Youth Development & Martial Arts: A Conversation with Marc Theeboom

In this conversation, Dr. Marc Theeboom—professor of physical education and physiotherapy at VUB in Brussels—discusses the vast benefits of martial arts for youth development. Importantly, it is not that some martial arts have more benefits for children than do others, but that some pedagogical approaches are more beneficial than others. Theeboom explores the challenges of keeping martial traditions alive while simultaneously making martial arts fun and accessible for modern youth. He also points towards a future for martial arts studies that is holistic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary.