Kick start – martial arts as a non-traditional school sport: an Australian case study of Taekwondo for Years 7–12 students

ABSTRACT

Opportunities exist for Australian schools to benefit from the inclusion of martial arts in the Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education and the pending inclusion of Taekwondo in the national Sporting Schools program. The greatest challenge for introducing martial arts into schools lies with instruction. This qualitative case study explores Taekwondo as part of a co-curricular sports program for Years 7–12 students at an elite private boys’ school in Melbourne, gauging the benefits for learning, health, and wellbeing of students. Themes emerging from thematic data analysis: confidence, discipline, respect, and fitness resonate with prior literature. New phenomena are benefits of leadership irrespective of age and Taekwondo’s positioning as a non-traditional indoor sport, inclusive of students unfamiliar with or disengaged from traditional team sports. The study suggests traditional Taekwondo can promote self-regulation in education and may usefully expand school-based offerings and repertoires in line with curriculum policy reform.

KEYWORDS:

• Martial arts
• Taekwondo
• health and physical education
• self-regulation
• valuing movement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ewelina Akehurst recently completed her Graduate Certificate of Educational Research at Monash University and is currently enrolled in Masters by Research at Victoria University. Her research interests are physical activity for health and wellbeing.

Jane Southcott is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, researching engagement community arts, ageing, and culture as both a historian and phenomenologist.

Karen Lambert is a lecturer of Health and Physical Education at Monash University, specialising in gender, sexuality, place, health, and teaching pedagogies.

ORCID

Ewelina Akehurst http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1871-7096

Jane Southcott http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1357-5909

Karen Lambert http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7406-4013