thestar.com
It’s 5 p.m. and a dozen children have hit the mat at a Toronto club, training to be fierce combatants in one of the most brutal sports around — mixed martial arts.
But nobody’s getting their head jammed through the floor. To Tally Bodenstein-Kales, a child psychologist watching her 8-year-old son, Noah, learn the sport, it’s all good.
“What they see on TV is certainly the ugly side of the sport, the side that doesn’t appeal to many women, for sure,” she said. “But in reality when they actually go into these classes, it’s nothing like that. It’s very gentle and very elegant.
“And I think it’s been really good for his self-esteem,” she added.
Mixed martial arts are exploding in popularity due to ferocious Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts shown on pay-per-view TV. The McGuinty government’s decision in August to allow professional MMA fights in Ontario is also fuelling their popularity.
“And wait till it happens next year that there’s an event. Just wait. That’s going to be huge. We haven’t seen anything yet,” said Joel Gerson, president of Revolution MMA, which operates clubs in North York and Thornhill.
But gentle? Elegant? Mixed martial arts?
“The kids’ MMA that we do is very controlled. There’s very little contact to the face and to the head. It’s much more focused on the art and the self-discipline and the confidence,” said Gerson, whose club offers courses for children as young as 3.
“It’s not always about making the other kid tap out and squeegeeing blood off the mat.”
Joey de Los Reyes, an owner of the Kombat Arts Training Academy in Mississauga, agrees. “We really pride ourselves in teaching kids the other aspects of martial arts, things like discipline, focus being civil to people, humility, all that kind of stuff.”
Meanwhile, most adults interested in MMA are there for the fitness aspects.
“The reason is that people see these fighters and they’re in the best shape of any athlete,” Gerson said. “The fitness systems that these MMA athletes are using will get you in the best shape the fastest.
“I can come... not get punched in the face … and get in great shape and I’m not stuck on a treadmill staring at red dots for 45 minutes watching Seinfeld.”
People who want serious MMA training need to be careful because now a lot of fitness gyms and karate schools are offering MMA-type classes, Gerson warned.
“There’s probably just a handful of clubs that have the coaching, facilities and bodies enough to get someone to a level where they can be competitive and it’s not going to be your mom-and-pop karate shop.
“And the big thing is the safety,” he said. “You just can’t get just anybody (as an instructor) in there.”
Training for MMA can also be costly. Not much equipment is needed, but the lessons are very specialized, Gerson said.
“You’re looking at between $1,000 and $2,000 for your kid for a year typically.”
It’s worth it for Bodenstein-Kales. Her son gets exercise and help with listening through MMA classes.
“It helps him with his memory as well because he has to remember these certain moves that he’s doing. So it’s been great on many fronts,” she said.
6 comments:
I was watching UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV and this was one of the commercials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67MlDD14m_w
I have no problem with kids going to MMA classes at that age. However, I think there should be an age restriction on when these kids can compete against fighters in tournaments.
My $.02
Jason
I believe that there is no problem with a young child going for MMA classes and they would learn a thing or two about discipline or health. However I feel that parents play a significant role in educating the child that what is seen on television such as UFC is purely for entertainment purposes, to satisfy what viewers like to see (violence), it does not necessarily means that what they are doing is correct. I believe that parents should constantly remind their children that the real reason behind enrolling them in such classes is for self-defense or health purposes and NOT to engage in competitive fights like that of the UFC.
MMA is my favorite sport to watch. However, I do not entirely agree with the things that are said in this article.
The woman talks about te training teaching self confidence and other skills for children as young as 3 years old. These kids should be out playing and having fun, they should be learning self defense and how to "properly" kick someone in the face. I think this is jus promoting violence at a younger age.
“The kids’ MMA that we do is very controlled. There’s very little contact to the face and to the head. This statement it saying that there is only little contact to the face. Any contact to the face of a child should not be tolerated.
Right now people are complaining about how violent our generations are. With thins like MMA training for children, violence is only going to get worse.
Those school-yard fights that you hear about in junior high and high school are going to be going on in preschool and elementary school. Some kids is going to get seriously hurt or even killed.
I believe that enrollment in MMA classes shoul be limitied to older age groups who can pass a psychology test showing that the are stabile and that they are there for the right reasons.
Letting a young child learn MMA should be up the parent. If the parent feels that their child knows better to use their new skills for mischief and showing off, it should be alright. If the parent was wrong about their child just pull them from the program.
There is nothing wrong with children participating in MMA classes. It teaches them to have confidence in themselves and to respect others. But there is something wrong if these youth are competing against one another, which would likely influence violent behaviour on the playground. Also MMA training paves the way for an all around great athlete in other sports.
Tavis L
I agree with jason in the sense that it should be alright for kids to participate and learn the sport, but there should be an age restriction on fighting in competition. I think it would be a great way for kids the learn physical literacy, and it would improve all the skills needed to be an athlete. As long as the focus is on "Fun", i'm all for it!
Shea
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