An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston

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KK
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PostAn 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by KK » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:12 am

Sky News wrote:Image

A cage fighting event which included children as young as eight has created a storm of controversy.

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Footage of the bouts posted on the Internet have provoked an outcry with the British Cage Fighting Association describing parents who allow their children to take part as "morons."

The event was staged at the Greenlands New Labour Social Club in Preston.

At one point, one of the schoolboy fighters is seen to break down in tears.

Lancashire police say they will now investigate whether children were put at risk by taking part in the event.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) has condemned the practice describing the Preston event as "particularly disturbing" as the children are not wearing headguards.

It said: "Boxing and cage fighting are sometimes defended on the grounds that children learn to work through their aggression with discipline and control.

"The BMA believes there are many other sports, such as athletics, swimming, judo and football, which require discipline but do not pose the same threat of brain injury."

The NSPCC has joined the condemnation of the fights saying that at that age children's bodies are still developing physically and mentally.

But father Nick Hartley told Sky News that he was happy for his nine-year-old son Kian to take part.

"It's more wrestling than fighting... there's no punching and kicking, it's a controlled sport.

"He (Kian) enjoys doing it, so leave him to do it."

Michelle Anderson owns the club which staged the event. She said: "The children were grappling. The cage fighting only comes when they get older.

"We hold boxing events here and kids fight then and nobody's complained about that.

"It's just the name cage fighting that people are getting annoyed at or they don't know anything about it so they criticise it because they know nothing about."

One of the men responsible for training the children is Andy Whiteside. He said: "It's being blown out of all proportion.

"(Our gym) takes part in tournaments where it's the exact same, it just isn't in a cage."

Despite the criticism the club says it intends to stage similar events in the future.

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16074640

Not the greatest press for MMA.

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PostRe: Two 8 years old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Lotus » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:16 am

I was reading about this earlier, and the ridiculous overreaction from Daily Mail commenters who clearly hadn't read the article.

-No punching and kicking is allowed, so it's not MMA/cage fighting
-The boy was crying because he lost his match

It's basically wrestling. The only 'controversy' here is the "scantily-clad" ring girls and the fact people are paying to watch kids wrestle each other. Seems pretty odd to me. I like how the BMA guy talks about brain injury, and advises judo as an alternative, where this is pretty much exactly the same in terms of risk.

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hideous_enigma
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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by hideous_enigma » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:23 am

'Preston...'

'nuff said.

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Return_of_the_STAR
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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Return_of_the_STAR » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:24 am

So was the fight any good?

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PostRe: Two 8 years old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Skarjo » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:28 am

Lotus wrote:
-No punching and kicking is allowed


Oh man, I would win that fight so hard.

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PCCD
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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by PCCD » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:30 am

If this had been on mats instead of in a cage we wouldn't be having this discussion.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Dowbocop » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:34 am

It'll be something like Brazilian Ju-Jitsu that they're doing. I have no problem with this as long as proper precautions are taken to protect their developing bodies (e.g. no attacking the neck/spine). I was teaching kids that age Japanese Ju-Jitsu this evening, and you just don't teach them the stuff that can hurt them. I'd be more worried about their psychological wellbeing from putting them centre stage at a young age in my opinion, but that's got nothing to do with the actual activity they do.

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PostAn 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Cumberdanes » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:36 am

I think part of the problem here is that Britain isn't used to this kind of thing. Had this been in America where kids learn wrestling in PE lessons nobody would've said a thing. I would've loved to have learned freestyle wrestling in school.

I do think that paying to watch a couple of kids wrestle is a bit shady however. Kinda like those kids beauty pageants. The only adults that ought to be at this kind of event are the parents and trainers etc. like at a school sports day.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by KK » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:42 am

I think the cage certainly has negative connotations attached to it; automatically conjures up images of barbarism. Plus, the environment that it's taking place in is grotty. Low rent. The kids aren't even wearing proper safety attire.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Dowbocop » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:47 am

KKLEIN wrote:I think the cage certainly has negative connotations attached to it; automatically conjures up images of barbarism. Plus, the environment that it's taking place in is grotty. Low rent. The kids aren't even wearing proper safety attire.

If they're not striking then they don't really need safety attire.

Big if, obviously, as I wasn't there and don't know the rules, but if it's just grappling then they don't need headguards, gloves or shinpads.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by KK » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:54 am

Well, something more official looking anyway. Elbow/knee pads & what have you never hurt, if only to relay any fears. If it was in a school PE lesson or something they'd have all sorts of precautions, even if they were ultimately unnecessary.

Crash pads would be out to. Dunno what that particular ring is like, but they're usually rock hard; simply wooden boards with a thin foam covering & canvas over the top.

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Lotus
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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Lotus » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:57 am

It's the environment that's dodgy really. Take the activity itself, put it in a school gym, and it's suddenly fine.

But the 'cage', the shouting adults, the ring girls, paying for tickets...instantly makes it seem dodgy.

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satriales
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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by satriales » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:59 am

For £25 I'd want them to punch and kick.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Dowbocop » Thu Sep 22, 2011 1:17 am

KKLEIN wrote:Well, something more official looking anyway. Elbow/knee pads & what have you never hurt, if only to relay any fears. If it was in a school PE lesson or something they'd have all sorts of precautions, even if they were ultimately unnecessary.

Crash pads would be out to. Dunno what that particular ring is like, but they're usually rock hard; simply wooden boards with a thin foam covering & canvas over the top.

Elbow and knee pads would ease the fears of a layperson/newspaper reader, but by definition laypeople don't know the ins and outs of that activity.

I take your point about the mats, proper judo/jigsaw mats are far more pleasant to fall onto. However, proper falling is the first thing you tend to learn when you take up an activity like that, and these breakfalling techniques are designed to help you fall on things much harder than an MMA ring. It's also worth bearing in mind that young kids are more flexible than adults and have far less body weight, so orthopaedic injuries don't happen in the same way as they would for adult competitors.

You couldn't fight on crash mats, it'd be too difficult to move round.

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Lonestar
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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Lonestar » Thu Sep 22, 2011 1:35 am

There is nothing wrong with it, people will moan and complain but it is going to be more and more common in the coming years.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by captain red dog » Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:16 am

I have no problem with it at all, no worse than a judo competition.

Of far more interest was the reaction of the father of one of the kids last night on the news who said that if he wasn't doing MMA he would be out on the streets causing trouble. :fp:

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Beans » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:51 am

Pfft. I thought it was going to be a fight till death :x

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Lagamorph » Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:54 am

Holy gooseberry fool!

Free breakfast at BHS? I'm there.

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by BID0 » Thu Sep 22, 2011 8:16 am

captain red dog wrote:I have no problem with it at all, no worse than a judo competition.

Of far more interest was the reaction of the father of one of the kids last night on the news who said that if he wasn't doing MMA he would be out on the streets causing trouble. :fp:

I saw that too :fp: or you know... You could be a good parent and know where your 8 year old child was...

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PostRe: An 8 & 9 year old filmed cage fighting in Preston
by Shadow » Thu Sep 22, 2011 8:56 am

We used to do Judo in PE at school which isn't a million miles from wrestling.

And when I was this age we used to have similar fights on the school field, y'know the sort of thing messing about with your mate trying to pin them or make them tap-out, it's what young boys do.

Not sure it should be a spectator sport though ( :? ), but I have no issue with it from a child protection/abuse perspective.


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