Boxing Opposed By Doctors

[MJS]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44310083/ns/health-childrens_health/

NEW YORK — The nation’s largest group of pediatricians on Monday urged its members to “vigorously oppose boxing for any child or adolescent.”

In a statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said thousands of boys and girls participate in the sport in North America, despite risks of serious brain and facial injuries.
The group’s position mirrors the stance at many other medical organizations and was applauded by some experts.
“There is very little one can reasonably do in order to increase the chance of having a healthy brain when you get old,” said Dr. Hans Forstl at the Technische Universitat Munchen in Munich, who has studied boxing injuries.

Thoughts?

IMO, if they're going to advise against boxing for kids, then perhaps they should not let them play any sports...football, baseball, soccer, wrestling, etc. I mean, come on. Getting up out of bed in the morning could be dangerous if you trip and fall. Getting into the car and driving is dangerous. Yes, I understand the risk of head injury, etc., but this can't be any more dangerous than MMA.

 

[seasoned]

Thoughts?
The only point I can add is the fact that the head is the main target in boxing, where as all the other sports it is not. In boxing the knockout is the objective. All other sports have some form of head protection, but in boxing, only in practice. (sometimes)

 

[Cyriacus]

Well, it really depends on how its Trained.

Im Competition, its beating your Opponent in as best you can, and hoping your not the one on the receiving end.
In Sparring, its more a Simulated Experience.
Realistically, its also a matter of HOW you get hit in the Head.
A Straight to the face isnt exactly going to be bad for you. A Hook to the side of the skull will not be fun, even with big puffy gloves and a helmet.

Then again, you shouldnt even be full on Sparring unless youve been taught how to not get hit like that right off the bat.

Now, ill agree that Football and the like is more dangerous. But then, Shotguns are more lethal than Handguns.

 

[cdunn]

The major problem is that we're learning that the repeated, constant sub-concussion impacts have a very detrimental effect on the brain. The repeated impacts appear to cause a form of scarring, and it adds up over time, and worse, doesn't stop spreading easily. Evidence indicates that NFL players, boxers, and professional wrestling showmen have a far higher rate of dementia at younger ages than those who don't engage in heavy contact sports at a high level. And, well, I'm sure you've heard of dementia pugilistica, it's not some made up panic.

So, we're not really talking about a simple split lip or a broken rib here, we're talking about shouldering a level of risk for some severely life altering injuries. We put kids and teenagers in a 'protected' situation because they are unable to comprehend comparative risks; it's one thing when you're able to make a rational decision that the reward outweighs the risk, another entirely when you cannot.

 

[Tez3]

Here at least children and young adults doing MMA don't have headshots until they are 18.

 

[MJS]

Thoughts?
The only point I can add is the fact that the head is the main target in boxing, where as all the other sports it is not. In boxing the knockout is the objective. All other sports have some form of head protection, but in boxing, only in practice. (sometimes)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_boxing

Looks like headgear is worn in amateur matches. OTOH, I've worn headgear when doing some hard contact sparring, and have been rocked pretty good, so much so, that the lights started to dim...lol. I had quite the throbbing headache for the rest of the day.

 

[MJS]

The major problem is that we're learning that the repeated, constant sub-concussion impacts have a very detrimental effect on the brain. The repeated impacts appear to cause a form of scarring, and it adds up over time, and worse, doesn't stop spreading easily. Evidence indicates that NFL players, boxers, and professional wrestling showmen have a far higher rate of dementia at younger ages than those who don't engage in heavy contact sports at a high level. And, well, I'm sure you've heard of dementia pugilistica, it's not some made up panic.

So, we're not really talking about a simple split lip or a broken rib here, we're talking about shouldering a level of risk for some severely life altering injuries. We put kids and teenagers in a 'protected' situation because they are unable to comprehend comparative risks; it's one thing when you're able to make a rational decision that the reward outweighs the risk, another entirely when you cannot.

Good points, especially with your opening pararaph, about the repeated strikes. I guess its just like going for a pressure point KO. I'm sure once or twice isn't causing much, if any harm. Now, do that 20 times in a row, yeah, there will probably be some serious effects.

As Cyriacus said, I suppose its how its trained. I mean, every time I'd spar, it wasn't full contact each time. There were days when we'd be focusing on specific things, so the contact was either very light or medium.

So, that being said, I wonder how much contact they're really exposed to, that would cause as much of a concern as the doc is saying.

 

[Makalakumu]

It's because of research like this that I've reviewed how I practice kumite in karate. We've got to limit headshots for kids and adults. If we want to practice this art for a long time in a safe and healthy way, limiting headshots based on age and wearing lots of protective gear, limiting force, and reducing the amount of sparring with the head as a target is imperative.

 

[cdunn]

The Sports Legacy Institute seem to be a good place to start, even if the website is ... poorly organized.

I know that the main reason I'm aware of the issues is because GM Byrne had someone from them come in and talk to us about it before one of his organization's tournaments, and they seem genuinely interested in understanding what's going on and educating others in taking the best possible care of their brains, without shutting down sports.

 

[Cyriacus]

It's because of research like this that I've reviewed how I practice kumite in karate. We've got to limit headshots for kids and adults. If we want to practice this art for a long time in a safe and healthy way, limiting headshots based on age and wearing lots of protective gear, limiting force, and reducing the amount of sparring with the head as a target is imperative.

Might i point at the slightly cheesy, albeit practical, Kyokushin Approach?
Albeit without Disallowing Head Punches.

90% of shots Directed to the Torso, to demonstrate which of you posesses the Stronger Torso. Strikes to the Head are Singular, and Intended to Close the Bout.

 

[WC_lun]

Boxing and martial arts are dangerous. It is in thier nature to be dangerous. If the danger is removed from them, then also is the effectiveness. Of course, we should all be smart about our training and limit the risk of injury as much as possible, but that can only go so far and have our training still be effective.

As far as the doctors recommending children not box, I would be leery of any doctor that recommended repeated blows to the body and head. Doctors first rle is do no harm. No matter how you slice it that goes against martial training. While we may not harm others, we are trained to do so and in that training we put ourselves at risk. A doctor saying that is physically dangerous is just stating the obvious to me.

 

[ShotoJon]

Here at least children and young adults doing MMA don't have headshots until they are 18.

Sure they dont have headshots in class. But many of the MMA fighters i know like to mess around outside of class where they think "oh yea im a big bad MMA fighter, i can take it" and dont apply the same rules in the backyard as they do in the school.

 

[MJS]

I still maintain that a good majority of it comes down to how you train. I've been training for over 20yrs, have been hit in the head countless times, and I'm still alive and kicking. As I said in an earlier post, I tend to mix up my sparring, gearing it for specific things each time. So, that said, no, every time I spar, I'm not taking hard shots to the head. If I were to spar 4-5 times a month, I'd say less than half of those times would involve hard head shots. Hard shots being defined as the lights are dimming..lol.