Sam Caplan has the find and the analysis over at FiveOuncesOfPain.com. As a huge fan of the sport (and a parent) I tend to agree with his argument that MMA fights and kids don’t mix.
It just doesn’t seem right. And it certainly doesn’t look right — even under the strictest supervision.
UFC President Dana White, however, disagrees:
March 31st, 2008
68 Comments »
huh. Martial arts can be good for children, it develops discipline and sportsmanship.
It’s interesting the stigma that mma still gets in the public opinion. Did anyone else hear the commentator say that MMA fights don’t end until someone gives up??? That was like 15 years ago! People still look at it like bloodsport. What a shame… I have an 8 year old and a 7 year old and I wouldn’t mind if they started training because they learn to hand themselves in a situation and can defend themselves, not every kid in karate turns into Johnny, there are many more Daniel Laruso’s out there. Same with MMA,it won’t make a kid have a temper and want to kill someone, it teaches discipline and control, and gives them confidence in themselves.
[quote comment=”395300″]huh. Martial arts can be good for children, it develops discipline and sportsmanship.[/quote]
The topic is MMA fights — not just martial arts. I agree, martial arts is fantastic for children, adults, everyone. But letting them fight at such an early age?
fighting on the other hand is different.
these kids are going to kick the shit out of people in high school. not because they want too, but because people are gonna test them….this is promoting something bad.
thats my two cents.
I think that training is fine for children, but putting two children in a cage together is not a good idea. This will be squashed as soon as one of these “fighters in training” gets mad at school because lil Tommy stole his crayola crayons and this mma child is going to stomp Tommy and choke him out in school. Not the type of publicity MMA needs.
Gotta agree with Violent Mike. Think about when they are not being supervised by adults. Just kids at recess or visiting a friend’s house. And “Hey guys looked at what I learned yesterday at training, a rear naked choke.” These kids wont be able to be left alone. Or i smell lawsuits.
I don’t see much wrong with this. There is no one complaining about kids learning jiu jitsu, or kids learning boxing. These people are just putting the two together. Kids boxing is a very big draw around the country.
[quote comment=”395312″]these kids are going to kick the shit out of people in high school. not because they want too, but because people are gonna test them….this is promoting something bad.
thats my two cents.[/quote]
People will test them, but they will “Never Back Down”!
How old do you have to be before your featured in the Sherdog fightfinder?
so sad… what are their parents thinking?
On the clip it really didn’t look any more dangerous than wrestling, and a lot of people let thier kids start wrestling at that age.
And lets just be honest here for a minute ladies. When we were that age we all got in fights. These kids are doing it in a controlled evironment with pads and a referee. Would you rather them be doing it on the playground?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to run out there and sign my kids to fight MMA, but if they were interested in it, I might consider it.
I think it would be healthy if they let the kids grow in normal martial arts and then allow to compete in MMA at the age of 18.
even the grown man need versatile backgrounds to be of any use to compete, so its actualy easy to see it the similar way for children. 1st let them train different sports and allow MMA from the age of 18. thats how i see it atm.
[quote post=”5590″]It just doesn’t seem right. And it certainly doesn’t look right — even under the strictest supervision.[/quote]
i have to agree on this one. especialy on :
[quote post=”5590″]And it certainly doesn’t look right[/quote]
Martial arts and wrestling can be great for kids and they can learn the basics while they are growing up. Most of them are not entirely focused on beating the hell out of your opponent until they are knocked out or quit. Dana sounded like a tool in this interview.
I don’t think kids can grasp the seriousness of what they are learning at that age. So to have them fight may not be such a good idea. Some light sparring should be allowed, since it’s crucial to learn techniques, but full-blown amateur matches should have an age limit (13-15?).
I live in Norway, and I’m not that familiar with u.s traditions, but at what age do kids start to compete in amateur wrestling, or boxing for that matter?
You will always have kids who screw things up for all the other kids, by not following rules and regulations. I guess all you can do is to keep it strict and give them as much protection as possible. Props for an interesting topic.
I think that its ok to be training kids in MMA. Its gonna help build confidence and discipline. However, I don’t think its a good idea to be putting these kids in a cage and having them compete. If anything this is just gonna be another setback for MMA.
