Martial Arts

Abstract

The martial arts have a reputation for being a high-risk activity, but are generally practiced in a safe environment. This article presents the results of a survey which is used to calculate risk of injury per 1000 hours of practice. The injury rate compares favorably with other mainstream activities; in fact, the martial arts are generally considered safer than most. The most common injuries occur to the wrist, hand, finger, foot, knee, head, and thigh. Special issues of importance for prevention and treatment of these injuries are discussed.

Pre-competition habits and injuries in Taekwondo athletes

“…Taekwondo, which originated in Korea more than 1000 years ago, is more sport than self-defense oriented [1]. In 2000, Taekwondo became recognized as an official sport at the Sydney Olympics.…”

“…Most martial arts athletes practice between two to four times per week [1]. However, like in any sport, the frequency and hours of martial arts training can vary widely depending on athletic and competitive level of the individual.…”

Socio-demographic factors of practising martial arts and combat sports by Warsaw inhabitants

“…More over, the vast majority of young people (95%) find a fight with a partner (in the form of games and exercises) very attractive [45]. It is considered captivating both by boys and girls [46,47,48]. Slovakian female school students claim that self-defence courses make them aware of various, often dynamic, scenarios and dangers (e.g.…”

Taekwondo Instructional and Assessment Strategies in Authentic Settings

“…Figure 1 presents basic taekwondo skills that are measured in this article. Although the injury rates in martial arts are lower than most popular sports (Buschbacher & Shay, 1999), the instructor needs to be aware of potential injuries due to TCs' aggressive behavior or misuse of equipment during the lesson.…”