BENEFITS OF KARATE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
by Sensei Peter Spiess, posted 11/6/2023
The purpose of this article is to examine the benefits the practice of Karate may bring to persons with physical or certain mental disabilities, together with some practical applications and modifications to the teaching of Karate that can be incorporated to allow for a student’s disabilities. A common aspect encountered by many (if not most) individuals with a disability is a lack of self-esteem. Self-esteem reflects an individual's overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. ... Smith and Mackie (2007) defined it by saying "The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it." A lack of self-esteem or feeling of self-worth has a serious impact; the publication Psychology Today has stated that “Possessing little self-regard can lead people to become depressed, to fall short of their potential, or to tolerate abusive situations and relationships.” There can be many reasons for a lack of self-esteem, but certainly the feeling of being different from one’s peers that can be experienced by those with physical or mental disabilities contributes to a lack of self-esteem. The question then becomes: can self-esteem be improved through the practice of karate? Clearly the answer is yes.
THE IMPACT OF THE PRACTICE OF KARATE ON PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND SELF-ESTEEM.
At the simplest level, a physical disability may be defined as a person’s inherent inability to perform common physical tasks readily performed by others. This definition embodies the idea that when one is disabled, that person is different, and somehow less capable, than everyone else in the group.
- “Everyone else can walk, but I’m stuck in this wheelchair.”
- “Everyone else can walk through a room with little thought, but my blindness requires me to use a cane.”
- “The crutches I have to use since polio deformed my legs make me look different from everyone else, make me look weird.”
While the practice of karate will not necessarily allow the paraplegic to walk again, or the blind to see, or cure polio, it can allow the practitioner to gain an enhanced level of self-respect through an appreciation of newfound abilities; allowing one to redefine who they are. The many hours of repetitive exercise in karate training can improve the conditioning and enhancement of abilities already possessed by the disabled.
For example, a person in a wheelchair can perform upper body movements, such as strikes and blocks with the arms, elbows and hands and even use traditional weapons (with some modifications of technique), resulting in upper body conditioning and increased ability to defend themselves. Similarly, a person in a wheelchair can learn katas which have been modified to take into account positioning of the chair rather than stepping or foot position. A person who must use a cane can be taught techniques similar to those used for the hanbo, thus learning that their reliance on a cane may actually be an advantage in self-defense.
A blind person can perform all of the karate techniques, although teaching of the techniques must be modified to account for the lack of sight (more about that later). The blind and can also perform entire karate katas in areas they know to be clear of obstacles, thus gaining mental discipline, confidence, conditioning and improving balance. In short, by expanding their physical abilities and conditioning, a person with physical limitations can gain increased self-esteem or self-respect when they realize they are able to do much of what their fellow non-disabled students can do, albeit with some modifications, and at the same time increase their ability to defend themselves, thus reducing the feeling of helplessness.
With the application of some imagination, the exercises, techniques, katas, and training in karate can all be modified to address the physical restrictions experienced by persons with many different types of physical disabilities. Some suggestions on how to tailor training so that the disabled can participate in training with students who are not similarly restricted are discussed below. The inclusion of those with disabilities in the training of the entire class at various times is extremely important to make them part of the “group” and reduce the feeling of being “different.”
Persons with physical limitations may also fear that they are unable to defend themselves against others. This fear leads to feelings of inadequacy and a lack of self-esteem. For example, one fear of people confined to a wheelchair is that they will lose their mobility if knocked out of their chair (wheels=legs) and thus be unable to defend themselves. By teaching grappling techniques and striking attacks to vulnerable parts of their attacker’s body with their hands or weapons (eg. a jiffa or simply a small oak or steel rod) can reduce this fear of helplessness and improve self-image. Similarly, the blind can be taught grabbing and grappling techniques which allow them to stay in physical contact with their attacker, enhancing their ability to recognize their attacker’s position to strike effectively with counter-attacks. This then reduces the fear of not knowing where the attacker is, where the attack will come from, or where to counter to protect one-self, and enhances one’s belief that they can more effectively defend themselves. This new ability to defend oneself can then increase a disabled individual’s feeling of self-esteem and self-worth.
