Kim Yong Sup

The writer (Kim Yong-sup, 32) is in his doctral course at Indiana University-Bloomington on Recreational Theraphy. He has a 4th degree belt in Taekwondo and 1st degree belt in Hapkido. He has experience in teaching Taekwondo for 10 years in diverse countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and 2 years of experience as a physical education teacher in Ethiopia for 2 years. His areas of expertise and interests are changes in psychological health of vulnerable youth through martial arts particiation. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has left older people feeling isolated, impairing their mental and physical functions (Robb et al., 2020). The unexpected outbreak in March threatened the whole world, causing many deaths. According to the media, older people were especially hit hard. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020 shows that 80 percent of people who have died of COVID-19 in the US to date were age 65 or older. And many older people are anxious and depressed about this high mortality. According to preceding studies, regular physical activities help them relieve depression,  improve happiness and subjective health,  and enhance their quality of life.  In this perspective, taekwondo is a highly suitable sport to stimulate their senses and mental activity.

My research team at Indiana University School of Public Health conducted a study of ten white older adults living at the Retirement Community Center in Bloomington, Indiana. We provided a taekwondo program to study the impact of taekwondo on their physical and mental functions, from January to March. Even though taekwondo is a well-known sport in the US, there are few opportunities for older people to participate. The biggest reason is the insufficient human and financial resources in the communities. Indeed, the participants said it is their first time to practice taekwondo, while they had tried Tai Chi, yoga, and walking before. Each class was held for 50 minutes, once a week. In class, they stretched and practiced basic movements including a block, punch, stance, and kick. The average age of the participants was 79, and the gender ratio of the class was two males to eight females. The program was provided with the help of three volunteers who study recreational therapy in graduate school.

Even though the program lasted only for eight weeks due to the pandemic, we could feel that the participants were very passionate. Some of them used the internet to practice taekwondo at home, before and after classes. Some of them studied the difficult pronunciations of Korean chants including “cha-reut” meaning attention, and “juchum seogi” meaning riding stance. Many explained that, unlike what they expected, they could participate in many parts of the program, feeling thrilled and empowered. It wasn’t something they experienced from other sports. Especially, they gradually became familiar with the Korean chants in each movement and even obtained energy from them.

As a result, we could see that the program and the participants’ serious attitude led to a significant impact on their health. In the hour-long interview, the respondents emphasized the freshness of powerful movements of taekwondo compared to other physical activities. Thanks to the repeated training, they increasingly became familiar with blocks and punches. As a result, they were relieved from stress and gained confidence. In a personal interview with a male participant under the age of 72, he explained that, at first, he found it difficult to follow the movements in time. But he increasingly got used to the movements, now feeling his cognitive skills improved. In another interview with a female participant, she said kicking a target with the top of the foot was exciting, which she has never done before. She added that the feeling on her foot and the sound the movement made were wonderful.

In the beginning of the program, we often saw the older adults stumbling while performing a stance and a block at the same time. However, their movements developed over time, becoming more balanced. Taekwondo is highly intertwined with Korean culture. A participant emphasized that it was very interesting to learn Korean culture through taekwondo. They could feel that Koreans show respect to each other through bows, while people in the US express appreciation by saying “thank you” or shaking hands.

Not only that, some participants became interested in the Korean language and history. One of them was impressed by Korean honorifics while learning taekwondo terms. He found it interesting that Koreans use different words with the same meaning depending on whom they are talking to. Another member once shared the reading materials about the Korean War. It was interesting to know that things Koreans take for granted can be highly appreciated by these people.

On the other hand, there were some constraints. Most of the older adults had chronic diseases or physical difficulties. A participant under the age of 75 had trouble practicing, due to restrained movement and imbalance of the left arm and the left leg. Another participant under the age of 72 had to practice movements in a sedentary state due to the reduced lower body strength and dizziness. The program wouldn’t have been possible without help from the three volunteers who assisted the ones with cognitive dissonance.

While there are several studies and published papers about the impact of taekwondo on older adults, there are few in Western countries. One of the greatest characteristics of taekwondo is that when a player reaches a certain level of proficiency the player can practice alone, while taekwondo also plays a positive role in creating a social relationship between the leader and practitioners. In this perspective, I believe taekwondo can empower older people to overcome the extreme difficulties coming from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the participants said taekwondo is a “pleasant challenge” for them. I hope older people can enjoy taekwondo more.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19): symptoms of coronavirus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html.

Kaleta, D., Makowiec-Dąbrowska, T., Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk, E., & Jegier, A. (2006). Physical activity and self-perceived health status. International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health, 19(1), 61-69.

Kim, J., Kim, J., Kim, Y., Han, A., & Nguyen, M. C. (2020). The contribution of physical and social activity participation to social support and happiness among people with physical disabilities. Disability and Health Journal, 100974.

Kim, J., Lee, S., Chun, S., Han, A., & Heo, J. (2017). The effects of leisure-time physical activity for optimism, life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and positive affect among older adults with loneliness. Annals of Leisure Research, 20(4), 406-415.

Mochcovitch, M. D., Deslandes, A. C., Freire, R. C., Garcia, R. F., & Nardi, A. E. (2016). The effects of regular physical activity on anxiety symptoms in healthy older adults: a systematic review. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 38(3), 255-261.

Robb, C. E., de Jager, C. A., Ahmadi-Abhari, S., Giannakopoulou, P., Udeh-Momoh, C., McKeand, J., ... & Middleton, L. (2020). Associations of social isolation with anxiety and depression during the early COVID-19 pandemic: a survey of older adults in London, UK. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11.

Strawbridge, W. J., Deleger, S., Roberts, R. E., & Kaplan, G. A. (2002). Physical activity reduces the risk of subsequent depression for older adults. American journal of epidemiology, 156(4), 328-334.

 ※ Opinions are the author's own.