Motives of taking part in Malay Silat, Karate-Do and Taekwondo

Background. There are many motives for participating in sports. Three major martial art sports in Malaysia that took part in this study were Karate-Do, Silat and Taekwondo. Aim. The present research evaluated the motives that encouraged different martial art to participate in sports, in order to develop sports according to each needs. Methods. The sample of this study consisted of 123 athletes, which included Malay Silat (N=57), Taekwondo (N=35) and KarateDo athletes (N=31). A 46-item questionnaire called Purpose of Sport Questionnaire designed by Duda (1989) was used. Results. The result showed that the motives of Malay Silat and Taekwondo athletes were the highest in Physically Active Lifestyle. The result of this research also showed that the motive of Karate-Do athletes were the highest in Social Status or Getting Ahead. Conclusions. Identifying the range of motives given by different martial art participants will help sports psychologists provide adequate and variety of sport programmes to maintain interest among those martial sport. Focusing and development on those particular motives can encourage more people to involve in those sports.