Most children are introduced to a variety of activities during their childhood, with youth sports being the most commonly participated activity. Parents sign their children up for youth sports in order for their children to stay physically active and meet other kids of their own age. However, not all activities are considered suitable by society for children to engage in. Understandably, most parents prohibit their children from participating in activities that would expose them to unnecessary amounts of danger and violence.
However, those children are also prohibited from participating in activities that are wrongfully associated with danger and aggression due to the activity’s poor reputation. A prime example is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which most people view as a sport filled with injuries, violence, and aggression. However, studies show that MMA can be safe, assist in character development, and improve the academic performance of its youth practitioners. Parents should give their children the opportunity to compete in MMA because of the variety of benefits associated with MMA.
The first misconception held by society is that MMA is a barbaric and unsafe sport. MMA’s violent reputation is the product of early marketing strategies for MMA events, which were advertised as “brutal, no-holds-barred tournaments with no time limits, no weight classes, and few rules” (Bledsoe, et al. 136).
Advertisements filled with blood and gore led the public to perceive MMA as “human cock fighting”, which is a first impression that MMA has been unable to shake off (Bledsoe, et al. 136).
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MMA has added several rules and regulations since its introduction in 1993 such as weight classes, round systems, and mandatory gloves (Bledsoe, et al. 139).
The new rules and regulations enforced in MMA have resulted in a much safer environment for Mixed Martial Artists to compete in (Bledsoe, et al. 139).
Safety regulations in MMA have taken place both during competition and during practice. During competition, Mixed Martial Artists are required to wear mandatory gloves and fight in specific weight classes with a timed round system just like boxing and other combat sports (Bledsoe, et al. 39).
MMA also utilizes the tap-out rule, which allows either athlete to end the contest if they feel that they are in danger via a physical or verbal tap (Bledsoe, et al. 139).
The tap-out is the second most common method of ending a bout, which greatly reduces the number of injuries suffered by Mixed Martial Artists since they are able to end a match before they suffer an injury (Bledsoe, et al 140).
Referees and ringside Physicians are also present during each MMA match in order to to further ensure the safety of Mixed Martial Artists (Bledsoe, et al. 39).
During competition, both the referee and the ringside Physician have the authority to stop a match at any time in order to protect the competitors from unnecessary harm (Bledsoe, et al. 139).
Several additional safety precautions are taken in order to protect Martial Artists during training because most of a Martial Artist’s time is spent in practice. Gloves, body padding, mouth guards, and headgear are a few types of equipment utilized by Mixed Martial Artists in order to protect themselves during training (Woodward 42).
Many MMA schools also limit the amount of sparring that it’s practitioners are allowed to take part in, especially beginning Martial Artists with limited experience (Woodward 42).
The results of the measures taken to protect Mixed Martial Artists from harm are so effective that even doctors have acknowledged how much safer MMA has become. Trauma surgeons at Canada’s busiest trauma center, Foothills Medical Center, claim that they have “yet to admit an MMA combatant” (Ball and Dixon 2).
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The doctors believe that based on injury rates, MMA is a safer activity than other sports that are accepted by society like Little League Baseball (Ball and Dixon 1).
For example, the Consumer Product Safety Committee reports that Little League Baseball contributed to the deaths of thirty-five children from 1983 to 1993, while MMA has not resulted in any deaths since it’s beginning in 1993 (Pasternack, et al. 447; Bledsoe, et al. 140).
Although MMA has not contributed to the death of a competitor, normal MMA rules present too large of an injury risk for MMA to be considered a safe sport for children.
Even though safety is a priority, full-contact professional Mixed Martial Artists still receive concussions in three percent of their matches (Ball and Dixon E1).
Also, over twenty-five percent of professional MMA bouts are stopped due to impact to the head, which is the site of over two-thirds of injuries suffered by Mixed Martial Artists (Ball and Dixon E1; Bledsoe, et al. 137).
