Exploring MMA's Impact on Adolescent Health and Self-Mastery
School
College of Business & IT Batkhela, Malakand Agency**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
COMMUNICAT N5
Subject
Psychology
Date
Dec 10, 2024
Pages
9
Uploaded by oscar03h69
Introduction Is the fighter's strength truly in their ability to conquer others, or is it found in their capacity to master themselves? Understanding martial arts philosophy is very complicated, ideals are ever so changing, and it is hard to grasp the full extent to which art and sport can allow an individual to reach their full potential. Even notable figures like Bruce Lee, the world know martial artist, and Sun Tzu, a foundational figure in strategic thinking and philosophy couldn’t figure out an answer due to its subjectiveness, but it can be notably inferred; a fighter's true strength may lie not in defeating others, but in their ability to achieve self-mastery. The world of MMA is split in the middle from “subjectiveness” and “objectiveness”. Referring to the subjective nature here is mental and emotional benefits. The objectiveness in MMA comes from much scientific research using data, surveys, and things that can be physically addressed. Bridging the gap between both the subjective and objective is important when trying to address its usefulness in a male adolescent's life concerning “general health" and the significance it has when a boy first enters adulthood. Focusing on the ability to positively impact a male adolescent's life through MMA training demonstrates the true positive connotation MMA can bring through physical, mental, and emotional/behavioral aspects offsetting pessimistic views on MMA showing to be too malicious, taking a physical toll
on an individual, and stereotyped violent practitioners, which are presented through cultural misunderstandings. Using subjective and objective evidence sets the footprint on why adolescent should be put into MMA classes, to learn crucial characteristics of a man that have been offset from societal standards caused by cultural misunderstandings. The three main characteristics evaluated are: physical shape, mental resilience and physiological importance, and emotional and behavioral acknowledgment. Background Information Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full-combat sport that has multiple different elements of fighting styles which are practiced and honed in order to work on becoming stronger, to protect oneself, and to prioritize the most essential elements of good health. MMA is a combative sport which is a one-on-one fight with an opponent and the victor is decided by knockout, submission, or by decision from a set of 3 judges over 3-5 rounds of fighting. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) offers numerous benefits that highlight the significance of maintaining good health by addressing physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Through this convention it critical to evaluate how MMA helps improve overall health and formulates essential characteristics for adolescent's going into adulthood.
Literature Review Taking MMA as one source of exercise has many physical attributes in an individual's life such as long-life longevity through undertaking training asa practitioner of the sport. According to Saraiva, in the article, “Effects of 16-week Muay Thai practice on cardiovascular parameters in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity”. The authors present the evaluation onhow through training it allowed for a reduced heart rate. Stated, “As the main results, 16 weeks of Muay Thai practice demonstrated a tendency to decrease the resting HR”. The illustration above will set the framework to the argumentation of exercise in adolescents and setting a focal point on an inner physical characteristic in becoming a man by taking care of oneself. Proposed by Nur Ikhwan Mohamad, in “Sports Science-Based Research on the Sport of Muay Thai: A Review of the Literature” it is depicted the importance of diet and weight-loss to stay in shape. The text illustrates, “Findings which also indicated lack of protein and micronutrients indicated that any physical conditioning program prescribed may have much better results if this insufficient nutrient intake is solved”. Understanding the importance of diet and weight-loss allows for the correlation on how adolescents can be healthy and grow to be strong men from with in and out in physical aspects.
MMA not only depicts physical benefits, but mental ones as well. Moore, B, describes in “Well-being warriors: a randomized controlled trail examining the effects of martial arts training on secondary students’ resilience” that through training adolescents depict strong feelings of resilience and confidence. Stated, “The study found that the martial arts-based intervention had a positive effect on developing students’ resilience. This was especially apparent when the intervention and control group’s mean resilience outcomes were compared”. Through mental resilience argumentation for stress reduction and enhanced cognitive function allows for debrief on impact on adolescents. Through a training regimen of any kindof MMA technicalities individuals are bound to understand themselves at a deeper level affecting their emotional and behavior aspects. According to Alexandro Andrade, in the article, "APPLICATION OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY TO MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW” it is demonstrated how through mental toughness we can begin to see the effects this has on behavior our emotions through coping strategies. In the article it illustrates,” Their use also decreases anxiety levels, providing the athlete with an improved sense of well-being, self-confidence, and motivation (Belem, et al., 2016; Jowett & Spray, 2013).” Looking at the mental benefits of mental resilience allows us to live without anxiety and additionally allows us to see further benefits emotionally. A common stereotype of MMA is the belief that many individuals have cultural misunderstandings thinking it is dangerous, malicious, and violent.
