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Effects of Chinese Martial Arts on Motor Skills in Children between 5 and 6 Years of Age: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Author

Listed:
  • Bin Li

    (Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
    School of Martial Arts, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China)

  • Ruijie Li

    (Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Haiquan Qin

    (Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Tao Chen

    (Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Jingyu Sun

    (Department of Physical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

Abstract

Children’s motor skills can be fully developed only by the appropriate stimulation of physical activities and the environment, and the poor development of motor skills greatly increases the risk of cognitive impairment, obesity, and movement coordination disorder. This study aimed to examine the effects of Chinese martial arts on the motor skills of preschool children aged 5–6 years through a randomized controlled trial. A total of 87 children aged 5–6 years served as participants in a martial arts sensory teaching group (MAST, n = 29), a martial arts traditional teaching group (MATT, n = 29), and a free activity group (FA, n = 29). The interventions were conducted twice weekly for a total of 10 weeks, with each session lasting 30 min. Children’s motor skills were assessed before and after the intervention using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2). The results indicated that the balance index scores in the MAST ( p < 0.001) and MATT ( p = 0.014) groups were significantly higher than those in the FA and that the MAST score was significantly higher than the MATT ( p = 0.004). Meanwhile, the MAST was significantly higher in total scores on motor skills when compared to the FA ( p = 0.039), and the MAST showed significantly higher scores on manual dexterity when compared to both the MATT ( p = 0.021) and FA ( p = 0.011). Chinese martial arts can significantly improve the balance ability of preschool children, and the MAST method was found to be better than that of the MATT. Meanwhile, the MAST had good potential for the development of preschool children’s manual dexterity and their overall level of motor skills.

Suggested Citation

  • Bin Li & Ruijie Li & Haiquan Qin & Tao Chen & Jingyu Sun, 2022. "Effects of Chinese Martial Arts on Motor Skills in Children between 5 and 6 Years of Age: A Randomized Controlled Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-14, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:16:p:10204-:d:890444
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fotini Venetsanou & Antonis Kambas, 2016. "Motor Proficiency in Young Children," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(1), pages 21582440156, January.
    2. Kyujin Lee & Yong Hwan Kim & Yongho Lee, 2020. "Correlation between Motor Coordination Skills and Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties in Children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-9, October.
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