Understanding Modern Self Defence: Should Children Compete in MMA?
The subject of children participating in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has always been a topic of contention. A notable insight into this issue comes from the insightful discussion presented by Icy Mike on the YouTube channel Hard2Hurt. The key factors in his estimation are not the child’s age, ability level, or the level of contact in the sport, but rather their desire to participate and their readiness for the challenges the sport presents. Icy Mike shares his witnessing of a unique MMA fight involving two children. The fight, which took place at Fight for It 15, was between two young girls who showcased an exceptional level of skill in combat sport. The match was intriguing, demonstrating that when managed appropriately and with the right protective measures, children can actively participate in MMA and gain critical skills and experiences. It’s imperative to note that the danger in any sport, including MMA, is not solely in the sport itself. Of course, there are physical risks; concussions, bloody noses, and even broken bones are certainly considerations. However, as Icy Mike points out, these physical risks are not the central issue. The real danger comes from outside of the ring, notably from dealing with the expectations that originate from people who are not the athlete, such as parental pressures. In other words, the psychological risks should not be underestimated. When coaching children, instructors must manage three sets of expectations: their own, the child’s parents’, and most importantly, the child’s. Of these three, the child’s willingness to participate and their desire to grow within the sport are the most important. As Icy Mike stresses, the child’s wishes should always take precedence. The decision to step into the ring, whether you’re eight, eighteen, or eighty, must come from personal desire rather than external pressures. It is impossible to ignore the profound skills both girls in this particular MMA fight possessed. Their comprehensive understanding of self-defense, the ability to minimize damage, and their composed reaction to challenging situations demonstrated that they were not only ready but eager to participate. This demonstration of passion, combined with high-level skill and maturity, argues strongly for the allowance of children competing in MMA. This perspective is not advocating for children to enter MMA unprepared or pressurized by external expectations. However, it does highlight the importance of considering a shift in the discourse surrounding children in MMA. Rather than focusing solely on their physical safety, it is equally, if not more, critical to consider their psychological readiness, personal interest, and passion for the sport. To deem a child ready to enter the world of MMA, the key question to ask is not about their age but their willingness: do they genuinely want to fight? As Icy Mike puts it, it’s not just a good fight for kids, it is a good fight, period.Blablabla
Hard2Hurt is a renowned YouTube channel, owned by Icy Mike. A self-defense professional, Icy Mike utilizes his extensive martial arts experience to educate audiences on practical self-defense and fitness techniques. Mike’s engaging tutorials and realistic scenarios cater for all skill levels, promoting self-confidence and safety.
Self-Defence Block
Go to https://drinkag1.com/hard2hurt to get started on your first purchase and receive a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 and 5 travel packs.
Ancient spartans had kids fighting as early as 7 or 8. Tho i don't know how this would fly in modern combat sports.
Kids are cruel, Jack.
I think submission is way more dangerous punching and kicking. I don't think kids can hit hard enough to do real damage. They can choke and break bones. I think wrestling is the only base kids should do until teenage in full competition. Doing bag work or drilling subs are fine but i see way to many times get just go out of control. The refs and coaches would have to be top notch to make sure there is no injuries from breaking rules. i went to 5/6th grade football and the rules are always broke because the refs are shit. Kids get hurt because of it.
I do not agree with children fighting. We are all mostly products of our enviroment and children are even more so. I work with kids, I have been a professional teacher in a school and worked for social services (child protective services) and there is no way on this earth anyone will convince me that these kids have decided to do this on their own. Over 18's only.
Ellie trains at our gym. She’s an amazing young athlete! Her and my son spar together all the time. Iron sharpens iron.
Also, her parents train with my husband and myself. My husband helps coach her. She absolutely wanted to fight and she’ll be back to fight again. Her parents would never force her into it. Ellie, her brother and sister enjoy training!! My son will be fighting in Winston-Salem on the 16th!! His first mma fight was with Fight For It, they’re an amazing promotion. Can’t wait to see you there. Be looking for Eli the Jedi.
So I actually have a concern because there is no head shots. Houdini was a magician who also had a hobby in working out his abs. He trained his abs to be so well conditioned that part of his show was you could punch his abs as hard as you could and he would be fine. However, after doing this trick to many times, and after receiving a sucker punch from an extremely strong man, it literally ended up being the primary cause of his death.
