Trading Shots: Would you let your child do MMA?

[marques]

Trading Shots: Would you let your child do MMA? How about as a career?

 

[Dirty Dog]

As a child? Certainly, as long as reasonable safety precautions were in place.
But give me a freaking break. By the time they're old enough that career choices are in the offing, it's no longer a matter of "letting" them do anything.

 

[Kickboxer101]

Sure why not its no more or less dangerous than any other sport and it keeps them fit and healthy and teaches them skills for self defence

 

[KangTsai]

Definitely. I would emphasise on how not to hurt him/herself though.

 

[Tez3]

Definitely. I would emphasise on how not to hurt him/herself though.

MMA is no different from any other martial art though, you can hurt yourself in any of them.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

MMA is no different from any other martial art though, you can hurt yourself in any of them.

And with any sport. If I had kids, knowing what I know, I'd want submissions kept very gentle until teens (long-term joint damage potential), and would expect head shots to be kept well outside KO range, at the very least.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

To me, the second question is easy: If they want to pursue that as a career, I can't really stop them. Now for the first question...

To me, it depends on the kids age and what 'kids MMA is'. I would not allow my child younger than 12 to do any contact sparring. I've seen kids do contact sparring at 12, and they are good at it, so my opinion is probably not logical, but I would not trust my child with contact sparring at that age...I've gotten enough concussions from sparring, so genetically the risk is definitely there.

I would also make sure to keep any submissions very gentle, and pay very close attention to their kicks to make sure they're not screwing up their knees before they hit 20.

 

[Danny T]

Trading Shots: Would you let your child do MMA? How about as a career?

Yes.
I'd also let them play other sports like baseball (throwing and hitting a hard sphere at one another), ride bicycles, shoot bow and arrows and firearms. I'd let them box, wrestle, swing sticks, train in the martial arts, play war games, jump on trampolines, climb on jungle gyms and even more. Wait a moment...I did have kids, they did all of this and a lot more. They are all still alive, well adjusted, in good physical and mental shape, and now have families of their own.
Yes I'd let them.

 

[Headhunter]

I would've 100% let them train if they wanted to. Both my kids did train in martial arts just not mma because they had no interest in it. They both were interested because of me doing it and I trained them both. My son who's my eldest started boxing at 13 and did that for years and won 1 amateur fight but he got into over stuff and stopped training, my daughter did kickboxing and had 2 fights in the space of 5 years but she still trains to work out. As for having a full on career I'd be a bit more against it not the injuries side because that can happen in anything but just because I know fighting can be a horrible career if you get it wrong. Take the wrong fights, hire the wrong people you can be chewed up and spat out but if they wanted it I'd never stop them.

My attitude is I'll allow my kids to do anything as long as it's legal, won't get them in trouble or get them arrested at 3 in the morning (screw going down the police station at 3 in the morning lol)

 

[Andrew Green]

Considering I teach kids mma, starting at age 3, yes. But no kid should be making career choices that are set in stone. If they want to be a fighter at 5 cool, same as astronaut, police officer, movie star or the ever popular spiderman career path.

I wouldn't recommend competitive MMA as a career to anyone though. The pay generally sucks unless you are at the very top and it's a short and risky career. But by the time they can start competing it's their choice. If you want a career in martial arts your re far better off becoming a coach though.

 

[kuniggety]

And with any sport. If I had kids, knowing what I know, I'd want submissions kept very gentle until teens (long-term joint damage potential), and would expect head shots to be kept well outside KO range, at the very least.

Luckily their joints are very springy. One of the worst armbars I've had was helping out in a kid's class and having a 6 yo girl armbar me... she didn't stop at the tap...

 

[Buka]

With a couple of caveats.
If I trained him/her, yes.
And if I thought they could do so safely based on their ability, common sense and my approval of the venue.

Otherwise, F no.

Same as I would do for my students.

 

[Tez3]

No reputable MMA promoter I know would promote children's fights so really children doing anything other than training is out of the question. Young teens here can compete in amateur fights which are no head shots either standing or on the ground. Children training MMA is no different and indeed perhaps 'safer' than other arts (boxing for example) where head shots are used. When thinking of children's MMA classes people should dismiss any ideas that it's the UFC or any other competition, it's just regular martial arts training just as if the children were doing a stand up art like TKD/TSD etc and a ground art like Judo/BJJ.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Luckily their joints are very springy. One of the worst armbars I've had was helping out in a kid's class and having a 6 yo girl armbar me... she didn't stop at the tap...

Springy, yes, but not fully formed, so long-term damage is possible in ways not likely with teens and adults.

 

[Tez3]

Springy, yes, but not fully formed, so long-term damage is possible in ways not likely with teens and adults.

Something you have to watch for in martial arts as a whole not just MMA. We are careful with our adult students anyway, they can't afford to be injured as they could be charged with 'self inflicted injuries' if not fit for work. Hasn't happened yet but we do have to be careful.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Something you have to watch for in martial arts as a whole not just MMA. We are careful with our adult students anyway, they can't afford to be injured as they could be charged with 'self inflicted injuries' if not fit for work. Hasn't happened yet but we do have to be careful.

True enough. With grappling competition, there's a higher level of risk (to everyone), which is why I brought it up. I didn't teach small joint manipulations to children, when I taught children. There's also the issue of the other child having poor motor control and accidentally going too far - a bit less risky with most adults, especially since adults have a better grasp of actions' consequences.

 

[Steve]

Me personally? No way. BJJ, Judo, Wrestling... Any grappling art. If they want to take blows to the head, they can do it as adults.

 

[Tez3]

Takedown MMA – Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Tournament » Rules

These are the average rules for amateur MMA here for those aged 14 upwards though some places say 16/17, no head shots, no small joint manipulation etc. This promotion stipulates as well that 14/15 are restricted to novice and 16/17 year old to novice or intermediate.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Takedown MMA – Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Tournament » Rules

These are the average rules for amateur MMA here for those aged 14 upwards though some places say 16/17, no head shots, no small joint manipulation etc. This promotion stipulates as well that 14/15 are restricted to novice and 16/17 year old to novice or intermediate.

This sounded off to me, as I recalled a friend (when he was 15/16) training for a fight, and focusing on guarding head shots. I don't remember what organization it was with, since competing has never been something I concerned myself with. But I looked up the rules for WKA, and apparently for them between 12 and 17, you are either a class junior or b class junior. A class juniors are allowed (controlled) head shots while B class juniors are not.

Admittedly, this is for kickboxing rather than MMA which is the focus, but just interesting to see the disparities.

 

[Tez3]

Admittedly, this is for kickboxing rather than MMA which is the focus, but just interesting to see the disparities.

A lot of people like to have a rant about MMA while forgetting that a lot of karate, kickboxing and TKD competitions have head shots at all ages. Of course boxing does nothing but head shots, I can't imagine a children's boxing competition with no head shots! When I say 'children' for martial arts purposes (physiologically) I mean up to 18 years old.