Hierarchy, Community, and Attachment: Integrating At-Risk Youth into Martial Arts and Combat Sports Academies

Abstract

Cultural shifts have eroded the hierarchical structure responsible for vertically transmitting guidance to youth, making the development of secure parent-child attachment relationships challenging. Youth are experiencing an orientation void, which affects development. Integrating youth into supportive communities promotes psycho-social development. Martial arts and combat sports academies provide opportunities for the development of external and internal assets. Research is needed to measure the psycho-social influence academy communities have on at-risk youth. The effectiveness of martial arts and combat sports participation in intervention and reintegration plans need investigating. There are considerations to be made before developing programs that integrate youth into academy communities.