Investigation of the Effect of Short-Term Karate Training on Walking Ability in Visually Impaired Children

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of 6-week karate training on walking skills, a locomotor skill, in visually impaired individuals aged 10-14 years. A total of 20 visually impaired individuals participated in the study. To evaluate the walking skills of the visually impaired individuals, a 10-meter walking test was performed on a walking line that could be felt on the soles of the feet, and the participants' 10-meter walking time, step length, and step number values were recorded. SigmaPlot 11.0 program was used for data analysis. In the pre-and post-test comparisons, the Paired t-test was used for normally distributed data, and the Wilcoxon test was used for non-normally distributed data. In the comparison of two independent groups, a t-test was used for normally distributed data, and the Mann Whitney-U Test was used for non-normally distributed data. According to the findings, there was no statistically significant difference between the 10-meter walking pre-test results of the karate and control groups with and without glasses. When the post-test values were analyzed, a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) was found in all parameters of the karate group except the stride length parameter. In intra-group comparisons, while there was no significance in the pre-post test values of the control group, a statistically significant (p<0.05) difference was found in all parameters of the karate group. As a result, short-term karate training has a positive effect on the walking skills of visually impaired individuals aged 10-14 years.