Great Youtube Video

[ps1]

Huh...Like Bushido, I'm not sure what to think of it. Incredible skill...that's for sure. I even found myself going ooohh and ahhh when some of the bigger hits landed. But then I remembered that they are kids. I found that part to be a little disturbing. Seems like too much pressure for a child of just 11 to endure. Plus, the possible damage that can occur while they are still maturing is huge.

Great looking fight either way you cut it. I also liked the way it pitted shaolin vs kyokushin.

Thanks for sharing.

[KarateEd]

Interesting video. Man, I need to go do some work for class, but one YouTube video inevitably leads to another, and another, and...

Ed

[NightOwl]

At the same time, at that age how much power can you generate to break bone? Also, they wore helmets which helped prevent excessive head trauma. This however, goes back to ONE of the reasons I don't think martial arts are for kids (as they usually are presented): to get good training feedback, its gotta be a bit on the rough side. At the same time, how much more prone to injury are you if you do football? Not to mention (at least once you get to high school level) many wrestlers are pressured to loose weight at an unhealthy rate and means, many times through not eating. I remember a friend of mine in high school who was on the team (we had one of the best in the state) hadn't eaten anything all day to meet weight, and in the end it's a bit crazy anyways because the other guy ends up doing the same thing and you get no advantage.

[bushido_man96]

You make some very good, and very valid points, NightOwl, especially when you make the comparison to football. The kids did have good head gear on, it appeared, and in the end, neither looked the worse for wear.

One thing that this does show is that it may not be necessary to "soften" the training in Martial Arts in order for it to be studied by all ages. Of course, these kids appeared to be the cream of the crop, and how many kids could actually handle something like this?

[NightOwl]

But that's the thing- if you soften it then it looses a lot of its potential, not to mention that you can give a kid a lot of dangerous self confidence. Sure, these guys could probably take on ANYONE their age, but the average 10 year old black belt is not going to be able to handle bullying (not to mention that as soon as he starts mentioning his black belt challenges are bound to pop up... and at that age the ability to brush it off might not be there). Plus, since most martial arts places make their money on kids and not very many adults, many times you have the kid's program spilling into the adults one which softens it up for everybody.

[bushido_man96]

I guess that is where the proper safety equipment comes into play. That, combined with the proper training methods, should make for the right mindset.