tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca-fr/topics/karate-29994/articlesKarate – La Conversation2021-07-18T20:04:02Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1641582021-07-18T20:04:02Z2021-07-18T20:04:02ZAlt goes mainstream: how surfing, skateboarding, BMX and sport climbing became Olympic events<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411345/original/file-20210714-25-1kh5r9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C0%2C1274%2C846&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">US surfer Carissa Moore will be part of a new-look Olympic sports schedule in Tokyo.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Tokyo Olympics will be novel in more ways than one. Aside from the challenges of mounting the games during a pandemic, there will also be a range of <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-executive-board-supports-tokyo-2020-package-of-new-sports-for-ioc-session">new sports</a> competing for fans’ attention.</p>
<p>As well as baseball/softball (being reintroduced after a 12-year hiatus), karate, and <a href="https://fiba3x3.com/en/vision.html">basketball 3x3</a>, four youth-focused action sports will debut: surfing, skateboarding, <a href="https://olympics.com/en/sports/sport-climbing/">sport climbing</a> and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/sports/cycling-bmx-freestyle/">BMX freestyle</a>.</p>
<p>According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the inclusion of these new events is “the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic program in modern history”. </p>
<p>For many fans, however, the addition of action sports raises big questions: are they really Olympic sports, and do they deserve to take the place of more established events? </p>
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<img alt="Akiyo Noguchi climbing in a competition" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411346/original/file-20210715-19-1umrtg9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Akiyo Noguchi of Japan is a star of the sport climbing world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">GettyImages</span></span>
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<h2>Competition for younger fans</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.routledge.com/Action-Sports-and-the-Olympic-Games-Past-Present-Future/Wheaton-Thorpe/p/book/9781138492851">Our research</a> shows the process and politics behind this decision go back over 20 years, part of the IOC’s big goal of making the Olympics more attractive to younger spectators. </p>
<p>While the Summer Olympics are considered the most-watched sporting spectacle in the world, the numbers of young viewers have been declining for decades. <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/136096/olympics-lost-millennials">The median age</a> of the US TV audience for the 2016 Rio Games was 53.</p>
<p>Aware of this, the IOC has tried to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038511413427">attract younger audiences</a> by incorporating newer action sports in both the summer (windsurfing, mountain biking, BMX racing) and winter (<a href="https://www.ski-cross.it/en/skicross">ski cross</a>, <a href="https://www.powder.com/stories/news/big-air-skiing-will-make-olympic-debut-2022/">big air</a>) Olympic programs. </p>
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<p>Since its controversial inclusion in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2020.1828361?casa_token=J6agMqZXTS0AAAAA%3A-FcSwccZWap7aDVQAC-h8Uwmr5c1a3s57da04uMbuAxgCrXpldFKbI75NIyvs5vRQO3MkxDGlLLtVA">snowboarding</a> has become the darling of the winter games. With <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315680521-17/games-holly-thorpe-belinda-wheaton">X Games-inspired</a> presentation and youth cultural icons such as Shaun White and Torah Bright, snowboarding was credited with a 48% increase in 18– to 24-year-old viewers at the 2010 Winter Olympics. </p>
<p>Since then, a new generation of young, cool snowboarders such as Chloe Kim have continued to inspire and attract global audiences.</p>
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<img alt="Olympic champion snowboarder Chloe Kim with US flag" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411350/original/file-20210715-13-njqqhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Snowboarder Chloe Kim, helping make the Winter Olympics a ratings hit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>That success is driving the inclusion of more action sports at the Summer Games. But the IOC has also pursued other <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/-a-glimpse-into-the-future-lausanne-2020-highlights-sustainable-approach-to-games">key initiatives</a>, such as the Youth Olympic Games and an Olympics YouTube channel. </p>
<p>Since 2010, the Youth Olympics have been an important testing ground for new sports, social media innovation and concepts like the Sports Lab in Nanjing in 2014, and the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/skateboarding-and-bmx-superstars-to-heat-up-buenos-aires-urban-park">Urban Park</a> in Buenos Aires in 2018. Not everything makes it past the trial stage, but much does.</p>
