Abstract: This diploma thesis is focused on motivation in martial arts. The sample of
investigation represents 73 people, 61 male and 12 female (aged 17 to 52) from 44 different
martial art clubs in Czech Republic and Slovakia. To discover motivation in martial arts we
put together our own questionnaire including 68 items. As we discovered, the most frequented
goals expected within martial arts are self-defense, subsidiary goals available even outside of
martial arts (improvement of physical condition, amusement, friends) and mental
development. In the majority of individuals practising martial arts no longer than for 2 years
the original goals stay unchanged, in most of those who practise for more than 2 years the
goals have either changed or spreaded. In most of those who have initially posed the goal of
self-development the goals stayed unchanged in contrast to other goals which tended to
change much more often. We have found some significant differences especially between the
groups according to the duration of practising martial arts. Research has found no gender
specific differences. The results and their possible causes are discussed in the end of this
diploma thesis.