I agree that martial arts are great for kids. Once my kid is a little older I plan to have him take some classes. But fighting is another story. I think an important issue that no one has addressed are some of the health problems that can occur. At young ages if something goes wrong a kid could have serious developmental problems that they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Their bodies are still growing. I would hate to see my kid suffer problems just because I let him go fight. But then again that’s just my personal opinion. Some of you might disagree.
I don’t understand how a medical practitioner can be so bloody ignorant. So MMA is bad for kids, but the tae kwondo, boxing, sport ju jitsu, and many more tournaments that have been going on for years are ok? This guy is a complete douche.
I’m ok with this under certain conditions. Like other’s have said it isn’t much worse than wrestling, but it does have punching and kicking involved.
personally i wouldn’t mind seeing them train at a young age, but no actually fights until they are in middle school, grades 6-8 to help them prepare for high school MMA.(yes i’d like to see a high school mma program). I think that the rules should be changed slightly, such as 4 minute rounds, no elbows or knees to a downed opponent and possible bigger gloves. Also, give the ref more leeway in stopping fights. so for example, someone is in an armbar, the ref should err on the side of caution and stop the fight as soon as its locked in, befroe any really damage can be done, regardless of wether the person taps. there should be a zero tolerance rule about fighting as well. get caught fighting outside of practice, you are gone for good. show the parents that the goal is the sport and not to teach their child to beat up everyone in school.
I don’t see anythin wrong wit lettin the kids TRAIN MMA but puttin them in a cage against one another, at that age, doesn’t seem right. I think they should have to strictly train MMA for a certain period of time before their allowed to actually fight. Doin this might help them understand the sport better and give them more dicipline.
I dont like ths really. Kids arent really old enough to know better. Some may think it as dominance of another or just beating on the other guy especially when you have a reckless parent telling you before a fight to kick his ass.
they let kids fight as early as 7 or 8 in golden gloves and spar in boxig, so as long as they are wearing the protective gear i dont see it as a big deal. i think sparring and fighting like this will keep kids from fighting at school and on the streets, it will take all the fight out of them.
[quote comment=”395315″]I think that training is fine for children, but putting two children in a cage together is not a good idea. This will be squashed as soon as one of these “fighters in training” gets mad at school because lil Tommy stole his crayola crayons and this mma child is going to stomp Tommy and choke him out in school. Not the type of publicity MMA needs.[/quote]
LOL I completely agree…”kid” cage fighting is too much…now a league for teens maybe? I dunno
[quote comment=”395406″]I dont like ths really. Kids arent really old enough to know better. Some may think it as dominance of another or just beating on the other guy especially when you have a reckless parent telling you before a fight to kick his ass.[/quote]
Agree 100%
[quote comment=”395303″][quote comment=”395300″]huh. Martial arts can be good for children, it develops discipline and sportsmanship.[/quote]
The topic is MMA fights — not just martial arts. I agree, martial arts is fantastic for children, adults, everyone. But letting them fight at such an early age?[/quote]
Mania, Its just like competition for any other martial arts, except its MMA the kids are wearing protection for the blows to the head, the only concern would be the BJJ because they could injur each other easily but, hell they can get injured in any sport (little league footbal, TKD, Karate, etc…) its the same discussion just different scenario.
MMA is a legit sport for all ages, how do you think a kid that puts in countless hours of training and discipline would feel when ppl tell him your too young to participate, “IT would suck”. myb if they change up the rules just alittle bit making it safer for the kids then periodically as they keep getting older be more like the real deal.
I am not against it. It could be a totally positive thing for most kids, but not every MMA organization produces disciplined individuals nor are run by good and disciplined people. Face it there are a lot of jackass people in the sport.
I am not sure that is what could hurt the sport of MMA however. Poor referees will be what hurt it. Poor judgments from inexperienced people with chokes and submission could end up getting a kid seriously hurt. That part is not like refereeing a football game.
Guy doing the interview was a dick. I mean i don’t really like Dana anyway, but that was a biased interview. Listen to the emphasis he uses on “steel” cage. There not fighting in like a tiger cage. And the slow mo clip of the kid whose head gear falls off. For once i think I actually agree with Dana. With the right gear and the right supervision it is no different from Kung Foo or Karate which has many kids entering without the disagreement of parents. I would like to see a study just to compare the Ultimate Fighters ages at which they started there first martial art and compare. I’d say most of them were as young as these kids.