<h2>Agenda 2020 and the new vision</h2>
<p>The arrival of IOC President Thomas Bach in 2013 and introduction of the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2015.1119960?casa_token=giA-SI3Azv8AAAAA:ITfpNMvQLADjK6zw17MjChW3-VMMKB9CdT-V31r7Xr5epyPetiHstSEZUoD8Nap9cMuCMQrIr7yIyQ">Agenda 2020 policy</a> accelerated the modernising process. </p>
<p>In 2015, the IOC worked with the Tokyo Organising Committee to <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-approves-five-new-sports-for-olympic-games-tokyo-2020">shortlist five new sports</a> – karate, baseball/softball, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing – for possible inclusion in the 2020 games. When all five were confirmed for Tokyo, Bach proclaimed:</p>
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<p>We want to take sport to the youth […] With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will come automatically to us — we have to go to them. </p>
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<p>Following a review to measure the overall performance of all sports, various international federations developed strategies to become more youth-friendly. The International Cycling Union approved <a href="https://olympics.com/en/featured-news/olympic-bmx-freestyle-tokyo-2020-games-2021-five-things-preview">BMX freestyle</a>, and the International Basketball Federation added <a href="https://fiba3x3.com/en/olympics/intro.html">basketball 3x3</a> for Tokyo. </p>
<p>This pressure to attract younger fans has had a knock-on effect, with other sporting bodies wanting to bring new events into the fold. The <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1073216/parkour-earth-criticise-ioc-for-failing-to-intervene-in-dispute-with-fig">current battle</a> over the possible Olympic inclusion of <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=freerunning">freerunning</a> (also known as <a href="https://parkour.uk/what-we-do/what-is-parkour/">parkour</a>) is a case in point.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">BMX freestyle competitors are scored according to difficulty, originality, execution, height and creativity.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Nostalgia and progress</h2>
<p>With the action sport economy plateauing, many in the industry have actively supported Olympic inclusion. But the countercultural heritage of many of these sports has led to tensions.</p>
<p>Many participants view them nostalgically as <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Cultural-Politics-of-Lifestyle-Sports/Wheaton/p/book/9780415478588">alternative lifestyles</a> rather than conventional sports. The associated value systems they celebrate – self-expression, creativity, fun – are often considered at odds with the disciplinary, hierarchical, nationalistic Olympic ethos.</p>
<p>This saw the initial proposals to include <a href="https://www.theinertia.com/surf/opinion-surfing-should-not-be-in-the-olympics/">surfing</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/06/15/skateboarders-wonder-whether-olympics-will-change-sports-renegade-image/">skateboarding</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17430437.2018.1440998">sport climbing</a> in Tokyo
<a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1030894/petition-unveiled-campaigning-against-skateboarding-being-added-to-olympic-programme">hotly contested</a> by many within the wider action sporting cultures, worried about the loss of autonomy and control of “their” sports. </p>
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<p>While the Olympic athletes are enthusiastic ambassadors for their sports (and likely to see significant economic and cultural rewards), there are those within the action sport worlds who view Olympic inclusion as just another money-making stunt — part of a longer process of “selling out” with little benefit for their sports.</p>
<p>Our research shows it has been mostly older male “core” participants who’ve been most opposed to the inclusion of action sports. </p>
<p>However, an <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167479518780410">international survey</a> showed younger participants and women were much more enthusiastic. Those under 19 were most supportive, with 80% agreeing with the statement: “I think this is a great idea and I would likely watch more of the Olympics”.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">British skateboarder Sky Brown will be just 13 when she competes in Tokyo.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>A showcase for female athletes</h2>
<p>The new-look games have also had their logistical challenges. Action sports organising bodies have had to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19406940.2019.1569548">navigate complex new terrain</a>, including determining <a href="https://www.climbing.com/competition/opinion-the-olympic-qualification-process-has-been-one-big-mess/">how athletes will qualify</a>, competition formats, equipment, <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2020/02/05/nike-designs-first-ever-olympic-skateboarding-uniforms-for-tokyo-2020/">uniforms</a>, <a href="https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/397640/wsl-and-isa-reach-landmark-agreement">drug testing</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/20/small-and-funky-waves-a-concern-for-surfings-olympics-debut-in-tokyo">venue suitability</a> — all complicated by the pandemic.</p>
