When it comes to sports and activities for your child, martial arts can be some of the most rewarding for them to participate in. They offer a balance of physical exercise, body control, mindfulness, goal setting, and healthy competition.
Martial arts encompasses many different types, so it can be confusing for parents to find the right class locally for their child to participate in. Read on in this week’s Pathway Parent Talk for some basic information about the most common martial arts styles offered for kids, possible injuries to watch out for, and potential benefits of training in martial arts.
Popularity
Martial arts are some of the oldest and most popular sports practiced among youth in the United States. While the exact number of children in martial arts is tough to know, it is estimated that 8.7 million kids are involved in some form of each year. Since 2012, the number of martial arts businesses in the US has grown about 18.7%.
Benefits
Increasing research suggests many potential benefits for children participating in martial arts including improved physical fitness. Depending on the type, studies have shown they can lead to improved cardiorespiratory fitness, speed, agility, strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance as well as reduced stress and school performance. Martial arts are also shown to boost development of motor (movement) and cognitive (thinking and learning) skills.
In Children with ADHD
Some studies show benefits specifically for children with ADHD by promoting discipline, increased focus, self-efficacy, self-regulation skills, positive coping skills, and empathy and respect towards others.
Types
The two most common types of martial arts practiced in the U.S. are karate and taekwondo. Many other types, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA, Judo, and Muay Thai, have also seen huge growth in popularity.
Each type of martial arts is unique in its focus and origin.
For example:
- Karate originated in Okinawa, Japan when weapon bans forced the development of empty-hand fighting techniques.
- Taekwondo originated in Korea and focuses primarily on kicking and punching techniques. The word can be translated as: tae (“strike with foot”), kwon (“strike with hand”), and do (“the art or way”).
- Judo meaning “gentle way” and jiu jitsu meaning “yielding art”, both originating in Japan, and often include grappling and tackling techniques.
- Tai-chi originated in ancient China, and is largely non-contact. It focuses on body positioning, balance, and relaxation.
Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a competitive, full contact, combat sport that has recently gained popularity. It blends techniques from various disciplines including boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Participants use a variety of martial arts forms to score points or force their opponent into submission. MMA has relatively high level of risk of serious injury, especially traumatic brain injuries. MMA should be generally discouraged for young participants.
Sparring
Most martial arts have some form of progression in skills, meaning that students build on their techniques under supervision. Students focus first on non-contact form and skill development before they’re allowed to “spar” or make contact with other students. In some martial arts, students can first test their skills with or against objects such as wood boards, sparring dummies, dummy swords and nunchucks, etc. After mastering certain skills, they can begin testing these skills against others.
Injuries
As with any physical activity, there are injuries that can occur when participating in martial arts. The types and severities of injuries depend greatly on the type and level of martial arts your child practices. Youth martial arts injury risks are very difficult to correctly report due to a lack of study populations in these age groups. Because so many kids participate in martial arts, though, the overall number of injuries do add up. Thankfully, these injuries are usually mild and not permanent.
Cuts & Scrapes
All martial arts types and levels include dynamic movements as well as some exposed skin from practicing barefoot. This can lead to small cuts and scraps. As your child advances to higher levels, the risk of injuries to the knees, feet, ankles, arms, and hands increases.
Overuse Injuries
Many martial arts techniques are repetitive in nature, which presents the potential for developing common overuse injuries such as strains, sprains, fatigue, and pain. If your child is training intensely, for long periods of time, and without enough breaks, it puts them at higher risk for overuse injuries, as their bones, muscles, and other tissues do not have time to recover between sessions.
Bruises, Fractures & Concussions
Once your child advances to the full-contact level of their chosen martial art, the risk of other traumatic injuries increases. Besides bruises and fractures, full-contact martial arts do have the potential for concussions.
The best way to prevent injuries in any sport, but especially martial arts, is to make sure your child receives appropriate training, coaching, and refereeing. This is especially important when children start to compete against each other.
Protective Gear & Equipment
Each type and level of martial arts has it’s own typical protective equipment and gear. It is common in non-contact martial arts to have very little protective equipment, aside from foam floor mats. These mats should be kept in good condition and cleaned regularly to help prevent the spread of infection.
When adding contact in martial arts, kids typically use some form of headgear, bodygear (especially of the lower extremities for kicking movements), and a mouthguard. These are helpful in preventing soft tissue and dental injuries, but unfortunately, there is no protective equipment that has been shown to prevent concussions.
In Conclusion…
Martial arts can be a great way for your child to get the many benefits of physical activity participation such as improved physical fitness, flexibility, balance, focus, stress relief, and even mental health improvement. If practiced appropriately they can be enjoyed in a relatively safe manner.
Always remember that no sport is completely safe and without risk of injury. It is important to know the types of injuries that can occur, and ways to minimize the risks. If you have any questions about your child should participate in martial arts, reach out to their pediatric provider.