When a Punch to the Face Becomes a Helping Hand

By Yao Sun

When I watched many Kung Fu movies and TV shows growing up in China, I was mostly captivated by the martial arts prowess of Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, and more. I often saw a story centered on a person who got severely injured and met a monk in a monastery (or found a book that led to a monastery) and learned some styles of martial arts. After years of practice, our main character not only fully recovers from all the injuries but also becomes a great martial artist that no one can defeat. Now, it’s time for revenge and redemption.

Martial Arts Rehabilitation as Revenge Against Injury

Even as a child, I knew the stories in the movies were fiction. Still, later in my own life, after 10 years of martial arts training and being a researcher in neuroscience and rehabilitation, I realized something important. Parts of those stories can be true—long-term martial arts training has therapeutic effects on the body and mind. The not-so-secret secret lies in the repeated mindful movements, etiquette behavior, and philosophy embedded in traditional martial arts training.

The Not-So-Secret Secret of Martial Arts Training

Many styles of traditional Chinese, Okinawan and Korean martial arts involve sequential movements practice or forms, called “tao-lu” or “kata”. These forms are the “DNA” of martial arts and are packed with real combat applications that are the foundation for applied training. Tao-lu and kata practice usually starts at a slow pace to build a sense of proper posture alignment and coordinated whole-body movements. This slow and mindful movement practice is important for motor training but is also ideal for people with reduced movement capacity.

It’s All About That Balance

Many studies show that long-term martial arts training can effectively improve balance control in those with a higher tendency to fall, such as older adults and people with neurological disorders. Professor Petra Jansen and her team found that 30 weeks of karate practice significantly increases the balancing time during one-leg standing in older adults with Parkinson’s disease. In a study by Mustafa and colleagues (including me and E. Paul Zehr), dynamic balance recovery performance was improved in a group of older adults after five weeks of karate training focused on a kata found in many karate styles called Pinan Nidan.

Martial Arts and the Autism Spectrum

Several groups of researchers showed that karate kata, Tai Chi Taolu, and Judo foundation movements can modulate stereotypical behavior in children on the autism spectrum. Stereotypic behavior describes repetitive behaviors without apparent functional meanings, such as body rocking and hand flapping.

The causes of stereotypic behavior are not fully understood yet, but a common hypothesis suggests it is due to the pleasant sensory feedback from the actions. Martial arts practice generates various patterns of tactile, visual, and vestibular sensory feedback. In addition, kata or tao-lu practice involves repeated movement patterns but is delivered in a more structured and functional way.

Perhaps importantly, the cueing for the martial arts patterns lies outside of the person in contrast to stereotypic movements, which are internally generated. Long-term practice may reduce the need to perform stereotypical behavior.

Courtesy and Etiquette Gives an Edge

Besides physical training, traditional martial arts also emphasize etiquette behaviors and explicit demonstration of mutual respect during partner practice. This creates a supportive social environment that benefits both psychological and cognitive performance. Professor Jansen and her team showed that two months of karate training significantly improves cognitive processing time and reduces depression in older adults. In a series of studies by Professor Movahedi and his team, improved communication and social skills were observed in children on the autism spectrum, along with reduced stereotypical behavior.

Ninja Training and Neurotrophins

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein that plays a key role in memory formation, neurogenesis, and neural plasticity. The effects of physical exercise on peripheral BDNF have been mainly focused on high-intensity aerobic exercise and resistance training.

Recently, two research groups measured BDNF along with various physical and cognitive tests in older adults who did Judo or Tai Chi and found increased BDNF release and better cognitive test scores compared to those in a control group. These results show that martial arts training may help slow down the aging process in our nervous system. For folks who cannot or are less interested in doing high-intensity aerobic exercise or resistance training, martial arts can be an alternative approach to bring similar benefits to the nervous system.

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Another study led by Professor Rassovsky showed higher levels of oxytocin (a hormone that regulates social behavior) in teenagers and adults after Judo practice. This was especially true after ground grappling. Martial arts partner practice involves various interpersonal interactions, such as eye contact, physical contact, and applying combat skills without injuring the partner and many others. Such results might explain why martial arts training can enhance behavior, social, and communication skills in children on the autism spectrum.

The Secret Is No Secret

Increasing scientific research confirming the effects of martial arts on the nervous system, functional performance, and mental health also reveals the not-so-secret “secrets” of the therapeutic effects of martial arts. I still enjoy watching Kung Fu movies as much as before, but now I also appreciate the science and arts behind all the moves.

To paraphrase Bruce Lee, before I studied the art and neuroscience of martial arts,

“A punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick."

The various training methodologies embedded in martial arts and their effect on the human brain and body can benefit self-cultivation, self-defense, and therapeutic rehabilitation. Practicing martial arts probably won’t make everyone become a Kung Fu star, but it will benefit people of all ages physically and mentally.

This is a guest post by Dr. Yao Sun. Sun is a rehabilitation neuroscientist working in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She received a Ph.D. and a black belt while training with Paul Zehr at the University of Victoria. You can read a prior collaboration here.

© E. Paul Zehr (2024)