Over the past few decades, martial arts have gained popularity in the United States. Many Americans have taken up martial arts as a way to enhance their health, fitness, and self-defense abilities, including traditional martial arts like karate, judo, and taekwondo as well as more contemporary combat sports like MMA. How many Americans actually practice martial arts? Let’s look more closely.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) conducted a poll in 2018 that found that 9.4 million Americans aged 6 and older practiced martial arts. This is equivalent to roughly 3.5% of the entire population. About 76% of these martial artists were kids and teenagers (6–17), while the remaining 24% were adults (18 and older).
The SFIA poll also revealed that MMA (approximately 1.5 million practitioners), taekwondo (about 2.3 million practitioners), and karate (about 2.6 million practitioners) were the most practiced martial arts disciplines in the country. Judo, kung fu, and boxing were some of the other widely practiced martial arts disciplines.
In the US, there are numerous martial arts schools in addition to individual practitioners. There are roughly 26,000 martial arts schools in the United States, and they generate nearly $4 billion in income annually, according to a survey by IBISWorld. These institutions range in size from little, independent studios to huge chains with numerous campuses.
Since martial arts can give people the knowledge and confidence to defend oneself against possible attacks, they may also be useful to criminology. In fact, some martial arts schools even provide women’s and kids’-only self-defense lessons. However, it’s crucial to highlight that martial arts instruction alone cannot stop or discourage crime, and people must also take additional safety measures.
There isn’t a single “father” of martial arts in terms of their historical development. Instead, they have developed through millennia in numerous cultures and places. Some of the earliest known martial arts originated in ancient China and India, while others were created in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea. Numerous distinct martial arts systems are currently practiced all over the world.
Last but not least, the maximum level of deference in martial arts differs by style and culture. In some martial arts, bowing is a gesture of deference; in others, it can be a handshake or a verbal welcome. A key value of martial arts is to respect one’s instructor, training partners, and opponents.
In conclusion, it is obvious that martial arts have a large role in American society, even though the precise number of Americans who practice them may vary depending on the source. Millions of Americans have discovered the benefits of martial arts training for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, from traditional martial arts to contemporary combat sports. Martial arts likely will continue to play a significant part in American society for years to come, according on the popularity of martial arts schools and the importance of martial arts to self-defense and criminology.
“Dan” () is the word for “black belt” in Korean.