Effects of an eight-week TPSR-based martial arts intervention on movement competency, mental toughness, and injury-prevention behavior in adolescent athletes

Introduction: Movement competency, mental toughness, and injury-prevention behavior are important for performance and well-being in adolescent martial arts athletes, yet evidence from school-based interventions remains limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an eight-week Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR)-based martial arts intervention on movement competency, mental toughness, and injury-prevention behavior among high school athletes in Aceh, Indonesia. Methodology: A pretest-posttest control group experimental design was conducted with 50 athletes aged 15–17 years. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 25) or a control group (n = 25). The experimental group received a TPSR-integrated martial arts program for eight weeks, whereas the control group continued conventional training. Outcomes were measured using the Movement Competency Screen, the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire, and an injury-prevention behavior questionnaire. Paired-samples and independent-samples t tests were applied, and effect sizes were calculated. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements in all variables (all p < 0.001), whereas the control group showed no significant changes. Posttest comparisons favored the experimental group (all p < 0.01), with moderate-to-large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.72–0.85). Positive correlations were also found among the three variables. Discussion: TPSR-based martial arts instruction appears to support physical, psychological, and safety-related development in adolescent athletes. Conclusions: An eight-week TPSR-based intervention improved movement competency, mental toughness, and injury-prevention behavior, supporting its integration into school-based martial arts programs.