Martial Arts and Combat Sports for Youth: A 10-Year Scoping Review

Abstract

Martial arts and combat sports (MA&CS) are lifelong nontraditional activities seldom available for youth in school settings. Research has found that MA&CS can promote a variety of benefits to youth with novel experiences that promote nonviolent, psychological, affective, cognitive, and physical outcomes. Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to identify and categorize the peer-reviewed research with a pedagogical focus on MA&CS for youth across 10 years. Methods: The key terms used related to MA&CS and young people. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for scoping review guidelines and included peer-reviewed empirical articles from six databases in English and Portuguese from 2013 to 2022. Results: The Results section was divided into a quantitative description of the literature analyzed and a discussion of the psychological, social, affective, physical, cognitive, and academic benefits of MA&CS interventions. Conclusion: MA&CS interventions can provide multiple benefits for youth in physical education and out-of-school settings.