Anger in adult male martial arts and combat sports practitioners: level of education and style

Problem and background. Martial arts have been viewed from a paradoxical approach. On the one hand, as practices related to mental control, respect and philosophical values. But on the other, as violent and aggressive practices that can cause harm. Aim. To describe and compare the levels anger (trait anger, anger expression and anger control) in male adults engaged in martial arts and combat sports (MA&CS) training, according to age, experience in practicing MA&CS, educational level and MA&CS style. Method. One hundred ninety-five male MA&CS practitioners from judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, aikido, muay Thai and karate, participated in this descriptive, cross-sectional study. Anger was measured using a Spanish version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2). Results. No differences in trait anger, anger expression and anger control according to MA&CS practitioners' level of formal education and years of experience were found. There were significant, trivial size differences anger expression-out scale with regard to age, with more experienced practitioners achieving lower results. Significant, small size differences were found in trait anger scale and angry reaction subscale according to style, with aikido group having lower scores and muay Thai group higher than some of the other groups. Conclusion. The ambiguous outcomes of MA&CS studies make it necessary to develop solid quantitative, qualitative and mixed- methods research in order to elucidate the relationship between MA&CS practice and anger and aggression.