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The brain and body benefits of holistic practices like traditional martial arts are clear. While earlier research focused more on athletic activities, sport, and competition in adults, more recent work has expanded to adolescents and young and older adults. A key aspect of traditional martial arts training extends beyond just “empty hand” to practice with tools. And by tools, I mean ancient weapons. Yet there has been very little study of this aspect—that is, until now.
Tai Chi Chuan and the grand ultimate stick
Longfei Cao, Xiaoxiao Dong, Kai Qi, Chunhui Zhou, and Aiguo Chen, representing universities in Poland and China, wanted to know if the health benefits of Tai Chi Chuan training extended also to something that extends martial arts function—the stick. In their recent study in Frontiers in Public Health, “Effects of Taiji Stick exercise on strength, balance, and activities of daily living in older adults: a randomized controlled trial,” they noted that “older adults experience an accelerated decline in physical function” but that “studies have shown that engagement in Health Qigong and Taijiquan exercises contributes to better physical functioning and facilitates the completion of everyday activities in senior populations.”
To answer this question, a group of 35 older adults in their mid-80s, comprising both women and men, “were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group engaged in an 11-week Taiji Stick exercise program” held three times each week for 45 minutes each session.
Sticking to it helps with daily living
The researchers note that the Taiji Stick exercise made use of a wooden staff weighing about 0.42 kg. “Each training session for the intervention group was scheduled from 9:00 to 9:45 in the morning on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. Each session lasted 45 min and was structured as follows: a 5-min warm-up, 10 min of Taiji Stick practice, and a 2.5-min break; followed by another 10-min of Taiji Stick practice and a second 2.5-min break; then a third 10-min of Taiji Stick practice; and finally a 5-min relaxation activity to conclude the session…exercise intensity prescribed at 40% ~ 60%” of maximum heart rate. (I want to point out how commendable the detail on the training content is here. This is something often lacking in martial arts research publications.)
They also note that training with Taiji Stick, which “emphasizes waist-centered whole-body movements (e.g., twisting, turning, flexing, extending) integrated with internal activities (such as breathing, mindfulness, and spirit), enables practitioners to achieve physical and mental relaxation during dynamic exercise, thereby mitigating the impact of negative emotions.”
After the intervention, the martial arts training group “demonstrated significant improvements in lower limb strength…dynamic balance…and daily living capacity.” This led to the robust conclusion that 11 weeks of traditional martial arts staff training “can effectively enhance lower limb strength and dynamic balance, maintain upper limb strength, show potential to reduce fall-related risks, and improve daily living ability in older adults.”
Moving beyond the pointing stick
My own martial arts history includes extensive training in empty-hand and weapons-based traditions. I read this particular study with extreme interest because of this. But also because when I began to exclusively train older adults in martial arts, I included weapons training with the Okinawan long staff. Such training has many anecdotal and measurable benefits for brain and body fitness, including neuroplasticity in the sensorimotor system. Additionally, in the context of resilience and self-efficacy, tools are amplifiers of function. So, what we can train to do empty-handed can be amplified by the use of an implement such as a stick or staff.
Related to this, although most studies rightly focus on the health benefits, there are martial arts application benefits for training too. Sticks are the most common weapon found in every tradition in the world and can still be readily found all around us—maybe not an official Taiji Stick or Okinawan bo staff, but every house usually has closet rods, and there are often canes, hiking poles, and umbrellas readily at hand.
Taken in sum, the research outcomes described above are key evidence of the benefits of martial arts training in older adults, which can be further supplemented by the use of traditional weapon tools.
(c) E. Paul Zehr (2025)
