At what age should boys start fighting with full contact to the body?

Denis4fight

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Some 10-13 year old boys want to start fighting full contact. In our club (Thai Boxing and MMA) full contact to the head starts with 16 and to the body with 14.

I think, when the boys want to fight with full contact and the parents agree, there is no reason not to allow it. And for self defense it would be better. In my opinion boys until 16 years should use headgear in thaiboxing. In MMA punches to the head should start with 16 at competitions and only light contact in training to the head, because headgear is very annoying on the ground.

I once watched a fight with two 12 year old kids. One fighter took some hard low kicks and punches to the gut. Then he stood groggy in the ring corner, after several punches and an elbow to the head. He tighened his sixpack and his opponed kicked him 8 times with full force in the stomach. He went down, but he was back on his feet in time. His opponent punched him to the head, clinched him and rammed one knee after another in his stomach, until the boy went down again and couldn't get up. When he hit the ground, his opponend kicked him in the belly - I don't know if that is allowed in Thailand. Pretty hard fight, but no injury and the kid smiled after a while.

By the way, the boys in Australia seem to be pretty tough, too. :)

 

jobo

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Some 10-13 year old boys want to start fighting full contact. In our club (Thai Boxing and MMA) full contact to the head starts with 16 and to the body with 14.

I think, when the boys want to fight with full contact and the parents agree, there is no reason not to allow it. And for self defense it would be better. In my opinion boys until 16 years should use headgear in thaiboxing. In MMA punches to the head should start with 16 at competitions and only light contact in training to the head, because headgear is very annoying on the ground.

I once watched a fight with two 12 year old kids. One fighter took some hard low kicks and punches to the gut. Then he stood groggy in the ring corner, after several punches and an elbow to the head. He tighened his sixpack and his opponed kicked him 8 times with full force in the stomach. He went down, but he was back on his feet in time. His opponent punched him to the head, clinched him and rammed one knee after another in his stomach, until the boy went down again and couldn't get up. When he hit the ground, his opponend kicked him in the belly - I don't know if that is allowed in Thailand. Pretty hard fight, but no injury and the kid smiled after a while.

By the way, the boys in Australia seem to be pretty tough, too. :)

as long as every body is happy with the amount of force being used I don't see a problem,

I'm not sure there abmny safe age for head punches, it probably helps if they are consenting adults who have been made aware of the impending brain damage
 

Tez3

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Some 10-13 year old boys want to start fighting full contact. In our club (Thai Boxing and MMA) full contact to the head starts with 16 and to the body with 14.

I think, when the boys want to fight with full contact and the parents agree, there is no reason not to allow it. And for self defense it would be better. In my opinion boys until 16 years should use headgear in thaiboxing. In MMA punches to the head should start with 16 at competitions and only light contact in training to the head, because headgear is very annoying on the ground.

I once watched a fight with two 12 year old kids. One fighter took some hard low kicks and punches to the gut. Then he stood groggy in the ring corner, after several punches and an elbow to the head. He tighened his sixpack and his opponed kicked him 8 times with full force in the stomach. He went down, but he was back on his feet in time. His opponent punched him to the head, clinched him and rammed one knee after another in his stomach, until the boy went down again and couldn't get up. When he hit the ground, his opponend kicked him in the belly - I don't know if that is allowed in Thailand. Pretty hard fight, but no injury and the kid smiled after a while.

By the way, the boys in Australia seem to be pretty tough, too. :)



Did you know there's girls ( females) in this world as well as boys?
 

Headhunter

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Did you know there's girls ( females) in this world as well as boys?
Yes but he's asking about boys because as stated in the first line of his thread some BOYS want to fight full contact in his club lol
 

Tez3

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Yes but he's asking about boys because as stated in the first line of his thread some BOYS want to fight full contact in his club lol

yeah cos only boys know how to fight.... does he know girls want to join martial arts clubs and fight as well?
 

