From the Guidelines
Taekwondo is a highly beneficial martial art that improves cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination, while also promoting mental well-being and reducing the risk of falls and other health issues, as supported by the latest evidence from 2020 1.
Key Health Benefits of Taekwondo
- Improves cardiovascular fitness through aerobic and anaerobic exercise
- Enhances flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination through dynamic movements and kicks
- Promotes mental well-being through stress reduction, improved focus, and increased self-confidence
- Reduces the risk of falls and other health issues, such as osteoarthritis, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, as shown in a systematic review of 116 studies involving 25,160 participants 1
Recommendations for Taekwondo Practice
- Start with 2-3 sessions per week and gradually increase intensity as fitness improves
- Incorporate warm-up exercises, stretching, technique practice, forms (poomsae), and sparring into training sessions
- Prioritize proper hydration before, during, and after training, as well as wearing appropriate protective gear during sparring
- Aim for a total weekly dose of 3+ hours of exercise, including balance and functional exercises, to maximize the benefits of taekwondo, as suggested by a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 1
Evidence-Based Support
- A 2020 study published in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine highlights the importance of regular physical activity, such as taekwondo, in reducing the risk of chronic diseases and improving overall health 1
- A systematic review published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity in 2020 provides high-certainty evidence that exercise, including taekwondo, reduces the rate of falls by 23% in older adults 1
From the Research
Physical Health Effects
- Taekwondo training may have benefits in aerobic capacity, body composition (fat loss), and flexibility 2
- There is no conclusive evidence that Taekwondo practice can improve anaerobic fitness or muscle strength 2
- Taekwondo as a security martial arts training increases the maximal oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold and accelerates an individual's recovery to the normal state of cardiorespiratory fitness and blood lactate level 3
Mental Health Effects
- Adapted Taekwondo improves mental health and general health dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in independent older women 4, 5
Risks and Precautions
- Pre-competition rapid weight loss (RWL) is common among young Taekwondo fighters, which entails a health risk 6
- Most athletes performing RWL were unassisted, and some utilized potentially dangerous techniques 6