The therapy may involve applications such as promoting kinaesthetic balance in the elderly or impaired, through tai chi, or reducing aggressiveness in specific populations (Lamarre, 1999).
In other words, students may only be taught how to fight without lessons in the proper context for applying these techniques, something that is emphasized in more traditional martial art curricula.
Earlier studies had conclusions that suffered from issues such as: It is this last point that appears to be most pertinent to the question of promoting or inhibiting aggressiveness and delinquency among children.
Some researchers point towards a catharsis model where practising a martial art enables a person to "burn off" emotional energy to revive themselves.
One wouldn’t expect a patient with joint issues to enroll in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (which emphasizes techniques to hyper-extend joints to the point of pain submission) or elderly patients to enroll in Muay Thai (which requires a high level of physical fitness and incorporates highly damaging techniques with the elbows, knees, legs, and fists).
In Kalarippayattu, Marmachikilsa (Marmam=Vital points) is another expertise achieved by masters who heal the Marma damages –impacts, internal injuries, dislocation, fracture, or paralysis type cases in fight or fall.
Course of uzhichil or particular massage with special herbal oil, like ayurvedic model treatment is a routine affair for all Kalari trainees to enhance the flexibility of joints and toning of muscles.
A frequent measure used in martial arts research to determine therapeutic outcome is the Profile of Mood States (POMS), created by McNair, Lorr, and Droppleman (1971).
Beyond these issues of construct validity, even if every study of therapeutic martial arts netted a positive outcome (which has not been the case), determining which facets of the instruction were responsible for the change would be vital for widespread application.