<p>But, the inclusion of the new sports (with equal male and female representation) has also helped the Tokyo Olympics come the closest ever to the IOC’s gender equality targets, with female athletes making up 49% of all Olympians. </p>
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<p>For women in action sports, the Olympics are creating more opportunities <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0193723518781230">for athletes and leaders</a> in activities <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137457967">long dominated by men</a>. </p>
<p>The phenomenal talents of female athletes showcased in Tokyo – including 13-year-old skateboarder <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/01/skateboarder-sky-brown-to-become-youngest-british-summer-olympian">Sky Brown</a> (Great Britain), surfer <a href="https://olympics.com/en/featured-news/carissa-moore-surfing-2021-tokyo-2020-gold-medal-contender">Carissa Moore</a> (US) and climber <a href="https://www.climbing.com/competition/olympics/tokyo-olympics-will-be-akiyo-noguchis-first-last/">Akiyo Noguchi</a> (Japan) – may well see the gender dynamics shifting in these sports post-Olympics.</p>
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<img alt="Breakdancer competing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411349/original/file-20210715-15-1ex5bi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Competitive breakdancing, coming soon to the Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<h2>A changing Olympic landscape</h2>
<p>Without spectators, alas, Tokyo won’t be the <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1084661/tokyo-2020-urban-fest-olympics-relevant">urban festival</a> envisioned pre-COVID, with live music, art and a youth-friendly vibe at the urban and beach locations. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the action sports central to that concept aren’t going away. Paris in 2024 will see the addition of kiteboarding and breaking/break-dancing, part of a trend that will continue at the Los Angeles games in 2028. </p>
<p>Traditional ideas about which events are (or aren’t) legitimate sports will also shift over coming years as the IOC stakes its claim in an increasingly competitive sports and leisure market.</p>
<p>With the survival of the games so dependent on viewers and sponsorship dollars, the IOC will only fight harder to stay relevant to the next generations of Olympic fans. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Holly Thorpe received funding from the Advanced Olympic Programme Research Grant 2015/2016.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Belinda Wheaton received funding from the Advanced Olympic Programme Research Grant 2015/2016. </span></em></p>The inclusion of new action sports can offend Olympic traditionalists and outsiders alike. But it’s part of a long-term strategy to keep the games relevant and appealing to younger fans.Holly Thorpe, Professor in Sociology of Sport and Physical Culture, University of WaikatoBelinda Wheaton, Professor, University of WaikatoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1015302018-09-07T09:46:19Z2018-09-07T09:46:19ZCobra Kai: Karate Kid spin-off is a social parable for our times<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235370/original/file-20180907-90562-1x6ojhn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Karate Kid is back – and so is his nemesis. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwwxNbtK6Y">YouTube. </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than three decades after the release of the original <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Karate Kid</a>, YouTube Originals miniseries <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwwxNbtK6Y">Cobra Kai</a> seizes on nostalgic enthusiasm for the film, centring on the story of former antagonist, Johnny Lawrence. Presented as an “ace degenerate”, the out-of-work, alcoholic failed father seeks to resurrect the infamous Cobra Kai <a href="http://maaml.blogspot.com/2009/09/dojo-its-purpose-and-meaning.html">dojo</a>, in a bid to salvage his self respect and rebuild his life. </p>
<p>Haunted by the success of his childhood nemesis – the original film’s protagonist, Daniel Larusso – Lawrence’s efforts draw both men back into a personal rivalry, characterised by conflicting philosophies of karate. Despite the faithful coherence with the original movie – including poignant flashbacks, references to iconic training methods (“wax on, wax off”) and a soundtrack straight from the 1980s – the series is more than simple, nostalgic melodrama. </p>
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<p>Cobra Kai offers insightful commentary on a divided US society, tackling issues such as gender politics, cyber-bullying, intergenerational learning and family relations. Through Lawrence and Larusso’s radically different teaching methods, karate is shown to offer a variety of skills, values and pathways to help young people fight back or find balance within this challenging world. </p>
