The Sport Value Education Model: Can it Improve Physical Ability, Technique, and Life Skills in Young Karate Practitioners?

Abstract

Background: Karate training practices tend to focus more on physical and technical aspects, so the development of life skills is often neglected.

Objective: This study aims to examine the effect of the sport value education model on improving the physical abilities, basic techniques, and life skills of young karate practitioners.

Materials and Methods: The research method was an experiment using a randomized controlled trial design based on a pretest-posttest control group design. The population consisted of 60 male karate practitioners (ages 13–14 years), all of whom were selected as the sample through simple random sampling and divided into an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The instruments included the Life Skills Scale for Sport questionnaire, a standardized basic technique assessment rubric, and physical tests (push-ups, sit-ups, back-ups, squats, and the multistage fitness test). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality and homogeneity tests, an independent samples t-test, and Cohen’s d, with the assistance of SPSS version 23. The results showed that the experimental group experienced a significant improvement compared to the control group across all variables (p < 0.05). The most dominant effects of the intervention were observed in lower-body muscular endurance (squat, d = 0.984), striking technique (gyakuzuki, d = 0.846), as well as life skills (social skills, d = 0.886) and time management (d = 0.837). In conclusion, it was found that integrating sports values into physical and technical training sessions proved to holistically improve karateka performance. This study serves as a practical guide for coaches in the long-term development of karateka; however, due to study limitations—such as a sample consisting solely of males and a 6-week duration—follow-up studies requiring a longer duration and the inclusion of female participants are needed