ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicTowards a Psychophysiological Approach in Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sports-Volume VView all 45 articles
Martial Arts Training as a Psychological Self-Regulation Intervention: An Experimental Study on Emotional Control, Attention, and Stress Resilience
Provisionally accepted
- 1Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- 2Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Guangdong, China
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Background: Psychological self-regulation, encompassing emotion regulation, attentional control, and stress resilience, is a critical determinant of mental health and adaptive functioning. While conventional physical exercise has demonstrated psychological benefits, emerging evidence suggests that martial arts training may provide unique advantages due to its integration of physical exertion, cognitive engagement, and emotional regulation. However, randomized controlled trials directly comparing martial arts training with conventional exercise using multimodal outcome measures remain limited. Methods: Sixty-six healthy young adults (18-25 years) were randomly assigned to a martial arts self-regulation training group (MA-SRT), a conventional physical exercise group (CPEG), or a passive control group (n = 22 per group). The intervention lasted eight weeks, with three 60-minute sessions per week. Primary outcomes included emotion regulation (ERQ), attentional control (continuous performance task reaction time), and perceived stress (PSS-10). Secondary outcomes assessed psychological resilience (CD-RISC-25), electrodermal activity, and executive inhibitory control (Stroop task). Outcomes were measured pre-and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using mixed-model repeated-measures ANOVA with effect sizes reported as partial eta squared and Cohen's d. Results: Significant group × time interactions were observed for all primary and secondary outcomes (all p < 0.001). The MA-SRT group demonstrated the largest improvements in emotion regulation, attentional performance, and stress reduction, with large effect sizes (η²ₚ = 0.49-0.75), whereas the CPEG showed moderate improvements and the control group minimal change. Secondary outcomes similarly favored the MA-SRT group, including marked gains in psychological resilience, reductions in sympathetic arousal, and enhanced executive control (η²ₚ = 0.53-0.71). Discussion: These findings indicate that martial arts training is a highly effective psychological self-regulation intervention, producing superior emotional, cognitive, and physiological benefits compared to conventional physical exercise. The integrative cognitive-emotional demands inherent in martial arts practice may uniquely enhance self-regulatory capacity in young adults.
Keywords: attention4, emotion regulation3, Martial Arts1, Resilience6, self-regulation2, stress5
Received: 14 Jan 2026; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zheng, Zhou and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Canzhong Ji
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