<h2>A modern parable</h2>
<p>The narrative is built around Lawrence’s attempts to update and rehabilitate the Cobra Kai mantra of “strike first, strike hard, no mercy”. In the original film, this is portrayed as an irredeemably negative vision of karate. But in the series, it becomes a source of strength and pride for those struggling in a world that has rejected them.</p>
<p>Lawrence is portrayed as one of contemporary <a href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/men-left-behind.aspx">America’s “left behind” men</a>. He works demeaning manual jobs and holds problematic views towards women and immigrants. But rather than write Lawrence off as a deplorable failure, deserving of all his misfortune, the series invites viewers to empathise with him as he struggles to assert the only strength he has, in a world he barely understands. </p>
<p>Lawrence’s quest for redemption is tied to the bunch of misfit pupils who join his Cobra Kai dojo, starting with Miguel, a Latino-American boy who gets bullied at school. The students gradually learn karate as a way to take control over their own lives; to “flip the script” and reinvent themselves from cowering “losers” to “bad-ass” cobras. In the process, they question, challenge and eventually come to accept Lawrence’s politically incorrect language, conservative gender values and harsh teaching style. </p>
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<p>Although Lawrence himself is shown to soften towards the end of the series, his students come to use the Cobra Kai philosophy, as their teacher does, as a source of personal strength. The story addresses contemporary political concerns about <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/05/can-rhetoric-on-the-left-fuel-bigotry-on-the-right/560285/">left wing intolerance</a> towards right wing “Trumpian” politics, by avoiding the wholesale rejection of conservative worldviews (and the people holding them), while advocating balance, dialogue and understanding between the generations.</p>
<h2>Finding balance</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, as cracks begin to appear in his own seemingly perfect life, Larusso also turns to karate for inspiration, recalling his <a href="https://judoinfo.com/sensei1/">sensei</a>, Mr Miyagi, praising the virtue of balance in all things. Seeking a training partner, he starts to mentor the wayward teenager Robby, who – unknown to him – is actually Lawrence’s estranged son. </p>
<p>Larusso passes on the reflective and serene Miyagi-Do philosophy to Robby, using metaphoric activities such as pruning Bonsai trees and listening to the quiet countryside to help the teenager master his chaotic life. While Cobra Kai karate empowers the weak, Miyagi-Do tempers the unruly.</p>
<p>By framing karate practice as a search for balance in a difficult and changing world, the series illuminates many of the issues and concerns emerging in real-world martial arts classes. For example, tensions around integrating girls into the Cobra Kai dojo echo debates about the <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1012690217737044">inclusion of more and more women</a> into the historically male dominated Brazilian martial art of <a href="https://dancinggender.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/abeginnersguidetocapoeria/">capoeira</a>. The series also provides a light-hearted take on the gendered problems involved <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/abs/10.1123/ssj.30.4.487">with integrating men and women in martial arts</a>, such as the negotiation of painful and intimate touch in mixed-sex practice.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235372/original/file-20180907-90546-xgjl86.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Awkward …</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwwxNbtK6Y">YouTube.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And as Lawrence consistently frames his tutelage of Miguel in terms of masculinity, their evolving relationship plays out many of the tensions and contradictions embedded in the ways <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21640599.2012.751170">Western men understand their practice of Asian martial arts</a>. This includes contrasting the humble, restrained civility of the ideal martial artist with the aggressive, dominating competitiveness typically required for combat sports. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Larusso’s use of metaphorical teaching activities mirror <a href="http://revpubli.unileon.es/index.php/artesmarciales/article/viewFile/5462/4176">research findings</a> that document the power of “journey” and “family” – related metaphors that help practitioners cultivate a sense of belonging and solidarity within Kung Fu communities. </p>
<p>By addressing these issues, the series suggests that karate can act as a mechanism for young people to find their own balance, in what is often a <a href="https://theconversation.com/brexit-trump-and-post-truth-the-science-of-how-we-become-entrenched-in-our-views-69228">hyper-competitive, politically divisive and unforgiving society</a>. </p>