Since concussions and damaging blows to the head are too dangerous to be associated with a youth sport, modifications must be made to the rules of youth MMA in order to ensure the safety of children and adolescents who wish to become Mixed Martial Artists.
MMA instructors like Bunny Hawkersmith have made their own adaptations to MMA training in order to allow children to participate in MMA classes without the risk involved with normal MMA. Bunny Hawkersmith has successfully created a safe environment at “Bunny’s Gym” for children to practice MMA. “Bunny’s Gym”, located in Winchester, Tennessee, offers MMA lessons to children as young as three years old (Graf n. pag. ).
In an interview with News Channel Five, Hawkersmith reveals that he has never had a child injured inside his gym (Graf n. pag. ).
The secret to Hawkersmith’s success is the prohibition of strikes to the face (Graf n. pag. ).
Considering how most MMA injuries are dealt to the face of a Martial Artist, Hawkersmith’s ability to prevent his students from obtaining injuries at “Bunny’s Gym” becomes clear. Although Bunny’s Gym has demonstrated a perfect safety record, Hawkersmith still makes sure that each of his classes are supervised by several trainers and at least one doctor (Graf n. pag. ).
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Facilities like “Bunny’s Gym” create a safe learning environment for children wishing to participate in MMA.
The second misconception held by society is that MMA will have negative effects on the psychological development of children. Several prominent theorists, such as George Stanley Hall and Harvard Professor Erik Erickson, believe that adolescence is “an important developmental period” for children to establish who they are and what type of adult they will become (Kellogg 3).
Once children reach adolescence, they have a greater chance of exhibiting risky behaviors such as abusing drugs, having unsafe sex, dropping out of school, and committing crimes (Kellogg 3).
However, MMA is shown to positively influence its practitioners, which prevents youth Mixed Martial Artists from becoming involved in such activities. Children involved in MMA programs have shown an increase in discipline, an increase in confidence, and a decrease in aggression (Morand 28).
Children involved in MMA are taught discipline at a young age (Graf, n. page. ).
In an interview with News Channel 5, Bunny Hawkersmith clarifies that MMA training is about learning discipline, not violence (Graf, n. pag. ).
Discipline comes first”, Hawkersmith explains, “You don’t just put them out there and say go at it, you teach children to be respectful to each other and be safe with each other” (Graf, n. pag. ).
Learning discipline during childhood is crucial because children are in what theorists refer to as a “dynamic and changing period in human development” (Kellogg 3).
During childhood, children establish the type of adult that they will become, which means children must learn discipline at a young age in order for them to be able to control themselves when they are older (Kellogg 3).
Disciplined children who focus their time and energy into an activity like MMA are less likely to become involved in substance abuse, crime, and other activities that can have negative long-term effects on a person’s life (Kellogg 3).
Although the public generally associates MMA with aggression, MMA training has been shown to help Martial Artists control aggression. In “A Review of the effects of Martial Arts practice on Health”, Thomas Woodward states “that Martial Arts do not generally attract violent individuals or promote violence” (Woodward 41).
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Woodward explains that children who began MMA training received the same scores as other children who do not participate in MMA (Woodward 41).
In addition, after ten weeks of training, the same Martial Artists showed a decrease in aggression levels (Woodward 41).
The level of aggression in Martial Artists continue to drop over time as they become more experienced (Woodward 41).
MMA possesses the positive qualities of both team and individual sports that can help mold a Mixed Martial Artist into a better person.
The team aspect of MMA training allows children to develop social skills as well as their social identity (Morand 30).
Children participating in MMA take lessons in a class of several other peers that are learning and working with each other in order to improve themselves as Martial Artists. The relationships formed between Martial Arts students lead to “constant group reinforcement; mutual help and criticism; and a sense of group cohesion with shared goals and ideology” (Morand 30).
Martial Arts students also experience benefits associated with individual sports because Mixed Martial Artists compete individually. Mixed Martial Artists become more self-sufficient than other athletes who participate in sports like football because Martial Artists do not depend on other people during competition. With no one else to rely on but themselves, Martial Artists learn to how to respond to countless situations; overcoming obstacles and solving problems in order to succeed in their competitions (Morand 30).