I am not against it. It could be a totally positive thing for most kids, but not every MMA organization produces disciplined individuals nor are run by good and disciplined people. Face it there are a lot of “stupid” people in the sport.
I am not sure that is what could hurt the sport of MMA however. Poor referees will be what hurt it. Poor judgments from inexperienced people with chokes and submission could end up getting a kid seriously hurt. That part is not like refereeing a football game.
not okay
TUF Season 10. 65-70 lbs weightclass with an age limit of 9 years old. The winner fights Anderson Silva for the MW Belt.
Why was my comment moderated?
I am a big fan of MMA and trained in martial arts when I was younger; I however don’t like these kids fighting at such a young age. I think the age limit should be 18 yrs old, old enough to enter into a contract (with no parental consent). I think if kids want to get involved, then start with a martial art that will teach these kids the discipline and history behind the art. Problem is you have these parents who took two or three boxing classes or some other martial art a couple of times, teaching this kids how to fight. The problem I have with MMA increasing in popularity, is that martial arts is losing the respect it once had as a discipline, an art form, or a way to conduct oneself through-out life.
[quote comment=”395461″] The problem I have with MMA increasing in popularity, is that martial arts is losing the respect it once had as a discipline, an art form, or a way to conduct oneself through-out life.[/quote]
that happened a LONG time ago. Look at Tae Kwon Do and Karate, as soon as tournaments caught on and dojos appeared on every corner.
honestly, if Bruce Lee were still alive i could see him endorsing this. Jeet Kune Do is really waht i consider to be the first MMA fighting style.
[quote post=”5590″]these kids are going to kick the shit out of people in high school. not because they want too, but because people are gonna test them….this is promoting something bad.
thats my two cents.
think that training is fine for children, but putting two children in a cage together is not a good idea. This will be squashed as soon as one of these “fighters in training” gets mad at school because lil Tommy stole his crayola crayons and this mma child is going to stomp Tommy and choke him out in school. Not the type of publicity MMA needs. [/quote]
I definately agree with these comments. However if they learn mma properly(and they’re not already psychologically screwed up)they should learn dicipline and to only fight when competing or when you absolutely need to defend yourself. I rather take the chance that my kid might get into fights then having him/her get picked on and not be able to defend himself/herself.
A few years back I went to a “king of the cage” show at a casino here and one of the fights on the card was 2 kids. I think they were 9 and 11. They were wearing protective gear of course. At the time I remember thinking “is this legal?” That was one of the best fights on the card. Everyone was cheering for these kids and they received a complete standing ovation from the crowd. These kids had beautiful form when throwing kicks and they both had a lot of heart. I would be proud If I had a child that displayed that sort of skill. If a child can particpate in Karate at 6 (my nephew), why shouldnt they be allowed to train in mma? They just need to be teaching thee kids discipline along with the fighting skills.
[quote comment=”395487″]A few years back I went to a “king of the cage” show at a casino here and one of the fights on the card was 2 kids. I think they were 9 and 11. They were wearing protective gear of course. At the time I remember thinking “is this legal?” That was one of the best fights on the card. Everyone was cheering for these kids and they received a complete standing ovation from the crowd. These kids had beautiful form when throwing kicks and they both had a lot of heart. I would be proud If I had a child that displayed that sort of skill. If a child can particpate in Karate at 6 (my nephew), why shouldnt they be allowed to train in mma? They just need to be teaching thee kids discipline along with the fighting skills.[/quote]
that is where finding a good coach will be very important. just like in any other sport, like Hockey or football, a good or bad coach can make all the difference. bad coaching is the reason my dad wouldn’t let me play hockey when i was younger.
