From Fitness to Fight: Associations between training motivation and injury prevalence in Muay Thai, K-1 and Kickboxing.

Martial arts such as Muay Thai, K-1, and kickboxing carry a high risk of injury, particularly under conditions of intensive training and competition. This exploratory, cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the extent to which injury risk is associated with individual training motivation and whether this risk differs between training and competition contexts. A nationwide survey in Switzerland was conducted with N = 440 martial artists using a questionnaire that covered training motivation, injuries, mouthguard usage, and competition participation. A total of N = 419 participants were included in the final analysis. Of those surveyed, 65.4% reported having sustained at least one injury during training, with male athletes being significantly more affected than female athletes (P < 0.001). Individuals practicing martial arts as their primary occupation (93.8%, N = 30) and those who regularly participated in competitions (87.5%, N = 73) were particularly at risk. The most frequently injured body part during training was the leg (74.8%), whereas injuries to the head were most common during competitions (68.1%). Most injuries involved soft tissue damage. While 75% of participants reported using a mouthguard during training, only 11.5% used a professionally manufactured one. Dental injuries occurred across all groups, regardless of the type of mouthguard used. The results of this study indicate that injury risk was associated with training motivation, gender, and training intensity.