08/26/2026
WEDNESDAY RESEARCH
Back to School Edition! đź“š
School is back, backpacks are packed, and kids are getting back into their routines!
So we thought this would be a fun time to ask:
Can martial arts help kids do better in school?
Here’s something pretty cool…
Researchers studied 102 children and compared kids who participated in martial arts, team sports, or no organized sport.
The martial arts group showed better executive functioning and higher school marks than the other groups.
So what is “executive functioning”?
It’s the brain’s ability to:
🧠Pay attention
🧠Remember information
🧠Control impulses
🧠Plan and organize
🧠Make decisions
🧠Adjust when something isn’t working
Now think about what happens during a Hapkido class…
âś…A student has to listen to instructions.
âś…Remember techniques.
âś…Follow a sequence.
âś…Control their movements.
âś…Work with a partner.
âś…Accept corrections.
✅And keep trying when something doesn’t work the first time.
They’re training more than their body.
They’re practicing skills that can help them focus, problem-solve, remember and stay in control.
And as our kids head back into the classroom, those are some pretty valuable skills to have!
Does Hapkido guarantee better grades? Of course not!
But research gives us another reason to believe that what happens on the mat can have benefits far beyond the dojo.
So here’s to a new school year full of learning, growing, trying new things and becoming a little stronger every day!
🥋 Train the body. Train the mind. Build the person.
đź“š THE STUDY:
Giordano, G., GĂłmez-LĂłpez, M., & Alesi, M. (2021). Sports, Executive Functions and Academic Performance: A Comparison between Martial Arts, Team Sports, and Sedentary Children.
Find the research located below: 👇
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8622860/
