Leveraging the Factors Affecting Participation in the Martial Arts: A Validation and Application of Twemlow, Lerma and Twemlow

Abstract

This paper reports a validation, refinement and application of a scale by Twemlow, Lerma and Twemlow (1996). The relationships of the motivating factors underlying martial arts participation are further utilized within an integrated marketing strategy for student recruitment. Data for 60 martial arts students were subjected to exploratory factor and item reliability analysis. Four factors were derived: Spirituality, Physical discipline, Sport, and Fun. Consistent with the Twemlow study, Physical discipline was the most important motivator. A MANCOVA indicated that these factors were not significantly associated with skill level or time in training, with a moderate relationship between Age and Spirituality.