Bibliometric analysis of national martial arts

Abstract

Background and Study Aim National martial arts (NMA) are sports that have developed primarily within a single country. They reflect national characteristics and influence societal development. Currently, many have spread beyond national borders and gained worldwide popularity. The aim of this study was to analyze publications on national martial arts using bibliometric methods and to identify priority research areas in this field. Material and Methods As of 31 December 2025, the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) and Research Commons (RC) databases were selected for analysis. The publication sample was compiled using the search query “national martial art”. The sample included 552 publications in WoS and 367 in RC. The analysis period covered 2015–2025. Bibliometric methods were applied to process the data. VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) was used for keyword and direct citation analyses, including the construction of bibliometric maps and the visualization of cluster density and citation weights. The minimum threshold for keyword inclusion was five occurrences for WoS. For RC, all keywords were included due to their limited number. Results The WoS database identified the following priority research areas: sociology, sports, education, history, and medicine, in descending order of publication frequency. The RC database does not classify research areas. Authors from China produced the largest number of publications in both databases. Poland was also represented by a considerable number of publications. Publications by Ukrainian authors accounted for a small proportion in RC. However, an analysis of leading journals showed that Ukrainian journals constituted a substantial share of the RC database. The most cited authors were identified in the WoS database. Bibliometric maps enabled the identification of key research areas and current trends. Seven clusters were identified. These clusters reflect issues related to anthropometric, functional, and psychophysiological assessment of athletes. They also include sporting, pedagogical, social, historical, and philosophical aspects of NMA; injuryrelated issues in combat sports, including prevalence, prevention, and rehabilitation; and the use of training interventions to reduce risk factors, improve quality of life, enhance motivation, and optimize physical activity. The keywords within these clusters were also analyzed. However, formatting limitations in RC publications significantly hindered the analysis. Conclusions A structural bibliometric analysis of publications in the WoS and RC databases on national martial arts for the period 2015–2025 was conducted. The results reflect the thematic structure of the field, dominant research areas, and the distribution of publication activity across countries, authors, and journals. The most frequently represented thematic areas include sports, recreation, and rehabilitation, as well as historical, social, and philosophical aspects of NMA. The conclusions are descriptive and limited by the applied bibliometric approach and the characteristics of the analyzed databases.