I have 2 boys ages 9 and 11. I would NEVER let them do something like that. I have nothing against them training for self defense but competing like that at a young age is ridiculous!
Getting your brain sloshed around your head while it's developing is not productive. Also, at that age they do not understand the risks that they are taking. Their parents should be punished.
FUCK NO! No Child should be fighting at that age, under those rules. No head gear, 4oz gloves?? wtf is wrong with these idiots!
The parents, promoter and the fucking idoit ref should all be jailed!
Fuckin pathetic. The whole lot of them
Comparisons to thais are misguided. For many of them its their only way out of poverty. There is no money in kids mma in America.
Comparisons to thais are misguided. For many of them its their only way out of poverty. There is no money in kids mma in America.
Thats a toughy. Maybe no pros before 18, no amateur before 16, and modified rules between 12 and 16? Maybe like smackgirl where the rounds are very short and no ground and pound. I think if I had been exposed to MMA at a young age I would have still wanted to do it. The possibility of nutty, overbearing hockey parents potentially putting their kids in MMA is scary to me though.
That vid took the cake as the most demoralizing thing that I seen all day, no, correction, this whole week. Yep, Brandon, you are totally correct. What kind of sick bag allows their child to participate, or shall we be a little more accurate, push the child into. I am a father, and I couldn't do it, nor watch it. I like mma, and train bjj, and after seeing that video, I will have another opinion. I was leary of it going mainstream, and this is the by-product. Idiot rednecks cheering this brutality of children. That red head will probably end up shot or in prison. He is quite talented and has a great gas tank, but he is a child. He should be in a foster home in protective custody, and needs to be totally reprogrammed. Scary. This is an outrage. BAN.
The officiating in Thailand for kids matches is typically very good. The childrens matches are reffed well over there on average.
that is really disturbing, and potentially devastating for those childrens well-being.
Count on seeing this video on 60 minutes. Will not take long. And that "pitbull" on the logo just sells it! Children/pitbulls, hey why not? Love the devil haircut the kid has, helps sell the whole deal. I would love to see the attourney fees racked up in the defendents future suit.
MissRARA -
I've coached H2O Polo at all levels (from grade school/college) and I would say 16 is the YOUNGEST (that's even pushing it) for someone to fight MMA. I coach High School kids right now (age 14-18) and they just can't handle certain situations (maturity wise) so I can't imagine trying to reason with someone under 16 that is fighting MMA.
TTT
We don't need anymore government regulation! You should be able to do anything you want to with your kids. THEY BELONG TO YOU!!!
"We don't need anymore government regulation! You should be able to do anything you want to with your kids. THEY BELONG TO YOU!!!"
wow
I couldn't even watch the video because I know it will piss me off.
Let kids train and study martial arts, possibly wrestle and compete in grappling competitions in their teens but my sons will not fight until not only are they adults but mature enough to understand the consequences.
I teach a kids class and parents have gotten upset when I will not teach their young(6,8year old) boys arms bars, chokes, etc. If the parent can't understand why their kids don't need to know these things at a young age, I know the kids will have a hard time understanding why they can't put Johnny in a choke on the playground.
TTT for Dan--
Awesome.
Maybe its the lack of regulation placed on who is allowed to breed that causes a need for so much government regulation of everything else;-P
This reminds me of when I was a kid competing in Tae Kwon Do tourneys... I saw SOOO MANY kids that were FORCED to be there by their parents, it was sad. Their mom or dad PUSHING them out to the mat while the kid was crying. RIDICULOUS...
TOWE, my shorts.. WTF
This is horrible. Every single person who attended that event should be ashamed of themselves, especially the irresponsible parents.
What kind of a parent would allow that. Disgusting.
FredHammer,
Thank you for your response. I started to play soccer when I was 5 and then played competitive when I was 11.. and I played soccer all throughout college. So I can understand how training at a young age can be imperative. I think any sport is good for any child because it teaches you a lot about teamwork, hard work, and self discipline and perseverance. But MMA is different in certain aspects because it's not necessary a team sport where you can pass the ball to a team player to score a goal. So having the UGs perspective is nice to see. Plus, it's only logical not to have 8 year olds hitting each other with spinning back fists with no head gear on. It really disappoints me, and at the same time I at least know when the right age is to train my kids (when I have them) :)