decrease in aggressiveness and anxiety and an increase in self-esteem. In contrast, the modern Taekwondo group showed an increased tendency towards delinquency and an increase in aggressiveness. Students in the exercise group showed an increase in self-esteem, but no other significant changes.

Other studies have shown that Judo led to an increase in the social adjustment scores for developmentally disabled subjects, increased the psychosocial skills for blind, developmentally disabled children, and is a useful adjunct to community programs for the treatment of pre-delinquent children. Studies have shown that Aikido training led to increases in self-esteem for adolescents with behavioral problems and that it is useful  as an intervention strategy for middle and high school students with severe emotional disturbances. Studies have shown that both Judo and Karate reduced dysfunctional behaviors in male, behaviorally disordered adolescents. While these studies indicate that the martial arts offer a wide range of therapeutic applications, they are not a cure all, other studies have also pointed out the limitations of the martial arts in treating some disorders.

Martial arts are beginning to be accepted as a useful complement to verbal therapy for many disorders. It appears the traditional martial art masters were correct in their claim that their arts may be used to reduces stress and violence in their practitioners, and thus, in the communities in which they live.

Reasons for studying Taekwondo

• Fear paralyzes. When you are afraid, you do not always do the things you want to do. Fear causes undue stress in your life and your family. Fear is passed on to children so they learn to grow up in fear. Taekwondo helps you alleviate and control many of your fears.

• There is violence in the world. There are bad people in the world who have no morals or conscious so they will not hesitate to harm or kill you. Some think that putting evil people behind bars for a lifetime is punishment enough because the wrongdoers have to think about what they have done for everyday for the rest of their lives. This is the wishful thinking of people with a conscious. Evil people do not dwell on their crimes because they do not have a conscious. They may not enjoy prison, but they do not regret their actions. If released, they will do the same things again. You must learn to defend yourself against these bad people.

• You cannot rely on the “Good Guys” to protect you from the “Bad Guys". For one thing, the good guys are not always around and, if they are, you cannot be sure they will help. Also, you never know who they good guys are. Taekwondo will teach you how to defend yourself when the need arises.

• The one person you may count on. When you are in need, YOU are the only one that is always there and who is ready and willing to help no matter how great the danger.

• You can do it. No matter who you are, there are things you may do to effectively defend yourself. Defense is usually always better than submission.

• Nothing else matters. When you are facing a evil person intent on harming you, nothing else matters except your preventing the person from harming you. His bad childhood, the lack of school funding, liberal judges, corrupt police departments, your efforts in the peace movement, your being a good person, etc. mean nothing at that moment. Taekwondo teaches you what you need to do, whether you do it is up to you.

• To be prepared. You carry a cell phone, keep your AAA membership current, and keep a jack and spare tire in your trunk when you drive so you will be prepared for possible problems. Why not be prepared for an attack? Taekwondo will prepare you.

• It is instinctive. All animals know how to defend themselves because their lives depend on it. Parents in the animal world do not release their offspring until they have developed self-defense skills effective enough for them to survive. Why do humans neglect their children in this respect? Taekwondo will teach your children how to defend themselves in today's world.

• Confidence. To be truly confident in yourself, you must be feel confident in your ability to protect yourself and your family. Taekwondo will give you this confidence.

• Guilt. When you fail to protect your family or friends, or even a stranger, you will live a lifetime of guilt because you did not do all you could have done to protect them. With Taekwondo training, you will be more willing to intercede when needed.

• It is fun. It is fun to kick butt; that is why sports are so successful. Taekwondo lets you exercise your competitiveness in a safe, controlled manner.

• Win, never lose. We are taught that winning is not everything, it is how we play the game. In the world of crime, if you do not win, you will never play again. Taekwondo teaches you how to win, and how to deal with defeat.

• Human bodies evolved to survive. We have the innate desire to kick butt when threatened, and kicking butt makes us feel better afterward. Taekwondo teaches you street survival skills.

• Intimidation. In today's society where intimidation is prominent, starting on the playground and continuing into the workplace, being a wuss may get you injured or even killed, at the most, and left behind in the world of success at the least. Taekwondo do shows you how to deal with intimidation, usually without violence.

• Criminal are ready and willing to harm you. Are you ready and willing to stop them? Taekwondo will prepare you for criminal attacks.

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