According to Alexandro Andrade, in the article,” APPLICATION OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY TO MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW” the article states, “However, excessive aggression can be detrimental to athletes”. Evaluating the dangers associated with the sport and looking at the outcomes used in order to prevent this is essential to disproving the claim that the sport doesn’t make more aggressive people, rather it makes them calmer. Phycological AspectsProposed by Brian Moore, in the article, “Well-being warriors: A randomized controlled trial examining the effects of martial arts training on secondary students’ resilience” we begin to see the phycological impacts MMA can have on adolescents through increased mental resilience. Brian illustrates,” The study found that the martial arts-based intervention had a positive effect on developing students’ resilience.” Understanding this we can see the positive impact MMA has through increasing mental toughness inyoung individuals, but it also better prepares them for the real world. Mental resilience is important for facing the world because it allows them to be able to take on more pressure, stress, and difficult tasks that come upon everyday life, ultimately, allowing an individual to grow into becoming a responsible adult. Alluding young adolescents to this at an early age is critical for them to succeed and become successful individuals because it
causes for them to mature early on while also being able to enjoy themselves in a healthy manner by training and performing exercise. Increased mental resilience accounts for better cognitive and critical thinking skills. Proposed by Simon Creasey, in the article, “Could mixed martial arts help children to learn?” we are presented the information, “martial arts training can lead to increases in alertness and vigilance.” Understanding how MMA can improve alertness and vigilance in young individuals we are able to see the impacts this has on adolescents and their cognitive abilities, not only are they enhanced and allow for more attentiveness in whatever they are doing through training but that are also presented to self-regulation. Self-regulation is important because not only does it help an individual grow and think critically in everyday endeavors, but it also allows for them to stay focused, intrigued, and pursue personal goals whether that is physical or mental, which is important because having the ability to think for oneself without being controlled by others allows for true freedom and personal health to increase leading to healthier and happier life. Physciological One physiological benefit that is proposed through MMA is a decreasedresting heart rate. Proposed in argumentation by Bruna T. C, in the article
“Effects of 16-week Muay Thai practice on cardiovascular parameters in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity.” she illustrates, “Sixteen weeks of Muay Thai training decreased the HR children and adolescents with overweight.” Taking care of one's body is essential to live a healthy life, which can be done through many different methods, but understanding the importance of exercise is crucial for these goals to be met. Bruna proposed the study on overweight adolescents who have not taken care of themselves,leaving room for slow progress to demonstrate itself. Evaluating the results of the study we can illustrate the importance of having a decreased resting heart rate because now we can live to see future generations to come, through a longer life span. o Another physiological benefit that is found when taking MMA as a training regimen is the reduced risk of getting a cardiovascular disease. Likewise illustrated in the article by Bruna T. C, in the article “Effects of 16-week MuayThai practice on cardiovascular parameters in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity.” she quotes, “studies with intermittent martial arts of percussion in adolescents with overweight noted improvements in cardiovascular parameters and risk fac- tors for the development of cardiovascular diseases, such as abdominal obesity.” Understanding how MMA can allow for a decreased resting heart rate allowing to live a longer healthier life we can begin to see not only additional benefits but compounding benefits that come from it. A reduced risk of cardiovascular
disease, especially for overweight individuals, gives an individual the chance to live longer and be healthy, but also reduces diseases when older in age and the body's immune system is worsened. Through the benefit of reduce cardiovascular disease we can begin to see not only physiological benefits taking place, but this opens the gateway to phycological benefits to take place as well through improved self-esteem, cognitive abilities, and mental resilience. The sport of MMA has a lot of mixed opinions based on the ideology of whether or not it is a good or bad practice for adolescents and individuals in general. One of these misconceptions is that it teaches kids to be more aggressive towards others. Illustrated by Simon Creasey, in the article, “Could mixed martial arts help children to learn?” quoted another individual saying,” The more children practice aggressive motions, the easier it should become for them to carry out all sorts of aggressive behaviors." Understanding this misconception can allow us to not only understand this cultural misunderstanding but to be able to attest to its validity. Through mental aspects of the benefits given through MMA allows for us to see how cognitive abilities and critical thinking skills are enhanced, which is importantbecause through these benefits we learn the sport can teach kids to think forthemselves and critically analyze the things they learn and how to use it for the betterment of themselves. MMA endorses positive mental health benefitsthat teach kids how to control their emotions. Proposed by Alexandro
Andrade, in the article, “APPLICATION OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY TO MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW” he states,” coping strategies are used by athletes of different modalities to manage internal or external demands that are evaluated as being stressors.” MMA not only doesn’t illustrate aggressive behaviors for kids to cause harm to other but on the contrary, it causes for adolescents to learn about these emotions that they experience and how to deal with them in a positive manner, so they don’t inflict harm and take care of themselves in the process, which is contrary to the cultural misunderstandings of MMA.