I agree with River in that first and foremost these kids need to be taught discipline. and saying to weight to middleschool or early highschool doesnt help one bit, because then you are letting them fight right at the age where testosterone and stupid kid stuff is flowing from their eye sockets. Little tommy jones likes little johnny’s girlfriend but johnny doesnt like that so he slaps tommy in a heelhook and now hes never walking right again. MMA is the best compilation of forms, but start with the ingredients (BJJ, wrestling, muay thai). Also I must say, I played football in texas growing up, and it cant be any worse than the injuries and bodily harm I saw occurring there.
i have been travel a lot for the last 5 years and the country where i saw kids training and fighting likes men was in CUBA, those kids got some amazing skills plus they have some hardcore boxing matches for children in HAVANA…i cant imagen when those kids in 12 or 15 years.
[quote comment=”395315″]I think that training is fine for children, but putting two children in a cage together is not a good idea. This will be squashed as soon as one of these “fighters in training” gets mad at school because lil Tommy stole his crayola crayons and this mma child is going to stomp Tommy and choke him out in school. Not the type of publicity MMA needs.[/quote]
HAHAHAHAHA so funny…
Ok…. NO NO NO NO!!!
I think kids should stick to the various diciplines BJJ/Wrestling etc etc and even compete in those areas, but leave the FULL ON MMA until they are older, there is too much danger of kids breaking each others arms and stuff like that when combining punches with the ground game etc etc. No I don’t like it. Especially because now you are gonna end up with all these guys who don’t know SH*T about BJJ etc opening up kids MMA schools, I can’t think of anything good about it
How is this any different from sparing in martial arts class??
MMA for kids is not a positive thing and does not send out the right message to these young people who are very much in the early stages of developing their personalities. From some of the responses I have read, I am noticing a misunderstanding of the difference between martial arts and martial science> martial arts combines elements of combat with a deeper philosophy that use combative techniques/situations as a tool to teach valuable life lessons-these physical lessons are designed to build strength of character with the wisdom to look for alternative ways to solve conflicts as well as respect for others…
Martial science is strictly the science of body mechanics designed to inflict pain and cause specific physical results-this type of study is devoid of any deeper understanding. Kids that study this techniques may/may not be taught the consequences of using their skills nor have the proper respect/depth of character that should go hand-hand with this.
On top of that, depending on their age, joint stress can cause growth problems later in life.
O’D
[quote comment=”395452″]TUF Season 10. 65-70 lbs weightclass with an age limit of 9 years old. The winner fights Anderson Silva for the MW Belt.[/quote]
Get it done Dana!!!
As a father I would not agree will my Son or Daughter fighting at such a young age. I would have no problems with wrestling / boxing / judo etc..
I would not been keen to see my kid try to choke another kid out or brake an arm. Would they let go if he tapped? would the kid want to tap? Too many ifs & buts.
You have got to remember that all MMA fighters originally came from other styles of fighting. When the guys that are fighting now were children, MMA didn’t existist.
I think if we are teaching kids MMA from such a young age they will not bother with core fighting skills.
We wont have Mixed Martial artists, everyone will just be MMA fighters, IF you understand what I’m trying to say.
i can’t believe we’re 40-some comments into this thread and no one has mentioned that this video started with a commercial for tomato cans.
Reminds me of my favorite quote from the Office, when Michael challenges Dwight to a karate match.
Jim: Just have Dwight punch you.
Michael: Oh yeah, that would be kind of worthless because I know a ton of fourteen year old girls who can kick his ass.
Jim: You know a ton of fourteen year old girls?
Dwight: What belt are they?
[quote comment=”395428″][quote comment=”395303″][quote comment=”395300″]huh. Martial arts can be good for children, it develops discipline and sportsmanship.[/quote]
The topic is MMA fights — not just martial arts. I agree, martial arts is fantastic for children, adults, everyone. But letting them fight at such an early age?[/quote]
Mania, Its just like competition for any other martial arts, except its MMA the kids are wearing protection for the blows to the head, the only concern would be the BJJ because they could injur each other easily but, hell they can get injured in any sport (little league footbal, TKD, Karate, etc…) its the same discussion just different scenario.
