Integrating Martial Arts in Higher Education: Enhancing stress resilience and community
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research explores how martial arts training environments influence the comprehensive development of college students in Beijing, emphasizing resilience, social competence, community belonging, and self-regulation. The study demonstrates that martial arts effectively address students' physical, psychological, and social development needs, with particularly notable enhancements in interpersonal skills and community involvement. These findings add valuable perspectives to experiential learning research, suggesting that martial arts can serve as an effective supplement to conventional education, fostering holistic student growth in university contexts.
Article Details
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zhang Tingxiu, Lim Boon Hooi, Ma Xiao, Zhang Wenyu

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Bell, R., & Bell, H. (2020). Applying educational theory to develop a framework to support the delivery of experiential entrepreneurship education. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 27(6), 987-1004.
Chew, S. L., & Cerbin, W. J. (2021). The cognitive challenges of effective teaching. The Journal of Economic Education, 52(1), 17-40.
Dawson, D. (2024). Mixed Martial Arts, Meaning, And Behavioral Peace: Examining Social Relationships In A Diverse Environment.
Demirdis, B. (2025). Integrating Digital Literacy to Enhance Emotional and Social Skills in Education. In Innovative Educational Frameworks for Future Skills and Competencies (pp. 1-38). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
DiObilda-Sharp, A. M. (2021). Parental Perspectives on the Development of Self-Regulation through Youth Martial Arts: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Grand Canyon University].
Fuller, C., & Lloyd, V. (2020). Martial arts and well-being: connecting communities and promoting health. Taylor & Francis.
Harwood-Gross, A., Lambez, B., Feldman, R., Zagoory-Sharon, O., & Rassovsky, Y. (2021). The effect of martial arts training on cognitive and psychological functions in at-risk youths. Frontiers in pediatrics, 9, 707047.
Johnstone, A. (2021). Cognitive Changes Associated with Martial Arts Practice. Bangor University (United Kingdom).
Kaufmann, J. (2022). The Impact of Martial Arts on Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Anger, Well-Being, Self- Transcendence, and Self-Enhancement. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Kim, H.-D., & Cruz, A. B. (2021). Psychological influence of self-management on exercise self-confidence, satisfaction, and commitment of martial arts practitioners in Korea: a meta-analytic approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 691974.
Kwok, W. W. (2024). Strategies for Integrating Martial Arts-Based Mindfulness Into Educational Settings
Northeastern University].
Li, C., Zhao, M., & Zhao, X. (2023). Status quo and influence of martial arts fitness in pursuit of health using lstm recurrent neural network algorithm. International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems, 16(1), 61.
Osher, D., Cantor, P., Berg, J., Steyer, L., & Rose, T. (2021). Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development 1. In The science of learning and development (pp. 55-104). Routledge.
Panda, S., Whitworth, A., Hersh, D., & Biedermann, B. (2021). “Giving yourself some breathing room…”: An exploration of group meditation for people with aphasia. Aphasiology, 35(12), 1544-1572.
Shamshirian, S., Halldorsson, V., & Sigmundsson, H. (2021). Passion, grit and mindset of Iranian wrestlers: A socio-psychological approach. New Ideas in Psychology, 62, 100871.
Spring, C. (2018). Professionalisation of the Martial Arts: The Perspectives of Experts on the Concept of an Independently Awarded Teaching Qualification. University of Derby (United Kingdom).
Thomas, C., & Zolkoski, S. (2020). Preventing stress among undergraduate learners: The importance of emotional intelligence, resilience, and emotion regulation. Frontiers in Education,