<p>Both schools and teachers are finding their own way of addressing these issues: balance between the interests of different generations, between Eastern and Western ideologies, between traditional and modern approaches to learning and between liberal and conservative values. And, as the unfolding narrative of the series eventually suggests, learning valuable life lessons through both approaches may hold the answers that today’s young people need.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101530/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With nostalgic flashbacks, epic training montages and most of the original cast, Cobra Kai is faithful to the Karate Kid film – all while delivering cutting-edge contemporary social commentary.Craig Owen, Lecturer in Psychology, St Mary's University, TwickenhamAlex Channon, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Sport Studies, University of BrightonGeorge Jennings, Lecturer in Sport Sociology/Physical Culture, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/917982018-02-20T10:18:16Z2018-02-20T10:18:16ZMartial arts can improve your attention span and alertness long term – new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206984/original/file-20180219-116360-1ads7jy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-dressed-traditional-kimono-practicing-665550745?src=F21ByMoRehpAjHawrm4oig-1-11">Jasminko Ibrakovic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Martial arts require a good level of physical strength, but those who take up training need to develop an incredible amount of mental acuity, too. </p>
<p>Mental strength is so important to martial arts that researchers have found karate experts’ stronger punching force may be down to a <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1208/15082012-Karate-experts-brains-increase-punching-power-Husain">better control of muscle movement in the brain</a>, rather than increased muscular strength. Other studies have also found that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397304000309">children who practice Taekwondo</a> improved in maths test scores, and behaviour.</p>
<p>Which leads to an interesting question – does taking part in martial arts cause the brain to develop better control, or do people with these brain characteristics choose to do martial arts? It is something that our team has been researching, with interesting results. </p>
<h2>Martial attention</h2>
<p>We’ve been specifically measuring attention to assess mental control, as previous research has suggested that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211949316300011">mindfulness</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335516300547">exercise</a> can both have beneficial effects on attention. You could argue that martial arts are a combination of both – active sports that involve aspects of meditation and mindfulness.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206981/original/file-20180219-116360-c3pvl4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sparring black belts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/people-gym-martial-arts-training-exercising-69614008?src=zywHWFLMVXS_eTe_46QuCg-1-0">Kzenon/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00080/full">recently published study</a>, we recruited 21 amateur adults who practice martial arts (karate, judo and taekwondo, among others) and 27 adults with no experience in the sports, to take part in an <a href="https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/089892902317361886">attention network test</a>. This test assesses three different types of attention: alerting (maintaining a sense of alertness), orienting (the shifting of attention), and executive (involved in choosing the correct response when there’s conflicting information).</p>
<p>We were particularly interested in the alert network, which can reveal how vigilant a person is. If a person has a high alert score on this test, it would suggest that they are better able to respond to unpredictably timed targets than those with a low score. </p>
<p>While there are differences across each <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired/23436235">martial art</a> in terms of their core philosophies, whether they’re more of a “fighting” martial art or more “meditative”, and their intensity, we did not discriminate about the type our participants took part in. Future research could compare the different types, but for this study we were more interested in general martial artists’ attention compared to non-martial artists’.</p>
<h2>Sparring tests</h2>
<p>We invited the participants to our lab, and recorded details of their martial arts experience (including the type, how often they practice, and how many years they’ve been involved in the sport) before asking them to take part in the computer-based task. This involved participants seeing a row of five arrows, and having to respond to the direction of the central arrow by pressing a letter button on a keyboard (“c” for left-facing arrows, and “m” for right) as quickly as possible. In some trials, they were given a warning cue that told them the arrows would appear soon, and in others they weren’t. </p>
