Update: Caplan has agreed to do an interview. Post questions ASAP!

What is your attitude about the saftey and health risks in youth athletics such as the much more popular and widley played Pop Warner Football and Junior Hockey?

Do you feel it is safe for a 10 year old boy to run full speed head first into another id his age? Or better yet, how do you feel about having a young boy playing goalie at a lacrosse game trying to stop those hard rubber balls with their chests.

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Caplan - "But what is the point in having kids fight? It seems like the Little League syndrome where a bunch of failed athletes force their kids to play a sport in hopes of living vicariously through them."

Added to my initial questions:
Is he opposed to Little League as well? Is this his general attitude towards all youth organized sports?

Seriously - In trying to understand what his real objection is, it sounds like his concern is that children will be exploited by thier parents. That's a fine objection to have, except that MMA is a SMALL following relative to Pop Warner, Junior Hockey, Little League, AYSO, and so on - so is he blogging about how Paul Tagliabu (sp?) does not object to Pop Warner? Are there laws that govern the sanctioning and amature status of Pop Warner football or any other youth sport?

I dont know how to forumlate this all in to a question... Pramit/MMAcademics you guys take whatever liberties you want... but I guess I am trying to understand the REAL fear in allowing kids to participate in organized MMA competitions where strict rules and protective gear is enforced. Encourage him to go to an ACTUAL youth MMA competition. Have him check out the videos and rules for one of the popular youth MMA competitions (not the UFC - comparing the UFC to these guys is like comparing the NFL to Pop Warner) such as http://www.fightleague.org/ it's obviously a little tamer than UFC rules, but so are Pop Warner rules compared to what the NFL allows...

I think contrary to what a lot of other people on here believe, I do not feel kids should be participating in full MMA competition, even with headgear on. Personally, I think kids should learn the separate combat sports separately until they reach age 18, and again, until they reach age 18, there should not be any strikes to the head allowed in practice or competition for any combat sport. I think it's fine to teach the proper range of striking to the head as has been done in traditional martial arts for years, but no contact. With that said, I obviously support MMA, and encourage kids to aspire to compete in MMA as adults, that is if they are also focused on a career outside of sport.

In line with what other people are arguing, I believe MMA is no more dangerous for kids than football, hockey, lacrosse, or rugby. I think it's about as dangerous as soccer. I haven't really advocated to have those youth sports banned, so maybe I'm being a bit hypocrytical. However, my concern with youth learning full MMA stems from it being the closest thing to the complete sport of fighting. I know, MMA is not fighting. But it's the closest thing sport-wise. I just don't think enough kids have the maturity to learn full MMA given the way MMA is marketed by so many MMA organizations. Traditional martial arts stress nonviolence. That's an active part of the curriculum. I don't see that in MMA yet, certainly not on a big enough scale.

Okay, so I'm freakin' long winded, give me a break. Here's my question:

Question:
Mr. Caplan, do you think mixed martial arts gyms that have minors as students should be regulated to ensure that instructors are teaching youth to avoid fighting outside of the gyms and have good conflict resolution skills?

Follow-up Question:
If yes, what body would oversee the gyms and how would they regulate them?

Another question:

With MMA continuing to become more and more mainstreamed, what new issues do you see emerging in terms of social resistance or acceptance?

Good Questions...keep them coming...Interview is set for tomorrow night...just in time for the next radio show....

MMAcademics, I think you echo one of the two major concerns people have. If I am understanding you right, your fear is not the 'danger' or risk of injury (most peoples main argument/concern) rather, the its the conditioning to being in a fight. In essence, your fear is that if they compete in an MMA amature fight, they will be more likely to go out and get in a fight elsewhere... is that right? Honestly, I dont think it makes a difference... I think it depends more on the parents and the coaches. If anything, it gives the parents a forum to really talk about the dangers of fighting outside of the gym.

I asked our coach about the youth policies and what they teach the kids with regards to fighting outside of the gym... and he echo'd the same policies for adults that I mentioned in another post. It is taught and considered very dishonorable to fight outside of a competition and especially to be in a fight with someone who has no training. It will most likley result in the youth being asked to never come back to the gym or at least a suspension - especially if it is a repeat offense.

