# "Ultimate Fighting" for kids?



## Ceicei (Mar 27, 2008)

> CARTHAGE, Missouri (AP) -- Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV.
> 
> But the sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out.  The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer.





> No blood was shed. And both competitors wore protective gear. But the bout reflected the decidedly younger face of ultimate fighting. The trend alarms medical experts and sports officials who worry that young bodies can't withstand the pounding.





> Miller said mixed martial arts uses a lot of arm and leg twisting to force opponents into submission. Those moves, he said, pressure joints in a way not found in sanctioned sports like youth boxing or wrestling.
> 
> But Nathan Orand, a martial arts trainer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, said kids are capable of avoiding injuries, especially with watchful referees in the rings. He thinks the sport is bound to grow.



http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/03/27/kids.ultimate.fight.ap/index.html

- Ceicei


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## Empty Hands (Mar 27, 2008)

Wow, that's a whole pile of stupid right there.  I particularly like how he contrasts the "arm and leg twisting" of MMA with the sanctioned sport of wrestling!  What does he think wrestling is?


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## tellner (Mar 27, 2008)

Let's see if I've got this right...
Kickboxing is fine for kids.
Wrestling is fine for kids.
Mixing kickboxing and wrestling is evil for kids.

What dimwit.


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## sgtmac_46 (Mar 31, 2008)

tellner said:


> Let's see if I've got this right...
> Kickboxing is fine for kids.
> Wrestling is fine for kids.
> Mixing kickboxing and wrestling is evil for kids.
> ...



Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking.....more of the medias bias there....'It's 'new', and bunch of 'rednecks' are doing it, so we have to comment negatively on it'.


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## Nolerama (Apr 5, 2008)

That's where the entities involved with marketing MMA should step in and release the stats on injuries accrued during MMA competitions vs. those accumulated during other combat sports like boxing and wrestling... and even further to football and hockey.

MMA is humane. There is a tapout and the fight is over. When the ref sees a competitor is unable to defend against continuous strikes, the fight is over. A This is media sensationalism reacting to the growth of this sport.


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## ackks10 (Apr 5, 2008)

Nolerama said:


> That's where the entities involved with marketing MMA should step in and release the stats on injuries accrued during MMA competitions vs. those accumulated during other combat sports like boxing and wrestling... and even further to football and hockey.
> 
> MMA is humane. There is a tapout and the fight is over. When the ref sees a competitor is unable to defend against continuous strikes, the fight is over. A This is media sensationalism reacting to the growth of this sport.




i agree with that, but not for kids, oh, it's ok until somebodys little boy gets a broken nose, or his arm swings the wrong way after the match, in a nut shell this is BS for the kids, oh yes i know that it was said before but, why are we teaching the young!!!! to be like this:cuss:after all thats not the way of the martial arts:soapbox:


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## sgtmac_46 (Apr 5, 2008)

ackks10 said:


> i agree with that, but not for kids, oh, it's ok until somebodys little boy gets a broken nose, or his arm swings the wrong way after the match, in a nut shell this is BS for the kids, oh yes i know that it was said before but, why are we teaching the young!!!! to be like this:cuss:after all thats not the way of the martial arts:soapbox:


  The same reason we start pee-wee football....which, actually has a far higher degree of injury risk than MMA....broken noses, broken fingers, broken arms, dislocated shoulders, permanent knee injuries and other soft tissue injuries.  

Football, however, is 'America's sport' (not baseball, contrary to popular belief) so we tolerate injuries in football......but the talking head on TV tells us that 'MMA is a human cockfight' so like good lemmings we nod in agreement. 

Incidentally, one should note the number of DEATHS in highschool and college football every year.....and compare to the number of such deaths in the entire history of ALL MMA competition.


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## SensibleManiac (Apr 5, 2008)

One thing that stood out as really stupid and propaganda-ish is how the writer included "sucker punches" in the list of techniques. What?! 

"Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of *sucker punches*, body blows and swift kicks."

If they're expecting to fight how can there be sucker punches?

Either way, as much as I love MMA and practicing it, I don't fully agree with children fully practicing it and feel that there needs to be STRONG supervision during kids practice. 
My sole argument here is that young children especially may not be physically, emotionally and mentally mature enough to handle the rigors of this activity. 
I still pay for some of the punishment I sustained to my joints and back many years ago when I was in my twenties from MMA and Jiujitsu training. 
I'm not saying they shouldn't have exposure to it at all, I'm just saying it should be limited in training particular skills at least until their teens.