Headhunter

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yeah cos only boys know how to fight.... does he know girls want to join martial arts clubs and fight as well?
Yeah because he totally said that didn't he.....jeez trying hard to start a argument much. Guy wanted some advice because some boys wanted to fight and he gets a lecture about gender equality..,for some reason
 

Headhunter

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As for the actual post. Sounds a bit sick (not in a good way) sitting there watching kids do that to each other. I'm no fan of that. Imo no one should be fighting until they're 18 or 21 depending on what age is considered an adult. I mean kids can't drink a beer until their 18 but they can enter a ring and get beaten up and risk permanent damage. I'd never let my kid do that and have no interest in watching kids beat the hell out of each other
 

Flying Crane

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head blows are never a good idea. Even light blows can accumulate into debilitating brain injury. Children whose brain is still growing and developing should never be deliberately exposed to that. My opinion is that it is a very bad idea for adults too.

Lots of info on this has been coming to light in the last few years, in the American football arena. Even with the helmets, they get these brain injuries. The helmet protects the skull but cannot stop the brain from hitting the inside of the skull.
 

dvcochran

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@Denis4fight I checked your profile page to try and get background information to better understand your post. I wish everyone would fill their profile out more thoroughly.
Honestly, I do not fully buy in to the level of hype around CTE. Let me try to explain.
Without question repeated blows to the head are not a good thing. Common sense.
What constitutes a 'blow' to the head? Great question. Studies have proven that a swift turn of the head can displace the brain as much a swift impact can. The body is built to accommodate a certain level of movement and impact.
Is this different from person to person? Sure; just like some people are more prone to bone breaks. Genetics and well being (food, medical access, etc...) play a big role I imagine.
Are head impacts cumulative? I fully believe so from my own personal experience with concussions.
American football gets a bad rap because it has been in the spotlight. Somewhat ironically, the concussion rate in women's hockey and soccer is almost twice as high.
I am much, much more worried about what we put in our mouth and it's long term effect on the brain. How can a loaf of bread set on my kitchen counter for a month and not turn green? Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.

Should a 12 year old kid be exposed to competitive full contact Fighting with no protection, restrictions, or guidance? Absolutely not.
Can it be done in a safe and positive manner? Yes. But it certainly is not for every kid and a good bit extreme. The video was over the top at that age. But who knows he could be the next Anderson Silva.
What is wrong with waiting a few more years until the body and brain are fully developed? What is the benefit of doing it a such a young age? So, to the OP's question; yes, I think 12 years old to too young for that level of contact on a REGULAR basis.
 

jobo

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@Denis4fight I checked your profile page to try and get background information to better understand your post. I wish everyone would fill their profile out more thoroughly.
Honestly, I do not fully buy in to the level of hype around CTE. Let me try to explain.
Without question repeated blows to the head are not a good thing. Common sense.
What constitutes a 'blow' to the head? Great question. Studies have proven that a swift turn of the head can displace the brain as much a swift impact can. The body is built to accommodate a certain level of movement and impact.
Is this different from person to person? Sure; just like some people are more prone to bone breaks. Genetics and well being (food, medical access, etc...) play a big role I imagine.
Are head impacts cumulative? I fully believe so from my own personal experience with concussions.
American football gets a bad rap because it has been in the spotlight. Somewhat ironically, the concussion rate in women's hockey and soccer is almost twice as high.
I am much, much more worried about what we put in our mouth and it's long term effect on the brain. How can a loaf of bread set on my kitchen counter for a month and not turn green? Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.

Should a 12 year old kid be exposed to competitive full contact Fighting with no protection, restrictions, or guidance? Absolutely not.
Can it be done in a safe and positive manner? Yes. But it certainly is not for every kid and a good bit extreme. The video was over the top at that age. But who knows he could be the next Anderson Silva.
What is wrong with waiting a few more years until the body and brain are fully developed? What is the benefit of doing it a such a young age? So, to the OP's question; yes, I think 12 years old to too young for that level of contact on a REGULAR basis.
really, your more concerned about bread causing brain damage than being punched repeatedly in the head?. that could be the result of the cerebral damage caused by being punched in the head !
that marginally worse than the people who are worried about the government

frying their brains with cell towers
 
D

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I get the feeling this is too individualized to state definitively. That its more based on the person than age, obviously there is a age range, but its like teaching them how to shoot, they need to get some things before they can do it.
 

