Combat Sports : Yes or No?
 

Such as :

Professional boxing.
Professional kickboxing.
Knockdown karate.
Mixed martial arts.
Submission wrestling.

What are your thoughts on them? Are you fan or do you think they should be banned? Would you allow your kids to take any of them up or did/do
you do any yourself?

https://evolve-mma.com/wp-content/up...0ee5318e_z.jpg

Yes love em and would let my kids do them.I used to do Muay Thai among other martial arts in the past.Always been abit of a side interest.
I used to love watching UFC years ago before Connor Mcgregor was a thing but then life kind of took over and I didn't see it for years.I saw his first Nate Diaz fight but that's the last one i saw.Is it Pay Per View these days?

Yeah the main cards are PPV

The second fight against Nate was epic, you should try watching that some time, what a war it was

My son does karate, he's going for his 3rd Brown Belt in a couple of weeks, hopefully going for the black then next September

I'm not a "fan" per se in that I don't find them particularly entertaining, but that really goes for most sports, from football to darts to porn: I enjoy playing them, but being a spectator sort of bores me?

In a really morbid way I would absolutely LOVE to see two humans at the peak of their physcal fitness / training go up against each other with absolutely no rules... just to know what that looks like. As it stands, even the MMA stuff with minimal rules does HAVE rules (obviously, as people would die) so it never feels quite... real enough... :joker:.


As for banning them, adults should be free to do what they want with their bodies so long as they aren't endangering anyone else who isn't consensually involved :shrug:

I agree with that. Actually what's even worse than people saying they should be banned is hearing (and I have heard this quite a lot) people say that women shouldn't be allowed do them but men should

I think boxing should be banned in particular, it's barbaric. Watching men being punched in the head until they can barely stand isn't 'entertaining' to me, it's barbaric...and all the brain injuries and deaths etc...I don't get why it hasn't been banned long ago.

But do you not think it should be down to the individuals who participate in these sports to decide? There's risk involved in all sports, American Football infact is one of the worst for concussions and brain damage more so than boxing I believe (but I will try to find something to back that up)

and you can choose to just not watch the sport if you don't like it

Even boxing?
I personally couldn't bear the thought of my son being repeatedly punched and maybe ending up brain damaged or worse...

It's about informed consent, though, I don't think anyone at this point getting involved in boxing is unaware of these risks... and the risk is only to themselves (and those they are fighting, who also know the same). I guess I'd compare it to choosing to ride a motorbike? That's also very risky compared to driving a car, but that doesn't mean it should be banned... people choosing it are aware of the risks.

Yeah i will have to watch that.I saw the press conference where he threw the water bottle.He got fined like $150,000 for that i think and won't fight in Vegas again.That's a hefty fine for throwing a plastic bottle:laugh:

That is an achievement.He'll be chuffed when he gets it.
I always wished i'd stuck Karate out and got my Black Belt.My problem is that i start things but there aren't many things i stick to.
Thai Boxing was the most fun.Did that for like two years.Got a few black eyes though:laugh:

I wouldn't say that to Ronda Rousey:laugh:

To be fair, though, that risk only arises at the middlweight-and-above professional level and so, again, anyone getting involved at that level would be an adult. Not WANTING your adult children to engage in risky activity is one thing, but really, when they are adults it's up to them. Of course, not encouraging them to take it up as a hobby when they're younger would be totally valid.

In my own opinion... I would only do that if they were interested in other physical hobbies. Martial arts and boxing are amazing in terms of exercise and, frankly, their health would be FAR more at risk in real terms having NO physical hobbies, than having boxing as a physical hobby. Especially as - again - there is no real health risk at the hobby level.

That was funny, the build up was as much fun as the fight :laugh:

I was the same as a kid, i think the difference is I started Luke off when he was really young and didn't let him drop out like my mom always let me :hehe:

I know right? Oh her come back is Dec 30th, looking forward to that one

MMA is hot at times... so yeah she can stay.

Only when they're teenagers.They wear head guards if they spar.Not now while they're still young.

One of my best mates (I've known him since early childhood) quit at brown belt, when he was 16 because the class was on a Friday night and he wanted to come out on the piss. To this day he occasionally pulls out the "black belt in karate" brag and I'm like "*ahem*, BROWN". :laugh:

I saw a Youtube vid of these three lads/young men sparring with a female UFC fighter.The lads were trained fighters i think.She destroyed all of them:laugh:

I guess it is down to the individual, but I still think it's barbaric and haven't watched a boxing match for years....
In American football the intent isn't to hurt someone until their brain is shaken around in their head so badly they can barely stand up. I think it's the thought of deliberately targeting the head area that I can't stomach. My guideline is 'would I want to see my son being punched in the head or causing hurt deliberately that way and the answer is a big NO'! (He does play football...)
I forbade him to buy a motorbike when he was 17 and thankfully he grew out of wanting one. Maybe I'm an over protective Dad...:laugh:

+ there's 3 Brown belts before black :laugh:

I have forbidden both my son and my husband from getting motorbikes :fan:

I get what you mean about intent and I understand why you wouldn't watch these sports because of that but it still doesn't take away from the fact that more head injuries occur in Football and Cycling than in these sports

I bet he's gutted he never stuck it out now.Mainly so you don't take the piss when he tells his black belt story:laugh:

Yeah, it's pro - boxing that I think should be banned. (The OP mentioned professional boxing). My younger son did martial arts as a teen for a few years and the discipline and health benefits are awesome. A great sport for teen angst...:hee:

My kids did karate but I'm not a fan of boxing or martial arts

I haven't personally witnessed this. Fingers crossed. :laugh: My son has been playing football for years and my sisters son plays American football and neither of them has ever had a head injury, and I've never heard of any of their teams with one either.
But now I'm going to think about it and worry like the worrywart that I am. Thanks Niamh :joker:

haha sorry :laugh:

You should watch the film "concussion"