Taekwondo Training for Youth, the Potential of Physical Value Education

Taeyang KIM(Research Professor, Traditional Martial Arts Promtion Reserach Institute, Youngsan University)



Taekwondo, a traditional martial arts practiced in over 210 countries worldwide, is gaining recognition as an educational resource that goes beyond mere physical activity and promotes psychological and social growth in adolescents. Through repeated practice, participants can cultivate virtues such as courtesy, respect, patience, self-control, and cooperation-contributing to improved social adaptability and psychological resilience among youth (Bandura, 1997).

Confidence, Achievement, and Psychological Growth

Domestic studies have shown that taekwondo training brings about positive impacts on adolescents' psychological stability and self-confidence (Kim Dae-hyun  et al., 2017). For example at one Seoul’s Elementary School's taekwondo club, promotion tests taught students that "it's okay to fail," and the parents reported that they witnessed increased concentration and perseverance from their children. One Taekwondo Club in Busan incorporated meditation and breathing to older adolescents, which actually turned out to help them manage stress and improve self-regulation (Lee Yu-jin and Lee Seok-jun , 2015). Also in overseas, the "Empower Taekwondo" program in California, USA, linked training with academic goals to enhance academic achievement in adolescents (Cho et al., 2017), and the "Integration Through Sports" project in Hamburg, Germany, gained attention for providing refugee youth with a community experience that transcended language barriers (MDPI, 2020).

Development of Social Skills, Understanding of Others, and Initiative

Taekwondo clubs are unique educational spaces where youth can practice social norms and cooperative skills (Oh Sang-hoon , 2020). The club’s rituals, the role of the instructor as a role model, and collaborative training with peers help youth learn to respect others and fulfill their roles within the community (Bandura, 1997). For example, one taekwondo club in Jeonnam Province operates a "mentoring program" where seniors support juniors to foster peer leadership and initiative. The "Taekwondo Character Education Program" of the Korea Taekwondo Association and the Ministry of Education is designed to foster social responsibility in youth through volunteer activities.

The Crucial Importance of Instructor Leadership and Educational Design

However, taekwondo training does not always produce positive results. Critical analyses suggest that if instructors focus solely on winning or technique or encourage excessive competition, anxiety and aggression can increase (van der Kooi, 2020). In fact, one university taekwondo club once sparked controversy due to its heavy focus on weight loss and corporal punishment. Therefore, appropriate educational design based on development steps, ethical leadership training, and a positive feedback system that transforms failure into learning materials for growth are essential (Bandura, 1997).

New Expansion through Youth Participation and Community Engagement

From now on, participatory design and community engagement that reflect the voices of youth would become crucial. Research on youth development suggests that learner agency is a key factor in fostering self-determination, learning motivation, and social responsibility (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Therefore, martial arts education settings also need an approach that directly gathers youth input and incorporates it into program design and evaluation. This can have an educational effect that goes beyond the one-sided transmission of values and increases the autonomy and subjectivity of adolescents, and in itself fosters cooperation, leadership, and social responsibility (Lerner et al., 2005).

Furthermore, Taekwondo clubs need to go beyond serving as the mere physical space of the club and become a community-based youth development model. Research in youth development, social education, and community welfare education emphasizes the importance of collaborating with local schools, youth organizations, multicultural centers, and welfare organizations to create an integrated environment that promotes youth psychological resilience, social integration, and citizenship development (Benson et al., 2006). If taekwondo clubs play a mediating role in these community-based efforts, they can also address societal challenges, particularly youth isolation, out-of-school youth, and support for multicultural youth. Such perspective represents a new direction not currently addressed in the martial arts education discourse. It could contribute to taekwondo's establishment as a valuable educational resource, not only for achieving quality martial arts education, but also for fostering healthy civic awareness and global competency in youth.

References

Kim, D.-H., Park, C.-H., Jo, Y.-J., & Kim, S.-J. (2017). The effect of adolescents’ participation in Taekwondo training on self-esteem, psychological well-being, and self-efficacy. Korean Journal of Physical Education, 56(3), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.23949/kjpe.2017.56.3.245

Lee, Y.-J., & Lee, S.-J. (2015). The effect of elementary school students’ exercise immersion experience on stress relief and self-control: Focusing on Taekwondo training. Korean Journal of Sport Psychology, 26(2), 123–136.

Oh, S.-H. (2020). The effects of teamwork, empathy, and leadership of middle and high school Taekwondo athletes on resilience and emotional stability. Journal of Korean Sports Education, 28(4), 89–103.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.

Benson, P. L., Scales, P. C., Hamilton, S. F., & Sesma, A. (2006). Positive youth development: Theory, research, and applications. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology (6th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 894–941). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Cho, S., Kim, J., Park, Y., & Lee, H. (2017). The effect of Taekwondo training on academic self-efficacy in adolescents: A 16-week intervention study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(10), 1147. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14101147

Kim, D., Park, C., Jo, Y., & Kim, S. (2017). The effect of Taekwondo participation on adolescents' self-esteem, psychological well-being, and self-efficacy. Korean Journal of Physical Education, 56(3), 245–256.

Lerner, R. M., Almerigi, J. B., Theokas, C., & Lerner, J. V. (2005). Positive youth development: A view of the issues. Journal of Early Adolescence, 25(1), 10–16.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

van der Kooi, T. (2020). Martial arts, aggression, and youth: Understanding the dark side of competition. Sport in Society, 23(5), 788–804.

※ Views expressed in this ariticle are the author's own