I think if take the time to go to a youth tournament, I think you would be impressed with the maturity of the kids participating and the discipline. There were no fights after the tournament (as often happend at our HS football games) and everyone is generally extremely respectful of each other.

I think people see UFC and think of kids in the cage getting KO'd... I have not seen a youth tournament anywhere near what goes on in the UFC... I'm sure they are out there, but I have not heard of one or seen it for myself. I would be disgusted if I saw them allowing kids to compete with the same rules in cage like the UFC. Just like other sports, the rules need to be appropriate for the age.

I also think that at the end of the day, even if they are competing with the rules used in the UFC, I just dont believe that it would mean that your kid is more likely to get in a fight at school because of it... it all comes back to the individual child and the parenting - specifically knowing what YOUR child can handle and not handle. Just like ALL sports, it's not appropriate for EVERY child, but (I dont believe) its up to a legal system to dictate that NO child can compete.

Yeah Sixtus, you basically hit the nail on the head with my concerns. I'm still torn on the safety issue. I don't want to see strikes to the head allowed for minors. I know head injuries happen a lot in football, hockey, soccer, even basketball. But in combat sports, head strikes are intentional (well, they are in football as well)....like I said, I'm torn. I did so much research on concussions and their long-term effects for my book that I don't want to see little kids getting concussed. Although they are weaker and don't strike as hard, their brains are still developing, so they're more susceptible to being concussed, and the younger one gets a concussion, the easier it is for s/he to get subsequent ones, and they worse they tend to be afterwards. I've been to a youth competition in Honolulu where I witnessed a 12 year-old-boy get tagged in the head with a roundhouse. He was wearning headgear, and he was out cold for over 5 minutes. It was scary. There's a picture of the ambulance taking him away in my book. I advocate for wrestling, jiu-jitsu in kids competitions. Heck, even kickboxing is fine, as long as strikes to the head are illegal. But that's just me.

As for the violence thing, I basically agree with you. In our draft letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune, I wrote about responsible MMA gyms/instructors, and cited two youth programs I knew of that teach kids really great values in their curricula. We know there's a ton more great youth programs out there in the MMA community. I think the MMA community really needs to highlight the promotion of nonviolence out of sport, much more so than they're doing now. Not just to gain public accpetance, but also because it's just what is right morally in terms of helping our society. To have MMA fighters telling kids not to fight in the streets and in school could be so powerful and effective. I want to see Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson, GSP and those guys saying that in public service announcements. I've only seen the IFL make such efforts. But yeah, I'm definitely willing to talk about different options for integrating MMA into youth programs, practice-wise and competition-wise. Thanks for the comments and discussion!

I have to agree with you about stikes to the head for youths. Honestly, I would not allow my child to participate in a competition that allowed strikes to the head... and I've only been witness to youth competitions that are that do not allow strikes to the head in youth competition (i.e. Pankretion) so maybe I am just naive to what other competitions are doing.

Speaking ONLY of Pankretion, it is no strikes to the head and a very technical point scoring match. The focus is more on the skill and technique but it does incorporate MMA in the sense that it is a mixture of boxing, kickboxing, and submission wrestling. Some kids have an expertise in strikes and others in submissions. Certain types of submissions that might be alllowed in UFC are not allowed as well as of course no strikes of any type to the head, joint ares (i.e. directed at the knee) or while a fighter is on the ground. Additionally, the two refs with VERY high levels of MA experience as the standard in addition to medical training and the point scoring system make it more tamer/structured than a UFC fight. Plus, on the ground, you only score points while in the 'full mount' position (none from the guard) and they stand up fights fairly quickly - again because the focus is more on point scoring and technique.

So when I think of youth MMA, that's what comes to my mind... a much, much tamer competition with the focus on skill and technique as opposed to the brutality of combat seen in the UFC, etc.

So I think where we meet in the middle on is that there should be more restrictive rules for youths than seen in something like the UFC?

sam caplan hates children...

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Head of the West Coast Family

Here's the story on kids and MMA from Vegas, taken at the Xtreme Couture gym. Geeze, look at the difference in how the reporters address the topic.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FJCbuqo508U