<p>Typically, in most martial arts training, there’s an element of sparring, which is a form of simulated fighting with a partner. One of the aims of this is that the partners will be attempting to remain focused and avoid their partner making contact. After all, nobody <em>wants</em> to be punched in the face. It is rare for a sparring opponent to give a clear warning of the exact timing of a punch so the defending partner needs to stay alert, or vigilant, at all times so that they are ready to dodge the hit.</p>
<p>During our research, the martial arts participants produced higher alert scores than our non-martial artists. This means that the martial artists responded to the arrows fastest, especially when they were not given a warning. This signifies that they have a greater level of vigilance, which could reflect stronger cognitive control.</p>
<p>We also looked at the effects of long-term martial arts practice, and found that alertness was better in the martial artists with the most amount of experience. Several of our participants who had more than nine years’ experience in the sport, showed the best alertness in our tests. This suggests that the longer a person sticks at martial arts, the bigger their reward. Taking this a step further, it appears that the effects of improved attention may be long lasting, rather than just a short boost after training. </p>
<p>While it could be argued that martial arts simply are among many activities that can lead to better health, what we and other researchers have found is that their practice is one of those rare crossovers that helps significantly improve the brain just as much as the body.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91798/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ashleigh Johnstone receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).</span></em></p>Martial arts help boost both brain and body.Ashleigh Johnstone, PhD Researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/630262016-08-04T12:44:38Z2016-08-04T12:44:38ZFive new sports announced for Tokyo 2020, but where does the future of the Olympics lie?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133080/original/image-20160804-493-9remi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EpicStockMedia/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Surfing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ollies-at-the-olympics-why-having-skateboarding-at-tokyo-2020-is-a-winning-move-63349">skateboarding</a>, climbing and karate <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36968070">will become</a> Olympics sports for the first time ever at Tokyo 2020 after a long-anticipated decision was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on August 3. Baseball/softball has also been let back into the games for the first time since 2008. </p>
<p>Since the Olympic governing body <a href="https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-executive-board-supports-tokyo-2020-package-of-new-sports-for-ioc-session">said</a> that five new sports would be approved as a “package” rather than individually, the decision became a matter of formality. But <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-sports-get-chosen-for-the-olympics-62917">how did these sports</a> end up on top? Why were they the chosen ones, and not squash, roller sports or <em>wushu</em>, a Chinese martial art? </p>
<p>The first reason is simple: they are relevant to Japan. Baseball is Japan’s biggest sport by a mile, karate is a traditional favourite and skateboarding is popular among young people. What the IOC did – and is probably going to do from now on – is empower the Olympic host cities to create their own sport programmes.</p>
<p>This is a reasonable approach. Japanese spectators and TV viewers will be much more interested in baseball than, say, the modern pentathlon – even though it is not being dropped from the programme in 2020. It’s possible that there will be more local favourites as the Olympics continue to rotate among the continents in the future. The next US Olympics might see American football; and if India ever become a host country then cricket will surely get a look in. </p>
<p>Under the <a href="https://www.olympic.org/olympic-agenda-2020">IOC’s Agenda 2020</a>, no sports will be removed from the programme to accommodate new ones – which would have happened in the past. But the number of disciplines and athletes taking part is limited, so it’s likely that some sports will be reduced in numbers. </p>
<h2>Get ready for action</h2>
