EFFECTS OF AN 11 WEEK KARATE PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL FITNESS, AGGRESSION, AND ATTENTIVENESS IN CHILDREN

Jared Griffin1, Veronika Pribyslavska1, Mandy Northcutt1, & Eric Scudamore1 1Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR PURPOSE: Participating in martial arts may elicit physical and psychological benefits, particularly in children. This pilot study set out to establish a framework for investigating the physical and psychological effects of differing frequencies in martial arts participation. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate changes in physical fitness and behavior questionnaire data in children who participated in martial arts. METHODS: Children between the ages of 4 and 14 participated in this study. The high frequency (HF) group (n = 7) participated in an 11-week martial arts summer camp that met twice a day, 5 days a week while the low frequency (LF) group (n = 6) participated in martial arts classes twice a week. Physical fitness was measured by push-ups, sit-ups, squats, hip flexibility, jab power, and jab velocity. Martial arts instructors and parents completed questionnaires regarding participants’ behavior. RESULTS: An independent samples t-test comparing mean change for each dependent variable indicated that the number of push-ups improved significantly in the HF group compared to the LF group (t(10) = 2.92, p = 0.015). Observed behavior and attentiveness ratings for the HF group decreased significantly more than the LF group (t (10) = -2.397, p = 0.038), and instructor-reported aggression increased for the HF group significantly more than the LF group (t (10) = 2.831, p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: These results conclude that the HF intervention was conducive to increased aggression and decreased attentiveness. However, upper body muscular fitness did increase in the high frequency group; likely due to the increased volume of physical activity performed during the summer camp