What we are basing this on
The research.
Second Wind Karate makes claims about balance, cognition and pain on its Benefits page. This page lists every study those claims lean on, in full, so you can read them yourself rather than take our word for it.
Read this part first. None of these studies were conducted on Second Wind Karate, on Eran, or on anyone in this course. Almost all of them are on tai chi, mind–body exercise or general exercise in older adults — one is on martial arts specifically. They are evidence for the principles the practice shares with those disciplines: slow, deliberate, attentive movement done regularly.
They are not evidence that this course will do any particular thing for you, and nothing here is medical advice or a treatment for any condition. Not every claim on the Benefits page has a study behind it — some come from Eran’s forty years of teaching rather than from the literature.
Balance and falls
Cited under Balance and Dual-Task Cognitive Training.
- Tai Chi for fall prevention and balance improvement in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Systematic review & meta-analysis · Frontiers in Public Health, 2023 · PMID 37736087
- Effects of Tai Chi on balance and fall prevention in healthy older adults: a randomized controlled meta-analysis Meta-analysis · Frontiers in Public Health, 2025 · PMID 41567791
- Optimal exercise parameters of tai chi for balance performance in older adults: a meta-analysis Meta-analysis · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021 · PMID 33769556
The brain — cognition and neuroplasticity
Cited under Enhanced Cognitive Sharpness and Dual-Task Cognitive Training.
- Neural mechanisms and social support for mental health in old age by martial arts exercise The one martial-arts study · Frontiers in Psychology, 2025 · PMID 41583770
- Tai Chi exercise and neuroplasticity: a narrative review according to neural mechanisms and clinical utilizations in brain health Narrative review · Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2026 · PMID 41799887
- Tai Chi versus conventional exercise for improving cognitive function in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial Pilot randomised controlled trial · Scientific Reports, 2022 · PMID 35614144
- Can Tai Chi improve cognitive function? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Systematic review & meta-analysis · Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2021 · PMID 34314596
Mindful movement, pain and wellbeing
Cited under Stress Reduction and Mindful Presence.
- Are mind–body exercises beneficial for treating pain, function and quality of life in middle-aged and old people with chronic pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis Systematic review & meta-analysis · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2022 · PMID 35800981
- A mind–body program for older adults with chronic low back pain Randomised clinical trial · JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016
- Mindfulness-based group medical visits for persons with chronic low back pain Clinical trial · JAMA Internal Medicine, 2026
Background reading, not cited as support
Supplied to us and worth reading, but it studies a talking therapy rather than movement, so nothing on the Benefits page rests on it.
- Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for chronic pain in older veterans Randomised clinical trial — psychotherapy, not exercise · JAMA Network Open, 2024
Reviewed by Ori Shine, MD — Eran’s son, a practising doctor, and a karateka since childhood.
This page is not medical advice. Reading it does not create a doctor–patient relationship with Ori Shine or anyone else, and karate is not offered here as a treatment, a cure or a prevention for any condition.
Talk to your own doctor before you start — especially with a heart condition, a recent surgery, a balance disorder, uncontrolled blood pressure, or an injury that is still healing. Stop if something hurts.
Every link above was checked and resolves to the study named. Last checked 2026-08-30.