The effect of taekwondo structured training on attention in 7–8-year-old children: a randomized controlled trial

This study investigated the effects of an 8-week Taekwondo program on the attention of children aged 7–8 years, exploring its potential as a motor intervention during a critical developmental period. Forty children were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (EG, n = 20), which participated in a structured Taekwondo program (three 45-minute sessions/week at ≥ 60% HRmax), or a control group (CG, n = 20), which attended regular physical education classes. Attention was assessed pre- and post-intervention using tasks measuring stability, allocation, shifting, and breadth. Data were analyzed using t-tests and two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Significant time × group interactions were found for attention stability (F = 20.56, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.35) and shifting (F = 15.20, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.29). For attentional allocation, the group × time interaction was not significant, whereas a significant main effect of time was observed (F = 5.03, p = 0.031, η²p = 0.12). Median-based post-hoc analyses showed a significant pre–post improvement in the EG (p = 0.015) but not in the CG. No main effect of group was found (p = 0.375). No significant effects were found for attentional breadth. Compared to standard physical education, the 8-week Taekwondo program effectively enhanced attention stability and attention shifting in young children. Attention allocation showed improvement over time, The improvement of attention distribution in the two groups is similar, which shows the advantages of non-specific intervention. No significant effect was observed for attentional breadth. These findings support structured Taekwondo training as a valuable intervention for improving attention in this age group. https://www.chictr.org.cn, (NO. ChiCTR2500104074), Registration date: 6-10-2025 (retrospectively registered)