Effects of Karate Training on Basic Motor Abilities of Primary School Children

“You never attack first in karate” might be the best conclusion of karate, which is a martial art practiced typically without weapons. It’s reported that karate has a long history for several hundred years, but the modern karate was spread to the whole Japan from Okinawa in the early part of 20th century. Now it has become one of the most widely practiced martial art forms in the world. Usually, it’s divided into Kihon, Kata and Kumite. As for the beginners, Kihon is more suitable for them because it involves basic techniques.

Due to karate consists of dynamic offensive and defensive techniques using all parts of the body to their maximum advantage, the best understanding of true karate practice is the perfection of oneself through the perfection of the art. It not only develops coordination, quickens reflexes, and builds stamina, but also develops composure, a clearer thought process, deeper insight into one’s mental capabilities, and more self-confidence. So many researchers studied the relationship between karate and motor abilities of people in different age groups.

In this paper, the author investigated the relation between karate training and five specific motor abilities of primary school children with no previous karate experience. And they mainly examined whether a significant relationship existed and investigated its duration. The 51 study subjects were primary students aged 8 - 12 from a primary school. And study subjects practiced karate dance for 5 minutes daily after the first lecture in March until the last lecture in May.  Then five motor fitness measurements were taken, including medicine ball throw, long jump, 4 × 5 m shuttle run, crossed-arm sit-ups, and sit and reach. All seven assessments were applied three times: before the interven

tion (between January and February, 2015), immediately after the intervention (in June), and one month after the intervention (in July).

Finally through analyzing the collected data, it’s found that karate training contributes to motor ability improvements among primary-school-age beginners, especially in long jump and the 4 × 5 m shuttle run, although the improvement ceases when training stops.

So it’s recommended that Karate can be a promising alternative in the physical education curriculum to improve the motor abilities of primary school children in the long run.

Article by Ada Wai Wing Ma and Lily Han Qu, from The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

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Image by Àngel Cortada, from Flickr-cc.