In addition to the benefits of increased self-esteem and physical conditioning, karate training also provides improved balance and an increased ability to move in three-dimensional space. Many persons with physical restrictions will have balance issues: the blind stumbling when they come upon an unexpected hurdle or drop in elevation, the Parkinson’s patient who wants to exercise some control over their tremors by training their bodies to perform specific movements[1], or the balance issues faced by someone walking with a cane or leg braces. Obviously, these are just a small sample of the balance issues faced by disabled persons. Karate training involves learning movements which require an increased awareness of one’s body and the development of balance. By increasing the individual’s ability to balance, a renewed confidence in simply moving can be developed.
For example, a person in a wheelchair can perform upper body movements, such as strikes and blocks with the arms, elbows and hands and even use traditional weapons (with some modifications of technique), resulting in upper body conditioning and increased ability to defend themselves. Similarly, a person in a wheelchair can learn katas which have been modified to take into account positioning of the chair rather than stepping or foot position. A person who must use a cane can be taught techniques similar to those used for the hanbo, thus learning that their reliance on a cane may actually be an advantage in self-defense.
A blind person can perform all of the karate techniques, although teaching of the techniques must be modified to account for the lack of sight (more about that later). The blind and can also perform entire karate katas in areas they know to be clear of obstacles, thus gaining mental discipline, confidence, conditioning and improving balance. In short, by expanding their physical abilities and conditioning, a person with physical limitations can gain increased self-esteem or self-respect when they realize they are able to do much of what their fellow non-disabled students can do, albeit with some modifications, and at the same time increase their ability to defend themselves, thus reducing the feeling of helplessness.
With the application of some imagination, the exercises, techniques, katas, and training in karate can all be modified to address the physical restrictions experienced by persons with many different types of physical disabilities. Some suggestions on how to tailor training so that the disabled can participate in training with students who are not similarly restricted are discussed below. The inclusion of those with disabilities in the training of the entire class at various times is extremely important to make them part of the “group” and reduce the feeling of being “different.”
Persons with physical limitations may also fear that they are unable to defend themselves against others. This fear leads to feelings of inadequacy and a lack of self-esteem. For example, one fear of people confined to a wheelchair is that they will lose their mobility if knocked out of their chair (wheels=legs) and thus be unable to defend themselves. By teaching grappling techniques and striking attacks to vulnerable parts of their attacker’s body with their hands or weapons (eg. a jiffa or simply a small oak or steel rod) can reduce this fear of helplessness and improve self-image. Similarly, the blind can be taught grabbing and grappling techniques which allow them to stay in physical contact with their attacker, enhancing their ability to recognize their attacker’s position to strike effectively with counter-attacks. This then reduces the fear of not knowing where the attacker is, where the attack will come from, or where to counter to protect one-self, and enhances one’s belief that they can more effectively defend themselves. This new ability to defend oneself can then increase a disabled individual’s feeling of self-esteem and self-worth.
In addition to the benefits of increased self-esteem and physical conditioning, karate training also provides improved balance and an increased ability to move in three-dimensional space. Many persons with physical restrictions will have balance issues: the blind stumbling when they come upon an unexpected hurdle or drop in elevation, the Parkinson’s patient who wants to exercise some control over their tremors by training their bodies to perform specific movements[1], or the balance issues faced by someone walking with a cane or leg braces. Obviously, these are just a small sample of the balance issues faced by disabled persons. Karate training involves learning movements which require an increased awareness of one’s body and the development of balance. By increasing the individual’s ability to balance, a renewed confidence in simply moving can be developed.
MENTAL DISABILITIES, SELF-ESTEEM AND KARATE
For purposes of this discussion, the primary mental disabilities considered are mild to moderate autism spectrum disorder and persons with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The primary difference between a person with a physical restriction training in karate and a person with a mental disability, is that one is limited by a physical restriction, while the other is limited by mental focus or a scope of understanding.
“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. The symptoms are present from early childhood and affect daily functioning. The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in people with ASD. . . .The severity of ASD can vary greatly and is based on the degree to which social communication, insistence of sameness of activities and surroundings, and repetitive patterns of behavior affect the daily functioning of the individual.”[2] Karate training may help those with ASD who are able to perform the activities of daily living, yet demonstrate difficulty in socialization and in the ability to focus on specific tasks outside the area of their normal interest.
