Mixed-Martial Arts for Children?

Not bad enough that children playing hockey end up with a substantial number of worrying concussions? Let children be children, after all; they're fascinated by rough play and have no internal barometer that will inform them when things are getting out of hand through the velocity and depth of their physical interactions. Which is generally why adults take it upon themselves to supervise such activities.

Kids, in particular young boys, are irresistibly drawn to physical excess, they're born to throw themselves wholeheartedly into competing with one another under physical duress. They take pride in their ability to manoeuvre, to feint, to exert physical strength; it's empowering and stirring for young boys to measure themselves against the physical prowess of their peers.

For the most part, if they're that way geared, that's all right. Under certain common-sense constraints. On the other hand, sometimes those 'constraints' aren't as reliable nor as intelligent as the children themselves, when their guardians or their coaches get carried away by emotional momentum and forget their roles.

Mixed-martial arts suddenly the newest craze for young boys to get involved with, how about that? On the other hand, predictable enough. Whatever goes for general society will eventually work its way down to the junior level, so that eight- and ten- and fourteen- year-old boys whose parents are enthusiastic about their boys experiencing 'sport' activities get involved.

Kids do fool-hardy things on their own, tempted by speed and the volatility of situations. Most parents would not encourage their young boys to hang onto the bumpers of cars, hunkering down on skates so the driver doesn't know they're hitching rides. Pretty exciting stuff for the kid being dragged along until he wants to let go; pretty dangerous scenario where anything could go wrong.

"It's hot, it's modern. It's on the tip of everyone's tongue" coos the owner of a Toronto-based mixed-martial arts installation. So, it's popular, it represents a new engagement. Fathers want their sons capable of 'defending' themselves on the street, standing up to 'bullies', gaining confidence in their physical prowess.

In the process exposing the kids to the dangers inherent in punching, kicking, grappling, twisting, buckling, wrestling, wracking. Few holds barred, a smorgasbord of moves and manoeuvres. Boxing and jiu-jitsu, separately, just plain old single-purpose martial arts have lost their lustre....