Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas

Life in and out of combat clubs: the experiences of Iranian martial artists

2024-11-08T07:43:54+00:00

Considering the mechanized modern living in restricted indoor spaces, aggression and mental disorders among young people and adults and their negative consequences in Iran, in-depth studies of this issue are important. The purpose of this article is to understand the meaning of combat sports for Iranian athletes and to understand how it drives them to action. Following an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, 17 male kickboxing and muay Thai athletes in the Kurdistan province in western Iran were surveyed through semi-structured interviews. Four main themes and 12 sub-themes were extracted from analyzing the experiences of the research participants: (1) Increasing existential capacity, (2) cultivating a moral personality, (3) enhancing one’s health and (4) improving one’s lifestyle. Our research suggests that, for these participants, kickboxing and muay Thai have a positive effect in many mental, social and moral dimensions of existence. Moreover, because of the potential positive impact on the individual behavior, these sports are also very effective in reducing societal problems such as hooliganism, destructiveness and vandalism, suicide, inappropriate lifestyle, decline of values and violence.

Jump performance and field-based anaerobic capacity profiles of international standard amateur mixed martial arts athletes

2025-01-14T17:00:56+00:00

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport requiring the ability to complete repeated high impulse actions for 9-25 minutes. This study reports proxy measures of lower body neuromuscular performance and anerobic capacities of tier 3 standard amateur MMA athletes for the first time. A cohort of n=9 female (age = 20.5±2.8 years) and n=12 male (age=20.8±1.6 years) participants completed squat jumps, countermovement jumps, and drop jumps to provide proxy measures of their neuromuscular performance and reactive strength. The cohort also completed the special judo fitness test (SJFT) as a proxy for their anaerobic capacity. Participant’s MMA success rates were determined using their MMA bout winning %. Relationships between physiological measures and success rates were calculated using Pearson’s r correlation coefficient (p<0.05). Both male and female jump characteristics were generally equal to athletes from other combat sports, but below athletes from non-combat sports. Males and females were found to be ‘poor/very poor’ in the majority of SJFT factors. Female success rate was found to have very large relationships to jump variables (SJ r = 0.713; CMJ r = 0.794; CMJ-AS r = 0.718; all p<0.05). Male success rate was found to have very large relationships to SJFT factors (# of throws r = 0.732; SJFT index r = - 0.648; both p<0.05). These results indicate that MMA success is dependent on different physiological factors in each sex. These results may also highlight areas for concern in MMA athlete’s physiological performance standards.

Initiation to combat sports from the perspective of ecological dynamics: the Constraints-Led Approach

2025-03-06T18:00:33+00:00

This pre-eminently theoretical article aims to lay the foundations for an introduction to combat sports based on a motor learning model known as ecological dynamics, which tries to articulate the theories of James Gibson and Nikolai Bernstein with dynamical systems. More specifically, the article criticizes the cognitivism implicit in the notion of “knowing how to fight” (developed from comprehensive approaches) and proposes instead the concepts of combat motor literacy and combat dexterity from the perspective of ecological dynamics. The article also offers a series of pedagogical recommendations for the introduction to combat sports through modified games following the constraints-led approach (CLA). Likewise, it offers a training proposal from MMA and teaching practice using modified games from judo and grappling/Brazilian jiujitsu (BJJ).

Shin-gi-tai as a guiding principle in Kodokan judo. Yet, another example of historical reinvention?

2025-01-21T12:09:31+00:00

Judo national governing bodies in recent years through slogans, posters, cartoons, and web site information have attempted to reignite their members’ appreciation for a judo morality constructed on Japanese bushido. Similarly, several judo federations actively promote ‘shin-gi-tai’ (mind-technique-body) as a guiding principle for rank promotions and conduct allegedly in association with Kano Jigoro’s philosophy. Using translation, critical and heuristic analysis of relevant original historical Japanese sources, it is the purpose of this paper to investigate the origin, etymology and justification of shin-gi-tai as a pre-existing principle in Kodokan judo. Our results show that shin-gi-tai was first used in judo by Michigami Haku while teaching in Shanghai in the 1940s. After his arrival in France in 1953, the concept was introduced and distributed within the Western judo world. However, Michigami was not the original author. It was on the island of Kyushu, from where Michigami hailed, that the term shin-gi-tai appears to have been first used in the Heiho shingitai oboegaki (Memorandum on military arts and mind-technique-body), a text authored by Toyoda Masanaga, an 18^th century Niten ichi-ryu heiho swordsman influenced by Miyamoto Musashi. A similar term, shinkitai, later entered sumo through the Yoshida family, also active in Kyushu, who became responsible for the administration of sumo in the late Meiji period. Michigami as a young man had practiced both kendo and sumo. There is no link between Kano Jigoro and shin-gi-tai. While it is acceptable to use shin-gi-tai or any other legitimate meme in coaching athletes, asserting that it represents a fundamental principle that guides rank promotions and ethics in judo is nothing but historical reinvention that lacks any basis.

Development and reliability of test to measure perceptual-motor performance in combat sports: the Striking Reaction Time Task (SRTT)

2025-04-08T08:50:17+00:00

The perceptual-motor performance of 15 professional mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes was evaluated using the Striking Reaction Time Task (SRTT). Six LED sensors equipped with motion sensors, controlled by a smartphone application, were attached to specific anatomical targets on a human-like figure using a body opponent bag (BOB). The SRTT consisted of two blocks: SRTT-Simple, where one LED sensor was illuminated at a time, and SRTT-Complex, where all six LED sensors were illuminated, with the target sensor highlighted in a different color. Each block included 120 stimuli. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), and minimal detectable change (MDC) of reaction time (RT) were analyzed. Perceptual-motor performance, measured by RT, varied according to the stimulus type, with SRTT-Complex tasks resulting in longer RTs compared to SRTT-Simple tasks for all strikes except hooks. All strikes demonstrated good to excellent reliability, with ICC values ranging from 0.76 to 0.96 (95% CI: 0.62–0.98), CV values between 11% and 17%, and MDC values ranging from 47 to 136 ms, depending on the strike and stimulus type. These findings suggest that the SRTT is a reliable tool for assessing sport-specific perceptual-motor performance in striking combat sports. Future studies should investigate its sensitivity in distinguishing between non-athletes and athletes of varying skill levels, as well as its responsiveness to training interventions.