Common symptoms among those with a form of ASD are:[3]
In a 2015 study, this same group, minus the participation of Ahmad Abedi and the addition of Carl Sorensen, published an article entitled “The Effect of Karate Techniques Training on Communication Deficit of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.” In this study, the team found that teaching kata to children with ASD led to a significant reduction in their communication deficit compared to a control group.
The following year, The Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, August 2016, published a study authored by Yumi Kim from the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Northridge. This study investigated the effects of an 8-week program of training in Tae Kwon Do on balance in children with ASD compared to a control group. The study’s finding suggested that karate training is a feasible and effective therapeutic option for balance improvement of children with ASD.
Thus, when taken as a whole, these four studies concluded that karate training improved the following among children with ASD: (a) their stereotypic/repetitive behavior, (b) their social dysfunction, (c) their balance, and (d) their engagement in effective communication. Each of these elements assists the child with ASD or ADHD to integrate into their social setting, thereby diminishing their feeling of being different and increasing their self-esteem. Additional studies have found anecdotal evidence that karate training also improves focus and self-regulation among those with ASD. Many of the same benefits should also evidence themselves among those with ADHD because of the emphasis placed on self-control and focus in karate training. In addition, the environment in the dojo provides not only structure and clear expectations for behavior, but should also be accepting and communal in nature, all of which have a positive effect on those with ASD or ADHD.
“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social communication and interaction. The symptoms are present from early childhood and affect daily functioning. The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in people with ASD. . . .The severity of ASD can vary greatly and is based on the degree to which social communication, insistence of sameness of activities and surroundings, and repetitive patterns of behavior affect the daily functioning of the individual.”[2] Karate training may help those with ASD who are able to perform the activities of daily living, yet demonstrate difficulty in socialization and in the ability to focus on specific tasks outside the area of their normal interest.
Common symptoms among those with a form of ASD are:[3]
- Social impairment and communication difficulties. Many people with ASD find social interactions difficult and may prefer to be alone. The give-and-take nature of typical communication and interaction is often particularly challenging.
- Difficulty in using and understanding non-verbal cues such as gestures, body language, or tone of voice.
- A preference to speak about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking; a trait which may be disruptive if the individual keeps going off-message because they are only interested in speaking about a different subject.
- Repetitive and characteristic behaviors. These behaviors may include simple body movements, such as rocking or repeated movement of arms or hands, pacing, seeking order by persistently lining up objects, or self-injurious behaviors, such as head banging and face slapping. Some people with ASD may thrive so much on routine that changes to a known pattern can be very challenging.
In a 2015 study, this same group, minus the participation of Ahmad Abedi and the addition of Carl Sorensen, published an article entitled “The Effect of Karate Techniques Training on Communication Deficit of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.” In this study, the team found that teaching kata to children with ASD led to a significant reduction in their communication deficit compared to a control group.
The following year, The Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, August 2016, published a study authored by Yumi Kim from the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Northridge. This study investigated the effects of an 8-week program of training in Tae Kwon Do on balance in children with ASD compared to a control group. The study’s finding suggested that karate training is a feasible and effective therapeutic option for balance improvement of children with ASD.
Thus, when taken as a whole, these four studies concluded that karate training improved the following among children with ASD: (a) their stereotypic/repetitive behavior, (b) their social dysfunction, (c) their balance, and (d) their engagement in effective communication. Each of these elements assists the child with ASD or ADHD to integrate into their social setting, thereby diminishing their feeling of being different and increasing their self-esteem. Additional studies have found anecdotal evidence that karate training also improves focus and self-regulation among those with ASD. Many of the same benefits should also evidence themselves among those with ADHD because of the emphasis placed on self-control and focus in karate training. In addition, the environment in the dojo provides not only structure and clear expectations for behavior, but should also be accepting and communal in nature, all of which have a positive effect on those with ASD or ADHD.
CONSIDERATIONS IN TRAINING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
Where training in the dojo includes people with higher functioning ASD, those with some physical disability and others without a disability, challenges arise to ensure that each student is receiving a benefit from their training. These challenges can only be met with creativity and employing modifications to the training. Just as training between students of different rank has common elements and different training activities, the training of students with and without disabilities will have common activities and modified activities that take the disabilities into account. Common activities should reinforce the inclusion of all students into the group and the modifications to training should be done in such a way that the disabled student still feels a part of the overall activity. This is done in order to diminish the feeling of being “different” on the part of the disabled student, since the overall goal with respect to these students should be to increase their self-esteem through training.
