head contact

[Nidan Melbourne]

We allow it in all our forms of Kumite, but has to be with control. This is even with the amount of Kumite Equipment that we use (Hands, Feet, Groin + Mouthguard).

We have 3 Forms of Kumite with varying amounts of Contact.

1. Awase Kumite

Soft & Slow Sparring. Allows our students to come up with tactics and also get used to contact.

Our more advanced grades will hit harder than others.

2. Point Sparring

WKF Rules

3. Light Sparring

Contradictory to the name, you are allowed to do anything that is restricted in the above kumite.

Only available to 2nd Kyu + (Seniors Classes), takedowns, grappling, other 'illegal' techniques from tournaments etc.

[The Pred]

Very interesting everyone. And yes as Wastelander said I can see how wearing head gear my increase concussions.

[JR 137]

Very interesting everyone. And yes as Wastelander said I can see how wearing head gear my increase concussions.

It's counterintuitive, but studies have found wearing it LEADS to more concussions, not CAUSES more. The reasoning is the athlete feels like he/she can sustain more force with it on, so takes more chances, leads more with the head, etc.

While the single blow to the head concussion is a real and serious thing, the lesser and more repeated blows to the head should be just as much of a concern. The repeated trauma causes slight damage over and over, and quite often doesn't show any symptoms until down the road. Think boxers, (American) football players, and soccer players who've "never had a concussion." They've never had a symptomatic concussion, but the effect of the daily lower impacts adds up.

Helmets/head protection is a very good thing, so long as people wearing it know their limitations, are aware of the cumulative effects of lesser contact to the head, and train like they're not wearing them IMO, i.e. protecting themselves like they would have without them.

[JR 137]

We allow light and controlled kicks to the head, but don't allow hands/elbows. Light and controlled means a tap to the side of the head. Even if we didn't allow ANY contact to the head, we'd still wear head protection...

My CI told me that Kaicho Nakamura was watching a tournament several years back (not our organization's tournament). A karateka was swept and landed on the back of his head. On a hardwood gym floor. The karateka was unconscious, and ended up with a fractured skull. He wasn't wearing headgear, as it wasn't mandatory.

Kaicho Nakamura immediately made the rule that anyone free-sparring in our organization wears headgear that completely covers the back of the head (not all headgear does). It's also explicitly stated in the safety equipment section of every Seido tournament rules.

Forget liability and all that comes with it. Do you really want one of your students to break their skull from getting swept? I'm sure the one he saw wasn't the only one to ever happen anywhere. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially my own students. And how would you feel if you were the one who swept him? Far too many good reasons to wear it, and far too few reasons not to.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Accidents, safety precautions and possible legal liabilities are the reasons why head contact has been forbidden or heavily regulated in martial arts schools and at competitions. There is just too many risks for serious and permanent injuries. If allowed, it ought to be reserved for those who are able to fully control their movements.

[DWx]

Thought this was somewhat relevant

Playing tackle football under the age of 12 exposes children to repetitive head impacts that may double their risk of developing behavioral problems and triple their chances of suffering depression later in life, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature magazine’s journal, Translational Psychiatry.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2017/09/19/study-links-youth-football-greater-risk-later-health-problems/UF3vWIAraotnJnbU8o8TDP/story.html

What are we doing to protect kids in fighting arts?

[JR 137]

Thought this was somewhat relevant

Playing tackle football under the age of 12 exposes children to repetitive head impacts that may double their risk of developing behavioral problems and triple their chances of suffering depression later in life, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature magazine’s journal, Translational Psychiatry.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2017/09/19/study-links-youth-football-greater-risk-later-health-problems/UF3vWIAraotnJnbU8o8TDP/story.html

What are we doing to protect kids in fighting arts?

Not allowing head contact, and wearing head protection while free sparring.

The biggest risk sport for young kids is ice hockey IMO. The helmets are awful, the ice and boards are at least as hard as concrete (I think ice is negligibly harder), and the kids are constantly falling, with and without any contact. I've seen enough pee-wee hockey games and practices to easily say my kids will never play until they're at least early teenagers.

[MatsuShinshii]

First yes we allow contact to the head.

Now I have to ask a possible dumb question; why is it that so many disqualify the use of hands to the head but they allow kicks?

I can generate, or used to be able to generate, a heck of a lot more power in my kicks than I ever could with my hands. The legs have the strongest muscles and are capable of generating tremendous power. That and like a golf club it generates more power at impact due to the speed at the foot due to the follow through. Why then is it ok to kick someone in the head but not punch to the head?

[The Pred]

First yes we allow contact to the head.

Now I have to ask a possible dumb question; why is it that so many disqualify the use of hands to the head but they allow kicks?

I can generate, or used to be able to generate, a heck of a lot more power in my kicks than I ever could with my hands. The legs have the strongest muscles and are capable of generating tremendous power. That and like a golf club it generates more power at impact due to the speed at the foot due to the follow through. Why then is it ok to kick someone in the head but not punch to the head?

I don't think its a dumb question,in fact I thought about that too. I guess it's because most people can't kick high.

[Wado Heretic]

Largely; a high kick is far less likely to connect regularly in a fight. If a high-kick lands plumb, it is often a fight stopping strike. Yes; there is a single moment of extreme high impact, but it is done. Comparatively speaking; allowing punches to the head introduces several unique problems:

1. Levels of head impact are dramatically increased. Punches to the head land more often, and though they might not always stop the fight, the cumulative effect can be detrimental. Especially, in a tournament setting.

2. Small bone fractures in the hand, and wrist, are likely if you hit the skull at the wrong angle. The skull is twice as dense as the hand. Again, detrimental in a tournament where you might win, but have to drop out because you broke your hand.

3. Bleed/cuts/bruising and so on and so forth, are more readily caused by punches to the head and face. All potential causes for a Technical Knock-out to be called. Also, injuries that are difficult to continue forward with in a tournament.

4. Amateurs do not benefit from a fighters visage so much as a professional. After a tournament, most have a day job to return to some where, and so they do not want to be in a state where they cannot present themselves. No head punching does not stop injuries, but it does help prevent too many visible ones to the face.

5. The law; most countries have explicit rules about bare-knuckle boxing. A loop-hole existed in most definitions of bare-knuckle: so long as the hand did not connect with the face, it was not bare-knuckle boxing. This reason is rather dated, with most authorities now having far more informed laws regarding combat sports, but was an early influence.

So those are some reasons for disallowing head-punches under tournament conditions. Most are to do with the fact punches to the face greatly increase chances of an injury, where as a kick to the head is thrown far less often, and if it does connect is likely to put the recipient down.

In terms of training; I like to use an Engine analogy. The more an engine is used, the more it is worn down, and regardless of maintenance is eventually going to fail. The more head impact you receive in training, the less you can take in competition, because you are wearing yourself down.

I do allow head-contact in sparring, but I use the Kudo Space-Style Helmet; I find it absorbs a lot more of the force than a lot of other designs. However, I also insist on Bogu, because I like to have a good sparring session at least once a week, and with some level of contact. We do, coming up to grading, or to introduce people to it, occasionally spar hard to full contact without armour, but only to make sure my students know what it is. I do not find excessive, regular, hard sparring (from a striking perspective) useful just because of what it takes out of you.