Children participating in MMA also show an increased sense of accomplishment and self-esteem because they know that each victory is attributed to their own hard work during training (Morand 28).
The third misconception held by society is that MMA will dull a child’s brain with mindless violence. A common goal shared by parents is for their children to perform well in school so that they can go on to succeed in life. MMA is perceived by most parents as a street-fight between two muscular delinquents to see who can land the first lucky knock-out punch.
On the contrary, MMA competitions are more like a physical chess match because Mixed Martial Artists are constantly thinking quickly and adapting to different situations in order to overcome their opponent (Morand 30).
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Children who participate in MMA perform better in school because of attributes that they acquire through MMA training like an increase in motivation, ability to focus, and ability to solve problems. Children must possess the will to do well in school before they can achieve good grades. Without the ambition to perform well in school, even a child gifted with intellect could fail to realize their potential.
According to research performed by the professors in the Department of Psychology at the University of Strathclyde, children who are involved in daily physical activity hold an improved attitude towards school (Morand 22).
The students who showed a better attitude towards school performed better academically than students who were not involved in daily physical activity (Morand 22).
An article in the Wisconsin Medical Journal acknowledges that MMA is an “enjoyable alternative to ‘traditional exercise’” that can help increase “aerobic capacity, balance, strength, body fat percentages, and flexibility” (Woodward 40).
However, MMA training is more effective in motivating students to do their best in school than other physical activities because MMA inspires children to become the greatest student that they can be (Morand 79).
In order for children to succeed in the classroom, they must be able to focus on what their teacher is teaching the class. The ability to focus is crucial to a Martial Artist, which is why the goal of MMA training is to teach Martial Artists to focus more proficiently. Children participating in Martial Arts programs show an increased ability to focus due to the physical and mental effects of MMA training.
In a psychological dissertation written by Hofstra University’s Matthew Morand, Morand stated that the physical exercise involved in Martial Arts training increases blood flow and signals nerve receptors in the blood vessels, muscles, and joints (Morand 25).
This reaction is identical to the effects that the focus medication Concerta has on the body (Morand 26).
MMA training provides children with the opportunity to become physically able to focus in school without having to rely on medication like Concerta.
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Morand also claims that the mental training associated with Martial Arts helps children focus their thoughts and attention through repetitive exercises, which help calm and organize the child’s mind (Morand 31).
A study at Ohio State University revealed that students show a “reduction in inattentive and inappropriate classroom behavior and [an increase in] on-task behavior” (Morand 13).
MMA training teaches Martial Artists to focus effectively by ignoring distractions and focusing on what they are trying to accomplish (Morand 31).
Once children absorb the information from their teacher, they must be able to apply the knowledge that they have learned to classwork and tests. Even though a child may understand the information taught to them in class, students must be able to effectively solve problems and think on their feet in order to perform well on tests. During MMA training children participate in exercises that allow them to develop problem solving strategies and help them adapt to obstacles (Morand 30).
The intuitive thinking skills that are developed through MMA training allow children to think outside-of-the-box.
Children can use this type of intuitive thinking to overcome difficult problems that present themselves during a test in school or at any other point in their life. There are an endless amount of activities that parents can enroll their children in; however, there are few that can match the positive attributes of MMA. Over the past few years, MMA has become a safe sport that can assist children in character development and improve performance in school. However, society refuses to accept the fact that MMA can be a suitable activity for their children, regardless of the positive adjustments that have been made to MMA.
Instead, the public continues to see MMA as the barbaric sport created in the early nineties that advertised bloody fights without rules. Until society accepts that MMA has transformed into a sport that stresses safety and exercises the mind as well as the body, parents will continue to dismiss MMA as an acceptable sport for the participation of their children. In order for children to become involved in MMA, parents must be willing to educate themselves about true Martial Arts instead of conforming to the common belief that MMA is a purely violent and unsafe sport.