Gutt shots while less dangerous than head shots, can still, be very dangerous.
Karate and TKD solves this problem by making it a point system. Is it perfect, no, but there is an adult division where you go harder.
My concern is by doing no head shots, the fight now goes on longer, and all that full contact damage, is going Fully on your gutt and your liver. That means if they are doing five-minute rounds, its a full 15 minutes of someone just going to town on your gutt.
I do not think that is healthy for a child, its not even healthy for an adult.
So for that reason, after seeing this, despite how amazing it is. No i do not support people under the age of 16 being allowed full-contact fights. Especially if we are being honest, the majority of fighters are being introduced to the sport by their parents, and many parents take shit to far. Just review the "worlds youngest body builder" video, and the kid has very negative memories of his father because of working out to much
I grew up doing Tae Kwon Do and roughhousing. I did wrestling as well. The only times there were fights I thought were inappropriate was when we did "lockerboxing" in a tight cluttered locker room with only other kids to supervise and man there were some injuries. That and other unsuprvised fights near roads, or in the woods on a hill in slick leaves. With a ruleset, supervision, and both kids wanting to participate? I think it's fine. Just minimize those TBI's and don't let them break each other.
No, no it shouldn't. Anyone who says yes should have their kids taken away. Grappling is the most I'd allow, but even getting slammed/thrown hard can cause a concussion/CTE. BJJ/Wrestling/Judo until they turn 18 or 25-26 (when the brain finally stops developing). I sound overly paranoid, but I just don't want kids being punch drunk by the time they're 21-22.
Let kids play tackle football. Also, kids will get seriously injured if they do mma.
It's safer than football, that's for sure.
Not having children's fights or at least legit sparring is like not having steroids. It's a good idea as long as you have a way to be 100% sure nobody is doing it.
You've convinced me that they can fight. I'm still no ok of them fighting for the pleasure of adults; it's still not a swim meet, even if they're not allowed to punch in the face
My only concern is the potential exploitation of a child. Did those people in the audience pay for a ticket? Is it a good look when other people are making a profit off of your kid being in a fight? Maybe we could find a better venue, but, honestly, I don't know. I value the skills the kids are learning, and the protections in place (perhaps headgear instead of relying on "don't punch the head", but that would mess with grappling so iunno…), but the idea of grown men paying money to watch two children fight is… disturbing. Especially if there's a promoter potentially promoting this and filling their pockets. That said, I would give either of these kids my lunch money.
Well i can’t really say much about the concussion part, i started riding horses at the age of 10, that sport gave me more serious concussions with unconsciousness then the martial arts ever did. (Taekwondo, Kick-boxing and Muay Thai).
It's less fucked up then letting them alone in a room with a drag queen or the gouvernement DICTATING that a parent cannot stop a child that want to play pretend he's the opposite sex for the rest of his life.
Let the kids fight, heck make it mendatory in school.
12:10 concusions in children are extremely dangerous to their health and development CTE at a young age can have serious consequences later in life
Also you should not want your child to come back with broken bones becouse in young children themdamage is worse
too early, at least go like boxing and protect heads, and be careful with fractures….then there´s the child exploitation angle…let´s let them grow teach them to do this, that´s fine by me…
Personally I think kids should be allowed to fight under an ethic of honorable combat- in a controlled setting as a means of settling disputes before they escalate, in school.
But I'm not comfortable with children being used for entertainment like this (or even child actors, or beauty pageants).
Especially it being monetized in any way. That just sets up a scenario where kids can get exploited, To me it's a morally dubious proposition.
It has nothing to do with willingness or competency or potential injury.
Children are capable of operating at a higher level than adults They just don't have the same kind of mass. I do think this video is good evidence of that. (Kids have more neurons, more plasticity).
But that's also partly the problem.
There is a fine line between training and grooming (which is more than just a chomo thing). And that line lays within the potential for exploitation.
At least as an adult you have better cognitive capacity to be able to recognize when somebody's taking advantage of you.
And anytime money is in the equation, somebody's going to try to take advantage.
Which in my mind means there's an inherent conflict of interest baked into child derived competition or entertainment.