Özet:

The current study aims to investigate the effects of an 8-week karate practice on stress and self-confidence levels among sedentary teenagers. In this regard, the research was conducted with a pretest-posttest control group design. The 95% confidence interval is determined with a 5% margin of error. We used the simple random sampling method and included a total of 124 people in two groups: the experimental group n=62 (Mage=16.11±0.81) and the control group n=62 (Mage=15.32±0.82). We collected participant data using the Stress Level Scale II and the Self-Confidence Scale. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data. Sample Paired t-test and Independent Sample t-test were used for data analysis. A statistically significant difference was determined between the stress and self-confidence levels of the sedentary youth in karate training in the experimental group and the first-posttest mean scores. In the control group, there was no significant difference between the mean scores of the first-test-posttest. In the literature, some studies have been found separately on the effects of martial arts on stress and self-confidence levels. However, studies that analyzed two variables at the same time were very limited. In this respect, it is thought that the present study will contribute to the literature. We used the paired samples t-test to analyze the data. We observed that regular karate practice for eight weeks reduced high levels of stress to moderate levels and increased moderate levels of self-confidence to high levels among the sample. We found that the karate practice had similar effects among both sexes. We recommend directing young people to karate as a successful method to cope with stress and increase self-confidence. The current study was on sedentary youth. However, it can be applied to professional karate athletes to shed light on future studies. Karate practice interventions can be practiced among high school students aged 14-17 years as a universal program

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