JowGaWolf

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My thoughts is that kids should be trained to control their strikes first. This will allow some reasonably safe sparring that allows punching to the head. AKA, do not punch the head with full force or light force to the head. While the brain is delicate the body is not so fragile that a small bump on the head is going to be the end of the world. Many kids will bump their heads throughout their life time regardless of if they are fighting or not. The concern is the repetitiveness of being hit which can be reduced by teaching kids to better control their punches. This way they can work on head defense without being pounded in the head.

In terms of competitive fighting. I wouldn't allow the head strikes. If they want to strike for the head then it would have to be in a sparring situation where the goal isn't to win but learn and help each other get better. I'm know I'm biased on this because I spar to learn, If I want my son to be a world champion Muay Thai fighter, I would be even more restrictive as his brain is going to be an important factor in how fast he reacts and how much he processes. By the time he's 20 I would want his brain to have the least amount of trauma. I want that brain to be fresh and in top working condition, ready for the fight.. I don't want a brain that's been smashed against the skull over 100 times.
 

dvcochran

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really, your more concerned about bread causing brain damage than being punched repeatedly in the head?. that could be the result of the cerebral damage caused by being punched in the head !
that marginally worse than the people who are worried about the government

frying their brains with cell towers
You just don't understand analogy do you.
 

Tez3

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Yeah because he totally said that didn't he.....jeez trying hard to start a argument much. Guy wanted some advice because some boys wanted to fight and he gets a lecture about gender equality..,for some reason


'for some reason'....that you don't see why says a lot, and then you go on to say the OP is a bit sick mmmm.

Children can certainly drink alcohol before they are 18 it's not illegal, it's only illegal to sell it to under 18s. The arguments for not allowing children to drink alcohol are convincing as they are for not letting under 18s fight head shots. One can rail against parents who allow their children to drink wine/beer etc as one can about head shots for children.
I have a good friend Gary 'Smiler' Turner researching head shot and the damage they cause, look him up and see what he has to say.
 

jobo

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You just don't understand analogy do you.
I think i do understand analogy, Which is something which is comparable to another in significant respects

in this case your comparing bread and percussive blows to the head and concluding that bread is more dangerous

So just to be clear, do you as your post strongly suggests believe that bread is more likely to cause brain damage than being punched ?
 

dvcochran

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So you have zero concerns about the food you purchase and consume?

I am saying no one knows for certain.
 

Brian King

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Children should be allowed to remain children in my opinion. They are in a hurry to grow up and that is a good thing but hard contact should not be rushed. Wrestling, Judo, BJJ type of sports is awesome for growing kids and young adults. Full contact competition is not necessary or healthy for growing bodies and psyche's. They can get all the contact they might need to experience in training where it is very controlled, healthy, and useful.
Regards
Brian King
 

Headhunter

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Children should be allowed to remain children in my opinion. They are in a hurry to grow up and that is a good thing but hard contact should not be rushed. Wrestling, Judo, BJJ type of sports is awesome for growing kids and young adults. Full contact competition is not necessary or healthy for growing bodies and psyche's. They can get all the contact they might need to experience in training where it is very controlled, healthy, and useful.
Regards
Brian King
From my experience a lot of it (not all) is from helicopter parents trying to forfil and push their own failed dreams and non accomplishments on their kids and then they can claim how great they are because of their kids success. For something dancing or swimming or just regular martial art class then alright I mean it's pretty weak minded of them but no real harm, but actually fighting full out that's wrong Imo
 

jobo

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So you have zero concerns about the food you purchase and consume?

I am saying no one knows for certain.
i Think we are as close to certain as its possible to be that bread doesnt cause more brain damage than punching, not unless you let it get very hard and then hit people over the head with it

And yes, you are for once correct, i have no concerns whatsoever about the food I buy and consume, There are somethings I wont buy, like TUNA, I cant get it out of my head that it contains dolphin and prawns etal, to far down the food chain
 

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