In order to accomplish this goal, one source of guidance is the Stevenson and Black’s Inclusion Spectrum (2007), which breaks activities down into five main types:
In order to accomplish this goal, one source of guidance is the Stevenson and Black’s Inclusion Spectrum (2007), which breaks activities down into five main types:
- Open Activities - Simple activities which can be done by the whole group with little or no modification. Activities of this nature would include the stretching and warm-up phases, as well as a cool-down phase at the end of class. Participation in some drills can also be included, with slight modifications as needed.
- Modified Activities - The entire group engages in the same activity, with modifications to challenge the more able while supporting the inclusion of everyone in the group. This does not always involve modifications to technique. Because disabled persons may not have previously engaged in regular physical activity or training, the initial support and focus may simply be on their conditioning and balance, or on their confidence that they can perform the activity properly. Modification of an activity may be necessary and helpful where it makes the activity or techniques more accessible to the student. For example, a technique may be broken down into small component parts which are repeatedly practiced before being combined into a whole in order to help a student with a learning disability remember it, or grabbing techniques followed by a counterstrike may be modified to accommodate a student with use of only one arm.
- Parallel Activities - Students are grouped according to ability to perform the same activity, but at appropriate levels. For example, a person in a wheelchair and unimpaired students, may all be able to perform basic arm blocks, but a learning impaired student may need to break the motions down at first, with more repetition and correction, and a blind student would need more verbal description or correction and perhaps a senior student physically helping them through the movement until they can commit it to memory. This phase of activities may require senior students to work with the impaired student to develop modifications. Often the “expert” in developing these modifications is the impaired student and they should be encouraged to assist in developing a modification, rather than being told or allowed to think that “there is only one way to do it.” After all, they have often been living with their disability their entire life and learning how to “work around” it.
- Separate Activities - An individual or group does a planned different activity. In this phase of training the Sensei or a senior student works individually with a student on a specific aspect of training that they find challenging or simply need to improve in. This may involve something as simple as working on a particular aspect of a technique, or as complex as teaching a blind person how to “see” an attacker by the positioning of the attacker’s hand, arms or body bulk when grabbing the student, perhaps coupled with sound. Care should be taken to avoid making this activity a major part of the impaired student’s training, as it may have the undesired effect of reinforcing the feeling of being different.
- Activities Integrating the Disabilities. Non-disabled students integrate a disability into a portion of their training. This is sometimes called “reverse integration” and involves aspects like having nondisabled students perform techniques while blindfolded in a class that includes a blind student, or only using one arm, or, if available, in wheelchairs, where the group involves students with limited use of their limbs. Alternatively, in a group with students suffering from a learning deficit, the other students might be given instructions with words jumbled that they must mentally rearrange before they can understand the instruction and perform the task. This approach can provide enjoyable challenges for the non-disabled student and increase their sensitivity and positive attitude toward the students with a disability. It can also provide a positive reinforcement to the disabled student’s self-esteem, since they may actually have an advantage over the other members of the group who are not used to dealing with the imposed restriction. For example, a blind person may find it much easier to maintain balance and move smoothly than those trying to move for the first time with a lack of visual cues.
[1] For Parkinsons, See, also, 2018 Rush University Medical Center study cited by neurologist Jori Fleisher, MD.
[2] “Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet”, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, last modified July 6, 2018.
[3] Id.
[4] I have been unable to obtain a copy of the study containing descriptions of lessons and their structure. The information cited herein comes from an abstract of the study contained in the an article entitled “Martial Arts and the Autism Spectrum” by E. Paul Zehr, Ph.D. and contained
in the November 15, 2012 edition of Psychology Today. The study was originally published in Research in Developmental Disabilities, July-August, 2012.
[2] “Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet”, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, last modified July 6, 2018.
[3] Id.
[4] I have been unable to obtain a copy of the study containing descriptions of lessons and their structure. The information cited herein comes from an abstract of the study contained in the an article entitled “Martial Arts and the Autism Spectrum” by E. Paul Zehr, Ph.D. and contained
in the November 15, 2012 edition of Psychology Today. The study was originally published in Research in Developmental Disabilities, July-August, 2012.
