Martial arts training during the pandemic and beyond: towards practices of virtuality

Abstract

In martial arts, as in dance, embodiment is of the utmost importance (Zarrilli 2009; Minarik 2014), especially in experiencing and interpreting the movements of the opponent in ground combat and responding with the body. Also in striking martial arts, the performative altercation and bodily communication with the opponent is based on corporeal sensitivity. The Covid-19 pandemic, on the other hand, has led to a widespread digitalisation in martial arts courses – a trend that will presumably continue after the pandemic, as the study by Meyer et al. (2021) indicates. The results also showed that martial arts clubs and teachers have succeeded in adapting to digital teaching and practice in very different ways, e.g. through Zoom workshops or online lessons. Especially during a pandemic, when physical contact and activities are reduced to a minimum, data suggests that martial artists have become even more aware of the importance of embodiment and physical exercise. As digitalisation almost always leads to disembodiment, these dynamics seem to be opposed to each other. This development is also connected to the didactics and the training motives of martial artists, and how these are changed and/or replaced by effects of digitalisation before, during and after the pandemic. The article analyses the different methods and approaches to a digitalised martial arts teaching and practice and ventures a look into the future of digital movement practices in virtual reality.