INTRODUCTION:
martial arts training has been showing tremendous growth at both entertainment and competitive levels. Although the benefits of regular exercising are undeniable, we have growing evidence of excessive practice among athletes and sportsmen, with presence of pathological addiction traits. Physical Exercise Addiction (PEA) is displayed in primary and secondary forms.
OBJECTIVE:
our goal is to assess the Karate Practice Addiction (KPA) in athletes and sportsmen determining its prevalence and dependence levels, as well as associations with risky behaviors.
METHODS:
we studied 46 individuals, from both genders, with mean age 45.4 (10.6), 74.8 (10.7) kg, 173.1 (7.2) cm, for which the body mass index 24.89 (2.93) kg / m2 established an eutrophic pattern. We gathered anthropometric measurements, scores from an addiction scale adapted for KPA, and body image perception data.
RESULTS:
seasoned athletes showed a significantly higher KPA score, while less experienced practitioners were significantly less satisfied with their body image.
CONCLUSION:
the KPA scale proved useful to correlate addiction and time of engagement to Karate. We recommend the use of this scale as an assessment tool to determine motivations and risks of pathological behavior in Karate and other martial arts.
martial arts; exercise; questionnaires