MMA is a legit sport for all ages, how do you think a kid that puts in countless hours of training and discipline would feel when ppl tell him your too young to participate, “IT would suck”. myb if they change up the rules just alittle bit making it safer for the kids then periodically as they keep getting older be more like the real deal.[/quote]
[quote comment=”395303″][quote comment=”395300″]huh. Martial arts can be good for children, it develops discipline and sportsmanship.[/quote]
The topic is MMA fights — not just martial arts. I agree, martial arts is fantastic for children, adults, everyone. But letting them fight at such an early age?[/quote]
Kids are allowed at early ages to compete in all other sports. Ex: Wrestling, kids can compete at 6 yrs old. By the time they’re in 9th grade they’re at least state qualifiers and targeted to be state place winners and future division 1 college all americans. In wrestling (freestyle) they add a few rules for the protection of the younger kids until they are in 9th grade.
I currently know of one girl at my nephews high school (he wrestles) that competes in wrestling, takewondo n’ jujitsu, she wants to try MMA when she graduates, this is the only way she can compete at all disciplines at this time in her area.
Eveyone on here that is questioning MMA for kids, has just not settled with the idea as of yet, as there is a lot of quesions that have not been answered for them. As it becomes more mainstream and the early discussions continue they will become accepting of it.
However, as one commentator MOON UK put it:
“I think if we are teaching kids MMA from such a young age they will not bother with core fighting skills. We wont have Mixed Martial artists, everyone will just be MMA fighters”
The thought might be that all the other disciplines will lose the purity of the discipline as a sport, why do karate, wrestling or jujitsu, when you could do MMA?
Is this the beginning of the decline of other martial arts because they will open up more MMA schools?
I like a good scrap as much as the next guy but as a parent, my mission is SIMPLE. To assume the responsibility for my kids’ safety and overall well being. Cage Fighting for Kids where they’re taking blows to the head regularly and sometimes getting KOd or choked out DOES NOT contribute to that. These kids could suffer trauma or stunt brain development and might have mental problems when they grow up. Teaching cage fighting to kids negates the concept of self-defense, and encourages aggression and violent behavior. Mismatches in skill level can be especially dangerous. It would be too convenient for little kids abuse their training on peers. I won’t even get into “promoting” the fight. I’m glad the sane people like “Mista OD” and “MoonUK” actually spoke up. NO WAY IN HELL MY KID WILL BE DOING THIS and I feel sorry for yours if they do cagefighting.
Could you imagine your kid getting his ass beat in an MMA fight by another kid in the same school as him. Kids could not be mature about something like that. That is something to think about becuase kids hate losing and usually rub it in win they win so that is one reason I think MMA is only for adults. Being an adult you can show class, good sportsmanship, and respect for your opponent and if your opponent has none of those qualities at least you don’t have to go to the same school with them five days a week.
There is going to be one major injury and the whole thing will be outlawed. Simply put Missouri is a lawsuit waiting to happen and it will happen very quickly.
[quote comment=”395303″][quote comment=”395300″]huh. Martial arts can be good for children, it develops discipline and sportsmanship.[/quote]
The topic is MMA fights — not just martial arts. I agree, martial arts is fantastic for children, adults, everyone. But letting them fight at such an early age?[/quote]
Exactly Mania. I think most will agree with when I say letting kids comepete in MMA in the form we know it is stupid and wrong. It’s not good for the development of a healthy young mind if you ask me.
I think martial arts is great for all ages but when it comes to MMA I disagree. Children’s MMA, if it is going to exist should be about POINT STRIKING, like many other martial arts, rather than bloody noses, burst lips, black eyes and kids cryig. Now admittedly I have watched all of the clip, (I’ve seen a similiar one before) and it seems they’re wearing protective headgear.
Still, if it is to carry on, it should be scored on point striking, points for takedowns etc etc. Essentially not encourage children to go and beat the heads off each other.
That being said, it doesn’t seem right to me. It can be confusing for children and to them it may seem that adults are condoning a violent streak.
How can some of you compare this to kid boxing or football?? Boxing uses much larger gloves and is never going to involve kicks to the head or broken limbs, blown out knees, etc. Even so, competitive boxing shouldn’t be allowed for kids that young. As for football, its a game that has an objective other than beating the dog shit out of your opponent. The physical aspect is secondary, unlike MMA where the goal necessarily involves hurting someone. In football, you are penalized for doing many of the things involved in an MMA match.
also, that interviewer ate Dana White’s lunch. Dana sounded like a blabbering idiot in that interview.