<p>But there is a second rationale behind the five-sport package announced for Tokyo. Never before have so many so-called “action” sports entered the Olympics simultaneously. Skateboarding, climbing and surfing follow in the footsteps of fellow extreme sports BMX and snowboarding, which have been unanimously praised as breaths of fresh air to the summer and winter Olympics. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133082/original/image-20160804-466-1s494ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In the ascent: sport climbing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Skynavin/www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is clearly a sign of where the future lies for the games, as these sports will mostly attract a young audience: teenager viewers who will be consumers of the Olympics in years to come. Although, to be brutally honest, the Olympic games exist nowadays to make profit first and foremost, and in the process pursue some broader sporting and social objectives. </p>
<p>Olympic broadcasters and sponsors (mainly from North America) would welcome skateboarding, as the number of people who regularly skateboard in the US alone is estimated <a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/olympics-2020-will-skateboarding-make-its-debut/BBD3B700-044D-416B-AC32-A6E6FFD03846.html">to be about 14m</a>. And it’s probably at least as many teenagers play the <a href="http://www.tonyhawkvideogame.com/">blockbuster video games</a> endorsed by the skater Tony Hawk. </p>
<h2>What it means for the new sports</h2>
<p>For the newly chosen sports, the Olympic exposure makes a difference in sponsorship and state funding in most countries – although most of these benefits are indirect and hard to measure. That is why sport climbing has been applying for an Olympic spot for the last decade – a journey that I have <a href="http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/handle/1893/23173#.V6MhMo6PDm0">followed in my own research</a>. And that is why there has been a <a href="http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1040187/world-skateboarding-federation-sue-rivals-on-eve-of-decision-to-admit-sport-into-tokyo-2020">power struggle</a> between several governing bodies claiming to “own” international skateboarding. </p>
<p>Nor is there <a href="https://theconversation.com/ollies-at-the-olympics-why-having-skateboarding-at-tokyo-2020-is-a-winning-move-63349">any clear consensus</a> on whether the new sports are unanimously happy about being in the Olympics. Most elite athletes of competitive sports look forward to being in the spotlight and having a chance to become part of the biggest multi-sport event on the planet. But the Olympic movement is a purely competitive aspect of sport and emphasises bureaucratisation and control. This is where it clashes with traditional cultures of surfing, climbing and skateboarding that all have historically been about freedom of self-expression and reluctance to being regulated by governing bodies. </p>
<p>Here is what Sage Kotsenburg, the current Olympic champion in snowboarding, tweeted immediately after the IOC’s decision:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"760932693534134272"}"></div></p>
<p>Her hashtag perfectly summarised the idea of self-organisation of extreme alternative sports, whose athletes advocate that they must be organised from the inside not from the outside. <a href="http://theridechannel.com/features/2016/02/what-do-olympics-really-mean-for-skateboarding">Scepticism towards the Olympics</a> by skateboarders has been fuelled by the case of snowboarding, particularly as the IOC gave the right to manage this sport to the International Ski Federation. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133083/original/image-20160804-488-7187qa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ready for take off.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/91967878@N05/8990874159/sizes/l">Evan Brant/flickr.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many climbers, surfers and skateboarders are scared that they might lose control to organisations and people that don’t understand their sports. The IOC idea’s of combining all three disciplines of climbing in one, so that athletes will have to do bouldering, speed and lead, is something that many climbers I spoke to during my research are not happy about and see as a sign of lack of respect and understanding of their sport. In skateboarding, surfing and climbing, there have been numerous <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/takeaction/656/763/888/">online petitions</a> claiming that the Olympic movement only wants to exploit their sports. </p>
<p>So while it looks like Tokyo 2020 will be the first truly experimental Olympics, every sport will have to prove its worth with no sport guaranteed a place at the next games in 2024. The danger is that the whole Olympics could become a little disintegrated, with sports making fleeting appearances for a few games, and decisions about whether they stay or go, or new sports appear, made based on the particular marketing needs of countries, sponsors and broadcasters. So enjoy the next few weeks in Rio 2016 – it’s likely to be the last “traditional” Olympic games.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63026/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mikhail Batuev does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More action sports will be on the Olympic bill in Tokyo with skateboarding, surfing and climbing added to the programme.Mikhail Batuev, Lecturer in Sport Management, Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.