Dear colleagues,

Researchers at the International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement under the auspices of UNESCO (ICM) are conducting a global survey of martial arts research trends, and we would like to invite you to take part.

The survey examines where and how martial arts research is being carried out around the world — the disciplinary backgrounds of researchers, their topics and methods, the challenges they face, and the priorities they see for the coming decade. The findings will be published in academic venues, and aggregated results will be made openly available through ICM's online platforms as a shared resource for the field.

We are looking for researchers and practitioner-researchers, aged 19 or over, who have conducted research related to martial arts, combat sports, traditional martial arts, self-defence, or related embodied cultural practices — in any discipline, at any career stage, including graduate students and independent researchers. Persons under the age of 19 are not eligible and cannot take part in this survey.

The questionnaire takes approximately 10–15 minutes and is completely anonymous: no name, email address, IP address, or account information is collected. Participation is voluntary, and you may stop at any time. There is no compensation for participation.

Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2nGsSeBVxoKjhQQd5vDz6AtYHQj-eD_ZlefkXxRgAKQVl6w/viewform

The survey will remain open until 30 November 2026. We would also be grateful if you could forward this invitation to colleagues who may be eligible.

This study has been reviewed and approved by the Public Institutional Review Board designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea (IRB approval No. P01-202609-01-026).

With best regards,

Sangjin Yoon, Principal Investigator — Head of Research and Development Team, ICM (sj.yoon@unescoicm.org, +82-43-845-6743)

DongChan Kim, Co-investigator — Programme Specialist, Research and Development Team, ICM (dc.kim@unescoicm.org)