Do they have weight classes? What do they do if they are too heavy, put their ass in a sauna for a couple of hours to cut weight? LOL?
yeaaaa go ahead and let the kids maul each other. - But NOT the dogs or roosters. That would be too much….lol
[quote post=”5590″]how do you think a kid that puts in countless hours of training and discipline would feel when ppl tell him your too young to participate, “IT would suck”.[/quote]
I’m sorry, but this is a nonsensical argument. We should let kids fight b/c it might hurt their feelings afterwards? If we let kids do whatever the hell they wanted, half of them would be in the hospital.
This is just a stupid and pointless Idea. Mixed martial arts is a culmination of muy Tai, Kick Boxing, wrestling, Ju Jitsu, Sambo, Judo….
Why have children fighting mma. Instead they should be honing their skills in all the above mentioned Aspects of mma. At the very least that should keep them busy till they are like 16.
I mean can a little kid really be skilled at boxing, ju jitsu, and wrestling…. I doubt it, so how can they even dream of fighting mma. At best you will see a 1 dimensional striker vs. a ju jitsu practicioner… You cant tell me little kids can be well versed in the arts that make up mma. Its not like we will ever see a well rounded 11 year old, who can wrestler, Muy Tai, Box and grapple, so will it even really be mma?
Not really.
My point is, the best thing for a kid to do with aspirations of being a UFC fighter is to start training the different aspects individually, and when you get good at more then 1 aspect, then start putting it together, and then add a new aspect, then incorporate that aspect and so on…
No point in fighting, they are better off fighting in the traditional Karate tournaments with the point scoring system until at least 13 years old…
Dana White is an IDIOT!!! How can you let little children FIGHT???? What the F***? There are over 100 different types of sports they can play but Beating the hell out of each other is just plain STUPID. Children like to play outdoors, run around, fly a kite or kick a ball or swing a bat etc, not fight. IT”S COMMON SENSE!!! They can learn discipline and sportsmanship this way rather than competing for the best. Do you notice that in this sport you gotta be the best and if you lose one fight, you are not respected by your fans for most. Why teach kids this type of art at that age. Once again Dana White is an IDIOT!!!
Never Back Down… NEVER!!!
Bad Idea!!!!! I can imagine what the school yards will be like at lunch time with a kid who knows how to put people asleep!!!!! Adults only please!!!!!
hes right its alot safer than pop warner
How else is the world of MMA going to keep skilled fighters rolling through the ranks? You have to image what kind of skills these kids will have by the time they reach 18 , they will be MMA studs! This pumps me up for UFC300 !
WWWWHHHAAAATTTTT?
I am all for BJJ and other training froms for kids, even my boys, but I would never summitt them to this BS! I understand the kids wanting to do, but the parents have to be the ones to say NO. For God’s sake this is why they should restrict some adults from having kids! I fell sorry for these boys becuase they will not be straight in the heads later in life. Man what is this world coming too?
MMA for kids IMO depends on rule changes. EX: disallowing knee blows, elbow strikes, shorten mintues per round, a point system that would end the fight instead of letting it continue… referee must end a bout if a submission is secured versus waiting for a kid to tap out or if GnP has reached a dominating mode, removing the cage and just using a mat. Something along these lines to make it safer. I don’t think the idea of MMA competition is all bad for kids, it’s the rule changes they must put in place to make it safer and more acceptable on top of the protective gear.
Should grade school kids be allowed to do this?…. IMO, definitely not in it’s current state of competition rules.
Am I going to catch shit from all of you for saying this?…lol I assume so.
Its all fun and games until someone gets hurt seems to always be the case when it comes to children lol.
but if we are talking about good or bad or teaching a kid how to hit at such a young age, then would you say football is any different? i mean the child is learning to knock someones head out at an early age, arent they?? but besides the negative, i think many of these diff sports teach kids positive things as well. with that said, if it were my kid, he would be doing a martial art or sport that wouldnt hurt him and damage him in any way. Once hes 18, he can do whatever the hell he wants!