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## ackks10 (Apr 5, 2008)

SensibleManiac said:


> One thing that stood out as really stupid and propaganda-ish is how the writer included "sucker punches" in the list of techniques. What?!
> 
> "Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of *sucker punches*, body blows and swift kicks."
> 
> ...




very good,i like how you said that,i just want to add this one thing about the kids, there is something called the "GROWTH PLATE" that when they get a break at one of then, it will not grow back,now thats a real danger.


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## Nolerama (Apr 5, 2008)

ackks10 said:


> very good,i like how you said that,i just want to add this one thing about the kids, there is something called the "GROWTH PLATE" that when they get a break at one of then, it will not grow back,now thats a real danger.



There's a danger in everything, especially when it comes to kids. The point of the matter is that the "journalist" put a PR slant on the subject with his use of language. That's the problem with American journalism today. We're just going to have to deal with it and afford a little time to understand what's going on in relation to the status quo... Rabbit punches... ha!

With that being said, there will always be a risk of injury in any sport. Whether it's football, basketball, wrestling or skateboarding... all of which seem to be accepted by the mainstream. MMA is simply being singled out in this news story because it was a soft news day, and the journalist wanted to keep a job.


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## sgtmac_46 (Apr 5, 2008)

SensibleManiac said:


> One thing that stood out as really stupid and propaganda-ish is how the writer included "sucker punches" in the list of techniques. What?!
> 
> "Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of *sucker punches*, body blows and swift kicks."
> 
> ...


 In short....the author of the article is a MORON who knows noting about fighting, and heard the term 'sucker punch' and assumed it meant some specific type of punch, NOT a punch delivered by surprise.


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## sgtmac_46 (Apr 5, 2008)

ackks10 said:


> very good,i like how you said that,i just want to add this one thing about the kids, there is something called the "GROWTH PLATE" that when they get a break at one of then, it will not grow back,now thats a real danger.


  There is far more inherent risk of that in football, where the object is to INTENTIONALLY slam in to another human being with your body at full speed while he does the same, than in MMA.  The point is if 'MMA' for kids is stupid, then the focus should be on the LARGER phenomenon of Pee-Wee football.....I don't agree with either, but using the 'growth plate' line of logic, that's an argument against youth participation in football and wrestling.


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## sgtmac_46 (Apr 5, 2008)

Nolerama said:


> There's a danger in everything, especially when it comes to kids. The point of the matter is that the "journalist" put a PR slant on the subject with his use of language. That's the problem with American journalism today. We're just going to have to deal with it and afford a little time to understand what's going on in relation to the status quo... Rabbit punches... ha!
> 
> With that being said, there will always be a risk of injury in any sport. Whether it's football, basketball, wrestling or skateboarding... all of which seem to be accepted by the mainstream. MMA is simply being singled out in this news story because it was a soft news day, and the journalist wanted to keep a job.


 Exactly.....I wouldn't be surprised to find out the author is a football fan who sees nothing wrong with pee-wee football.


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## ackks10 (Apr 5, 2008)

sgtmac_46 said:


> There is far more inherent risk of that in football, where the object is to INTENTIONALLY slam in to another human being with your body at full speed while he does the same, than in MMA.  The point is if 'MMA' for kids is stupid, then the focus should be on the LARGER phenomenon of Pee-Wee football.....I don't agree with either, but using the 'growth plate' line of logic, that's an argument against youth participation in football and wrestling.



you make a good point, i must then agree with you:asian:


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## Tez3 (Apr 6, 2008)

We teach our junior students judo and karate/kickboxing as separate subjects with the intention of putting them together when they are older. Here all under 16's who fight in MMA fight under amateur rules, no headshots whatsoever and various other rules limiting techniques. The youngest I've ever seen fighting was 14, that was a junior bout against another 14 year old. We don't have children under that age fighting here. 
to be honest even in our pro fights there isn't a huge amount of 'poundin' going on, there's tactics, clever techniques etc but now we have have good professional fighters little of the standing toe to toe trading punches like old fashioned heavyweight boxers.
My instructor when he was in the Army played pro American football and remembers all the injuries he got then as opposed to his martial arts career which were few.
My daughter who has been a keen horse rider competing in evening and showjumping since she was little broke her arm when she was 10 coming off a horse. She's now riding race horses in a sport that is universally accepted and even considered  posh in this country patronised by the Royal Family yet the injuries to jockeys are numerous and in many cases horrendous, broken necks, backs etc Deaths are alarmingly common too and that's just the humans, the cost to the horses is also high yet this is a socially acceptable sport.


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