Nutrition in Combat Sports

5 Ethical and Social Issues in Combat Sports 83
the opponent, be it in victory or defeat. This kind of experience creates strong
bonds between opponents. World champion kickboxer Benny Urquidez once said
after losing a match, “Of course, I’d like to win all the time … but even when I lose,
I win … I learn.” [37] At international taekwon-do championships, I regularly
observe competitors who exchange their sport outfit (e.g., doboks, sweat shirt) with
their opponents after the finals to acknowledge what the other has done, and to
bring home a memento of the intense emotional experience they shared together.
According to Hyland (cited in Bergmann [34]) , this form of human bonding is
strongly linked with “striving together” in that the former is a result of the latter.
5.4.8 Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being
Several claims have been made about the positive influence of combat sports on
mental health and psychological well-being. Those can be found in all kinds of
books, magazines, and ads promoting combat sports and martial arts training. For
example, it has been suggested that the practice of combat sports can help to reduce
stress, calm and clear the mind, relieve the tensions associated with long hours of
work or study, improve sleep, reduce proneness to depression, overcome fear and
anxiety, enhance self-esteem and build self-confidence, become more focused in
life and more positive in thought and action, improve attention and concentration,
and increase academic and work performance. These claims are based mostly on
anecdotal evidence. It follows that no definitive statements can be made about the
influence of combat sports on mental health and psychological well-being.
However, there is an abundance of research literature on the positive influence of
exercise on the mind. For example, there are over 100 scientific studies dealing
with exercise and depression or exercise and anxiety. Since combat sports training
involves much physical exercise, it would be quite appropriate to consider this
literature in a discussion of the psychological benefits of combat sports.
When there are several studies on a topic, it is sometimes difficult to interpret
the literature because not all of them yield statistically significant results. However,
thanks to the appearance of quantitative reviews of the literature, it has become
possible to identify some patterns on exercise and mental health. In fact, results
derived from large-scale meta-analytic reviews have demonstrated that, for many
variables, there is now ample evidence that a definite relationship exists between
exercise and improved mental health. [38] This is particularly evident in the case of
a reduction of anxiety and depression. For many of the other variables related to
mental health, the meta-analyses have shown promising evidence. For example,
exercise seems to be beneficial in increasing positive mood, enhancing self-esteem,
producing more restful sleep, and helping people recover more quickly from psychosocial
stressors. [38] Thus, as long as one considers it appropriate to generalize
these findings to combat sports, it may be suggested from a scientific perspective
that the practice of combat sports truly has the potential to yield important
psychological benefits. Obviously, more research is needed to determine whether