Differential effect of Taekwondo training on knee muscle strength and reactive and static balance control in children with developmental coordination disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
Daily Taekwondo for three months builds knee strength and static balance in kids with DCD, but quick reactive balance stays the same.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers split kids with developmental coordination disorder into two groups. One group took Taekwondo class one hour every day for three months. The other group kept their usual routine with no extra training.
The team then tested knee strength, static balance, and reactive balance in both groups.
What they found
Kids who trained gained knee strength and stood steadier on still surfaces. When the floor suddenly moved, their balance did not improve.
In short, Taekwondo helped strength and static balance, but not the quick catch-up moves needed for slips or bumps.
How this fits with other research
Griffith et al. (2012) ran almost the same Taekwondo program one year earlier. They saw big gains in sensory balance scores, matching the static balance boost here. The two studies act as direct replications, strengthening trust in the Taekwondo effect.
Li et al. (2011) watched kids with DCD for three years and found their strength and fitness drop over time. The new trial flips that curve by adding martial-arts drills, showing decline is not inevitable.
Xenitidis et al. (2010) and Eussen et al. (2016) both report poor anaerobic power and sprint strength in DCD. Taekwondo’s kicking and stance work target exactly those weak spots, so the knee-strength gain makes sense.
Why it matters
If you serve children with DCD, you now have two RCTs saying daily Taekwondo lifts strength and steady stance. Use it as a fun, low-cost add-on to OT or PT. Keep measuring reactive balance separately, because quick recovery moves need a different fix.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a 10-minute block of front-kicks and single-leg stances to your gross-motor warm-up and track static balance on a foam pad.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effect of short-term intensive TKD training on the isokinetic knee muscle strength and reactive and static balance control of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Among the 44 children with DCD (mean age: 7.6 ± 1.3 years) recruited, 21 were randomly assigned to undergo daily TKD training for 1h over three consecutive months, with the remaining 23 children being assigned to the DCD control group. Eighteen typically developing children (mean age: 7.2 ± 1.0 years) received no training as normal controls. Knee extensor and flexor muscle strength and reactive and static balance control were assessed using an isokinetic machine (with low, moderate and high movement velocities), a motor control test (MCT) and a unilateral stance test (UST), respectively. A repeated measures MANCOVA revealed a significant group through time interaction effect in isokinetic outcomes at 180°/s and in the UST outcome. Post hoc analysis demonstrated that DCD-TKD children's isokinetic knee muscle strength, specifically at 180°/s, was as high as that of the normal control children (p>0.0083) after TKD training. Moreover, UST body sway velocity was slower in the DCD-TKD group than in the DCD control group (p<0.001), and was comparable to that of the normal control group (p>0.05) after TKD training. However, no such improvement in balance was observed in the MCT (p>0.025). The results show that children with DCD who undergo a 3-month program of intensive TKD training experience improvements in isokinetic knee muscle strength at 180°/s and static single-leg standing balance control, but do not benefit from improved reactive balance control.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.01.025