The Future of MMA!

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
Actually you’d be surprised how organized and the extent that they go through to encourage the kids to not fight via anger but with respect for one another. I personally believe in an age where kids are playing with yu-gi-oh cards, gaming systems, and cringe when they see the sun. That this is a great way to enourage them to do something worthwhile.

I havent seen any of these little kids get angry. As a matter of fact they walk away after the fight saying, “Good job, you almost got me”…“hey where did you learn that, show me”… etc etc. They become friends.

If you fight you know, that if someone stands across from you, matches your ferocity and doesn’t back away. You gain a respect for one another that takes years to create in any other environment. Combat is a motherfucker.

Sure there are the wannabe tough guys but they usually get humbled very quickly. EVERYONE that I’ve met that can ACTUALLY fight are humble as hell. Probably because they took enough ass whoopings along the way to get as good as they are. Secondly because they don’t have shit to prove!! They KNOW they can kick your ass, so why be a dick about it?

I think if you look at this and just immediately see violence, then you’re not looking deeply enoughly.

(BTW the one kid was going for a toehold)

There’s a girl by the way, named megan, redhead who I just watched today ROCK like 4 boys haha. She seriously beat their ass. I believe her coach is Ulysses Gomez (aka Useless… if you know bjj you know the name (tapped a black belt when he was a white or blue belt i believe(yes seriously)).

[/quote]

some really good points there. i should have mentioned the older kids, 13 or so they looked like, were doing amazing. But for the wee ones, I still don’t like the idea of submissions. I do have to give respect to the coaches/parents who can train kids to do mma responsibly. I like the individual aspect of the training, no whinning about other people.

I’m not into the mystical side at all, I think that should come personally through hard training. As you basically said, when you fight someone, you really get to know them. I would also much rather see a kid doing an armbar drill instead of collecting pokeman cards or whatever is popular this week.

Very rarely have I seen violence in MMA. Usually it’s beginners (“a little knowledge can be dangerous” kind of thing) or bigheaded coaches abusing their power. Playing soccer I rarely felt much sportsmanship or comradre, especially compared to MMA/BJJ. But in all the gyms I’ve been to, all you had to do was show up and try, put in the effort and not make excuses, never had a real problem with violence and the sense of community is much greater.

Good luck with your training and kids programmes.

[quote]kakugo wrote:
But for the wee ones, I still don’t like the idea of submissions. [/quote]

I’ll have to agree with you there.

You see some little 6-7yr olds out there and realize they have no self control. They’re not necessarily mad, but just flailing around with a high chance of injury. I think about at about 11 or so the kids are developed enough to understand their actions.

Responding to kakugo and Xen:

Well, I definitely agree that there are better things then hiding from the sun. However, going straight to MMA may be a little excessive. I’d rather see sound, rounded physical development (which wrestling, judo, tkd, etc. can play an important part in) without specialization until the later teens. Develop good strength, endurance, balance, coordination, mental character, attitude, etc. by a variety of activities and they will be well prepared for whatever they want to do physically in life.

Of course, I also think some gaming (cards, board games, D&D, computer games, etc.) is a good thing for mental development. But we have to have balance. A few hours a week may be good. Several hours a day isn’t. Same with TV. Believe me, I know. I wasted years depressed and in front of the computer. Sure, I’m a professional computer guy now … but I’m paying the price for not getting the physical development as a teenager.

The kids also need to read, write, question, explore, experiment, and invent. Of course, I’m getting a bit off topic now. But only a bit.

This is certainly the ideal. And maybe the seriousness of real combat and techniques prevents some of the terrible stuff that happens in McDojos across the country (that is to say … nothing but a one way transfer of money). But the possibility for serious injury (knee bars, ankle locks, etc.) and the intensity that comes with combat is still a red flag to me. I much prefer the idea of wrestling for play (good old rough housing) then fighting for youngsters.

Absolutely. In soccer the stakes are SO LOW (especially the grade school/soccer mom variety that is so prevalent in the US). Granted, I’ve broken bones playing soccer and doing judo … but that’s an aside.

One of the best aspects of judo is the comraderie that comes with combat. For myself, my training partner and my competitors are brothers-in-arms.

Regards,
Mark

those joint locks are horrible. that’s not the future of MMA, its the future of shot athletes. like little league pitchers with dead arms, those kids will be out of the game before they’re 15 because their coaches didn’t know any better.

that goes for useless too. the cobra kai guys should know better.