Studies of the health benefits of kendo

[Daniel Sullivan]

I have looked for, but have not found, any articles or references to scientific studies regarding the health benefits of kendo. Do any of you know of any, and if so, would you be able to share a link?

Arigato!

[monkeycam]

Try doing a search on google scholar www.scholar.google.com it's google on academic journals
Health benefits of kendo don't reveal much but there is a lot of articles on health benefits of martial arts.

[monkeycam]

Sorry double post

[Unixg0d]

I have looked for, but have not found, any articles or references to scientific studies regarding the health benefits of kendo. Do any of you know of any, and if so, would you be able to share a link?

Arigato!

Dear Daniel, sorry for ask you in this old post, but you found some info aboute Scientific Studies regarding the health benefits of Kendo?

Regards

[ArcticBlizzard]

Dear Daniel, sorry for ask you in this old post, but you found some info aboute Scientific Studies regarding the health benefits of Kendo?

Regards

Perhaps you can find something in this old thread
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/sho...-(lenghty-read!!)

This one is a little more recent though not a lot

http://www.budo.ac/kendo/kendo_archv...perthermia.htm

A small selection of recent studies.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/125/17/e617.short

https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/view/4831

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%...l.pone.0051877

http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/21...XoMDrlmSv6k.22

http://www.ed.gifu-u.ac.jp/~kyoiku/i...n/PDF/3416.pdf


You can find a lot of studies, most of them are not about the benifits but on the problems that occur while or because of training Kendo. You can find articles,studies or thesis about the benifits, you just have to look in the right places and have some free time on your hands to sort it all out.

Good luck!

[Unixg0d]

Thanks too much!

[Tort-Speed]

Can't, sorry, tell you about research, etc. into Kendo benefits - but did learn something surprising from a heart doctor. It seems there is a kind of mathematical formula to determine at what level of heart-beats-per-minute a person who's had a heart attack would be safe at. For example, a guy has a heart attack and after getting out of hospital, gradually tries to start exercising. But he has to ensure his chosen exercise doesn't get his pulse (heartbeat) going too high. Doc explained that they (well, here in Japan anyway, don't know about other countries) have a list of sports including Martial Arts, and the expected heart-rate level someone doing them could possibly reach. Interesting that, though Judo, Aikido and Karate were on the well-documented list, Kendo was nowhere to be seen. Hmmm.

[Daniel Sullivan]

Dear Daniel, sorry for ask you in this old post, but you found some info aboute Scientific Studies regarding the health benefits of Kendo?

Regards

I appreciate the responses! No, I haven't found anything. Aside from the many general benefits that one could connect to kendo, I haven't seen anything kendo specific.

ArcticBlizzard, I will look at the links you posted over the weekend. They're appreciated!

Tortspeed, thank you for the info!

Arigato!

Daniel

[Mythil]

If you're training hard, getting a good sweat on then you're going to loose fat or burn calories at least. You can strengthen your arms but because of the repetitive motions you MAY get an injury from time to time, happens in every sport and just about every exercise.

Though actual documentation, sorry no I don't know.. Funny thing is I was tempted to take a sports science degree and use Kendo as my sport, which is acceptable with the university but you need to be at least "fist dan" in the martial art of your choice... So talk to me again in a decade or two

[Cailin Coilleac]

Recently I wrote an article for KW #4.6, about anxiety disorders and kendo. While I don't include physical health benefits, I do list some mental health benefits provided by kendo. They're from personal experience though, so it's not really scientific.

I do cite one source pertaining to the subject, but that document is regarding the mental benefits of any martial art and not just kendo: Brad Binder -> http://ftp.pwp.att.net/w/a/wabokujuj...s/psychsoc.htm

[Daniel Sullivan]

Sorry to take so long to get back! I will have to look for your article, and I really appreciate the article you linked.

I have a student who has arthritis in his back and he told his doctor that he practiced kendo. His doctor told him to keep doing it and to keep moving. The same student also has improved his posture since starting the class a year ago and has lost two pant sizes. Chances are, any regular exercise probably could have done that, but it was nice that he benefited from kendo.

One observation of mine is that he walks to the bus stop and takes public transportation to his job in DC. He walks to lunch downtown, he walks to the store on weekends, and pretty much everywhere else. He busses to kendo class too. He wasn't overweight by any means, and probably gets more exercise than most people simply due to his lack of transportation. He comes to class once a week and practices outside of class. He said his weight really hasn't chaged, but that he is better toned, picked up a little muscle and lost a little flab.