If we are going to say that kids shouldn’t do this then I think we are being hypocrites. All of the arguments we constantly throw out in defense of MMA vs. other sports, in my mind, apply to kid’s sports. We argue that boxing is worse than MMA. Football is no different. Well if that is true for adults, why would it not be true for kids? The growth plate thing is ridiculous. The doctor is an idiot. And I don’t need to be a doctor to say that. All it takes are simple observations that kids break bones and injure themselves playing football, soccer, skate boarding, gymnastics, get hit with bats and balls in baseball, and on and on. So the injury argument is a bit of a joke in my book.
The only true question I really see is, is a kid mentally mature enough to fight in competition and control his emotions inside and outside the ring? And one thing is for sure, MMA should teach them that. If they are not learning discipline then they should not be allowed to continue. Either by their parents and/or their instructor.
I guess I could go on and on, but no one will probably even read this, so….
I dont have highspeed so I didnt bother trying to watch it.
I do see MMA as a fusion of Boxing and Judo with wrestling.
What is the age for these sports?
In judo you have to be 13 to start using armbars and chokes.
Wrestling… I have kids that are in grade 3 doing it.
Judo 5yrs old.
Mind you they arnt beating the heck out of each other or anything but getting tossed on your noggin is no different than getting a cross checked from behind or sliding into the board like our beloved national sport up here in the great white north. None will do you any good.
I just think its time MMA got its own provincial/sport body and not rode on wrestling and boxing. What is stopping that.
There could be a set standard for it, even though it is a mix of martial arts there are tons of core moves that are basics that could be done up like the traditional martial arts. Give em different colored gloves instead of belts.
The whole maturity question is where things get gray. Any kid can fight. I guess noone ever seen the movie Karate Kid.
Some adults shouldnt be training in MMA if we are gonna talk maturity…
I am sure there is a way to do it in increments that could be age appropriate.
Judo canada doesnt want kids to fight till age 13… are they dumb. Little Johnny will just play soccer at age 5 and never stop. If its about driving the sport than yes maybe a starting age of say 10 is ok. Just to keep the critics to a minimum.
My kids do wrestling and judo and hit the heavy bag are they doing MMA. Yes, just not sparring.
If dana wants mma mainstream this would be one area to attack. Then traditional sports like Hockey, Football, Baseball, Soccer could take a small insignificant hit.
I wouldn’t have so much of a problem with sparring, but NO WAY should kids that young use submissions in competition.
[quote post=”5590″]Why have children fighting mma. Instead they should be honing their skills in all the above mentioned Aspects of mma. At the very least that should keep them busy till they are like 16.
I mean can a little kid really be skilled at boxing, ju jitsu, and wrestling…. I doubt it, so how can they even dream of fighting mma. At best you will see a 1 dimensional striker vs. a ju jitsu practicioner… You cant tell me little kids can be well versed in the arts that make up mma. Its not like we will ever see a well rounded 11 year old, who can wrestler, Muy Tai, Box and grapple, so will it even really be mma?[/quote]
My sentiments exactly… and IMO the fact that kids CANNOT be well versed in all these area’s leaves them vulnerable to injury…again IMO
thats not cool having kids do mma join karate or any other type work your way up
better than playing video games and sniffing the pledge can at home to get high.
When i was a child we played sports in the street everyday but now I rarley ever see kids playing touch football or roller hockey there busy getting high and skateboarding.
as long as its supervised properly I think its a great idea to help build disciline and promote self confidence and high self asteem. No different than any other competetion kids play footbal which is a team sport the goal being to hit the kid in the other jersey as hard as you possibly can, MMA individual sport the goal being to win sometimes without even striking your opponent
I think this is a completely weak argument and am sad that after nearly 70 comments nobody bothered to research the incidence of injury in martialarts, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and judo, and pop warner football, gymnastics and all of the other ‘traditional sports’ that kids do.
I did.
quoting the journal of Sports and Science,
” The findings of the present study do not provide evidence that combat sports have alarmingly high rates of injuries resulting in emergency department visits.”
and in an article specific to MMA:
” The lower knockout rates in MMA compared to boxing may help prevent brain injury in MMA events.”
Gymnastics and football are the real killers. But don’t take my word for it, try Children’s Hospital Boston, The CDC, or Consumer reports. I’ve linked all the articles at my blog.
kempoinfo.com