Perceived health benefits of martial arts and combat sports

Introduction: While there are many anecdotal claims and a growing body of literature on the health benefits of martial arts (MA) and combat sports (CS), research on their perception by practitioners is scarce.

Methods: This cross-sectional study (N = 268) explored the associations between self-rated health and perceived health benefits of MA/CS, by utilizing a MA/CS specific questionnaire as well as widely used measures for mental and physical health. Additionally, the association of training age (in years) and training frequency (per month) with perceived health benefits was examined.

Results: The results of the hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses indicated that training frequency was not associated with perceived health benefits, whereas training age showed a small association. Interestingly, in an explorative step, current self-rated health was associated with additional variance in the perceived health benefits. Small to medium associations were found between mental and physical health.

Discussion: It is concluded that health benefits are reported by MA/CS practitioners regardless of training age or frequency, and may therefore be relevant to a larger population. Nevertheless, future studies are needed to further explore these relationships using a longitudinal approach.