The Cons of MMA's popularity

I agree that the adage "boys will be boys" is true. And I believe it is a good thing. Scrapping and wrestling with one another from a very young age enhances fighting ability as adults. The constant use of one's body in a particular way will actually determine the neural connections made as the brain develops. Even when the play fighting is untutored, boys learn to use their bodies in a way that will help them their entire lives. Girls being girls, because of different societal expectations and the absence of the testosterone drive, don't get this mock fighting experience. So when we start to train for self defense as adults, we don't perform at the same level as males do. We have to train much harder and longer to just get up to the same level as males with no formal training. Our brains are wired differently, because most of us lack the childhood mock fighting experience that boys gain by "being boys". So I say that we should continue to encourage boys to fight, supervised and unsupervised, and encourage girls to fight too.
 
Jenny_in_Chico said:
I agree that the adage "boys will be boys" is true. And I believe it is a good thing. Scrapping and wrestling with one another from a very young age enhances fighting ability as adults. The constant use of one's body in a particular way will actually determine the neural connections made as the brain develops. Even when the play fighting is untutored, boys learn to use their bodies in a way that will help them their entire lives. Girls being girls, because of different societal expectations and the absence of the testosterone drive, don't get this mock fighting experience. So when we start to train for self defense as adults, we don't perform at the same level as males do. We have to train much harder and longer to just get up to the same level as males with no formal training. Our brains are wired differently, because most of us lack the childhood mock fighting experience that boys gain by "being boys". So I say that we should continue to encourage boys to fight, supervised and unsupervised, and encourage girls to fight too.
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Spot on there Jenny! I got picked on at school for a couple of reasons and my first reaction was always to attack, quite literally. I would thump anyone who threatened me or my brother, this was probably because my father taught me to box from a very early age. Teaching women to spar is harder than teaching men but if the girls are young enough teaching them is the same as teaching boys, it's a case of teaching girls to let go and go for it, boys rarely have to be taught this.
 
MJS said:
Absolutely, and while I do agree with what you're saying, I was just looking at it from the possibility that should someones 15yo son be engaging in UFC wanna be activity, and God forbid the kid gets injured, I could just imagine the parents getting a lawyer and accusing the family where the incident happened, of neglect and not supervising the kids properly, blah, blah, blah.

I mean, if some careless driver sues McDonalds for coffee being too hot, coffee that SHE spilled on herself, well, I think you know where I'm going with this. :)
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That's why we need to get rid of all the lawyers.
 
Wait a minute, isn't that King Henry the 6th? " The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers?" :knight2:
lori
 
sgtmac_46 said:
That's why we need to get rid of all the lawyers.
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We need to get rid of stupid parents.

What we do is a martial art. Keyword being 'martial'. There is always the possibility of getting hurt. The chances may be worse for some than for others (e.g. Muay thai vs iaido) but when all is said and done, a system comes with its set of rules / guidelines and precautions, and you know what to expect. As long as you stay within those constraints, it's a case of '**** happens'.

If a 15 year old breaks something in a regular MMA fight (I have no idea whether kids can even compete) then it sucks to be that kid, but nothing more than that.
 
Bruno@MT said:
If a 15 year old breaks something in a regular MMA fight (I have no idea whether kids can even compete) then it sucks to be that kid, but nothing more than that.
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One thing I try to emphasize when talking to kids who participate in these backyard rumbles is that they should go and get some formal training in MMA if they are interested. I try to point them in the direction of this or that studio, whichever one is closest to their home. There's something to be said about having a controlled training environment where the rules are enforced and instruction is guided by an instructor. Sure the backyard fights are fun and exciting, but so is real competition.

If I can help it at all, I would like to dissuade my students from developing the thug mindset like the youtube Kimbo Slice. And I think that the environment is going to be less prone to serious injury inside an actual studio. Yes, boys will be boys and I certainly wouldn't want to stop anyone from doing something that comes naturally to them, however, we are talking about a chance for serious injury that could be avoided simply by a change in environment.

It's this kind of mindset that guides my decision as a caring adult who guides children for a living. And I'm glad someone moved me in a similar direction because it led to me starting Judo in middle school.
 
Dana White, Kenny Florian & Forrest Griffin on "fight clubs":

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...unfortunately you also have Dr Phil in there.
 
Andrew Green said:
Dana White, Kenny Florian & Forrest Griffin on "fight clubs":

[yt]PBgtccZgrbc[/yt]

...unfortunately you also have Dr Phil in there.
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Thanks for that clip, Andrew. I'm using it next time I deal with this situation.
 
Again, nothing different than a pickup game of tackle football in the backyard.......kids will always do it, no matter how many official announcements of 'Kids, don't try this at home'.
 
sgtmac_46 said:
Again, nothing different than a pickup game of tackle football in the backyard.......kids will always do it, no matter how many official announcements of 'Kids, don't try this at home'.
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Exactly. I did it as a young man, and so did my buddies and my brothers. The real difference, we didn't apply UFC rules, rather, the goal was to kick the crap out of the other guy. He wasn't a buddy, it was a fight against rivals, and the risk (and occurrence) of real injury was much higher than with these kids who are applying MMA competition types of rules in their fight clubs. That's a more positive way to blow off that youthful male aggression, better than a real brawl.

Wouldn't that actually be a positive of MMA's popularity?
 
K831 said:
Exactly. I did it as a young man, and so did my buddies and my brothers. The real difference, we didn't apply UFC rules, rather, the goal was to kick the crap out of the other guy. He wasn't a buddy, it was a fight against rivals, and the risk (and occurrence) of real injury was much higher than with these kids who are applying MMA competition types of rules in their fight clubs. That's a more positive way to blow off that youthful male aggression, better than a real brawl.

Wouldn't that actually be a positive of MMA's popularity?
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Don't I know it! Two men to a fight, one fight at a time, and when a man taps out, gets knocked out, or the 'ref' sees someone has had enough, the fight is over.

There are worse ways to resolve conflicts..........like the kind of melee's I have been the unfortunate participant in on too many occasions as a youth.

If anything, the UFC seems to have brought a sense of fair play BACK to the kind of neighborhood brawls that will never really go away........everyone knows the rules, and everyone knows it's two to a fight.
 
The problem is that these kids see UFC, or maybe even Strike Force. Instead of being educated some of them are full contact hitting each other. Without realizing what kind of damage that can lead to.

However, telling them hey don't do this will make them want to do it even more. Parents should be responsible to talk to their children, and say hey if you've got an interest in Martial Arts like you see on TV. I'll take you to a school, and you can learn the proper training to do it professionally. Or you can learn the actual respect for the art you're taking so you won't continue in reckless activity.

Tackle football was always more competitive. I'd play with friends who would teach me offensive, and defensive plays. Where to stand, routes to run but when you got hit it wasn't to hurt you. You'd be pulled up, and told hey you're tough for taking that hit, and here are some tips to tackle better. Sports have their ups & downs.

What parents have to do is be responsible. Guys are going to be stupid, and impulsive so the right kind of education, along with the proper method of learning is the way to go.
 
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