Balance and Movement: What Kids Martial Arts Research Does (and Doesn't) Say

School martial-arts programs have shown small gains in balance, and in one preschool class a modest motor gain.

Short answer: a Chinese martial-arts class for ages 5 and 6 improved balance compared with free play. A school karate program for ages about 7 and 8, twice a week for a school year in place of usual PE, showed a small balance gain compared with regular PE.

A Year of School Karate

In a large European school study, children about 7 and 8 years old did karate twice a week, about two hours a week, for a school year instead of their usual PE (Pinto-Escalona and colleagues). Compared with children who stayed in regular PE, the karate group made a small gain on a balance test.

The same study also reported a small gain on a 20-meter shuttle run. That test is running, which regular PE also trains. It is not a karate skill, and the researchers could not tell whether the gain came from harder work or from karate-specific practice.

Balance in a Preschool Chinese Martial Arts Class

A separate study of children ages 5 and 6 found that Chinese martial arts, about 30 minutes twice a week for 10 weeks, improved balance compared with free play (Li and colleagues, 2022). One version of that teaching also beat free play on an overall motor score and on hand skill. The comparison was free play, not a matched PE class.

What the Wider Reviews Add

A 2022 review of kids programs, roughly ages 4 to 13, often reports gains in balance, coordination, agility, strength, and flexibility. Cardio results in that same map are thinner and mixed (Stamenković and colleagues).

A 2025 review of combat-sport programs found pooled gains on a standing long jump and a sit-and-reach flexibility test (Hernandez-Martinez and colleagues). That pool includes older teens and university students, so it is not a kids-only result.

What This Does Not Cover

Research has not shown these programs treat ADHD, autism, or anxiety. In class, listening is still a coaching aim: watch, wait, then move. These studies did not measure that, and they did not show it at home.

Research also does not show that martial arts simply make children less aggressive. That depends on how the art is taught. For that question, see Will Kung Fu Make My Child Aggressive?.

If You Are Still Wondering

Email karen@victorydefensesystems.com with your child’s age, which location you are considering, and what you are hoping class will help with.

Future Tiger Kids (ages 3–6, daytime) and Tiger Kids (ages 7–12, afterschool) are a general kids kung fu program. Partner sites include RiverTree, Growing Places, and St. Luke’s Youth Building. Karen Boyer has taught and developed the Future Tiger program since 2007.

No promise of a fitter or better-balanced child. A clear look at the small school findings, and an honest conversation about fit.

Sources

Pinto-Escalona, P. A., et al. Journal of Sport and Health Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2021.10.006

Li, B., et al. (2022). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9408615/

Stamenković, A., et al. (2022). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9406432/

Hernandez-Martinez, J., et al. (2025). Frontiers in Physiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1620621