Towards Co-Production: The Case of Movement Inspired by Martial Arts (MIMA)

Abstract

One of the major streams of social scientific research on martial arts and combat sports has tended to examine these fighting practices and their distinct techniques of the body from an ethnographic perspective, studying typically young, male practitioners in their regular training environments. A newer trend in wider physical activity research is co-production, a collaborative design that involves community members helping to develop an intervention that suits their wants and needs. This article presents the design of the Movement Inspired by Martial Arts (MIMA) pilot project in Cardiff, Wales, which borrows exercises and movements taken from a range of martial arts that are adapted for older adults and women in multicultural, underserved communities. We evaluated and refined the initial version of the MIMA exercise programme through an iterative process by collecting findings of an evaluation questionnaire and two focus groups with older adults and professionals from a council and third-sector organisations. The findings led to the refinement of the programme that is demonstrated by describing key exercises, offering direct instructions and a video demonstration. We close with suggestions for future co-production projects, pointing the way to a new area for martial arts scholarship.