RESEARCH
Hamed Konarivand spent 30 years as a practitioner before becoming a researcher. The methods inside MyTaek are not hunches. They are hypotheses that were tested, measured, and published in peer-reviewed journals. This is what the evidence says.
30+
years on the mat
4th Dan
Kukkiwon black belt
2
Scopus-indexed peer-reviewed papers (2025)
1
International medal — Gold, British Open, Manchester
Scopus is one of the largest peer-review databases in the world. Having research indexed there means it cleared independent academic scrutiny, not just internal review.
PAPER 1 OF 2
Hamed Konarivand (corresponding author)
Journal of Physical Education and Sport (JPES)
Vol. 25, Issue 4, Art. 84, pp. 785-792 · ISSN: 2247-806X (online), 2247-8051 (print)
Children aged 4 to 7 were split into two groups: one trained with traditional Taekwondo, the other with TaekFunDo, which adds gamification, storytelling, and reward systems. TaekFunDo participants showed measurably better outcomes across discipline, confidence, and motor skills. The study used a between-subjects design with children who had no prior martial arts experience, making the comparison clean.
TaekFunDo showed higher discipline scores than traditional Taekwondo
TaekFunDo participants showed greater confidence development
Motor skill acquisition was measurably better in the TaekFunDo group
Peer-reviewed and published in a Scopus-indexed journal
PAPER 2 OF 2
H. Konarivand and A. Djavanrouh
Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management (JISEM)
Vol. 10, No. 17s (2025), pp. 383-394
Over 8 weeks, 28 children were split into two groups. One group had parents read AI-generated bedtime stories that reinforced the values and skills from their TaekFunDo classes. The other group followed standard training with no AI intervention. The AI-story group showed significant improvements across discipline, attendance, and home behaviour. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05).
+43.7%
discipline stamp rate
74.8% → 84.8%
attendance rate
71.4%
parents saw better bedtime routines
57.1%
parents reported reduced screen time
All differences statistically significant at p < 0.05
Read the paperGamification works
The JPES paper showed that reward systems and visible progression improve discipline and motor skill outcomes in children aged 4 to 7. MyTaek's automated grading makes every session's progress visible instantly, to the student, the coach, and the parent.
Parent involvement is the lever
The JISEM paper showed that when parents are given specific, AI-informed actions to reinforce at home, children's attendance, discipline, and engagement all improve significantly. AI Sensei gives parents one research-backed action after every class. Daily Quests lets them confirm it happened.
Visibility drives retention
Both papers point to the same root cause of dropout: children stop seeing themselves get better. Attendance climbs when progress is made visible. The Feedback Center shows Technique, Effort, Focus, and Discipline scores after every session so no child trains invisibly.
Hamed Konarivand started Taekwondo at six. He reached black belt at nine. He competed for the Iranian National Team, won Gold at the British Open in Manchester, and Gold at the Indian Open Heavyweight Cup. He spent 30 years watching good kids walk away from the sport, not because they stopped loving it, but because they stopped seeing themselves get better. That question became a research programme. That research programme became MyTaek.