Cage Fighting for Kids?

Yesterday there was a news story entitled, "Cage Fighting for Kids" or "Ultimate fights expand to include kids." The story was about the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" based in Carthage, Missouri, the only state which allows kids (as young as 6) to train in mixed martial arts. The program is run by Rudy Lindsey, a youth wrestling coach and a professional mixed martial arts fighter.

I found the article a bit slanted. It throws around terms like "bare-knuckle" and "human cockfighting." Of course parents who read this will be appalled at the idea of their kids involvement. As you'll notice in the video, the younger kids are heavily padded with protective gear and are supervised.

Some of the articles had a poll asking parents if they would allow their kids to participate in these MMA classes. Most (over 80%) said a resounding, no. There were a few negative comments from readers saying the whole idea is "disgusting" and one comment in particular read, "It's called 'cage fighting' for crying out loud. Does that not alarm anyone?"

I can't blame this person for feeling that way. Personally, I don't like the term "cage fighting" because it makes me think of caged animals.

But it's interesting to note that children participate in other seemingly safer and less violent sports like baseball and basketball. They are not combat sports, however, according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, basketball, baseball and football are among the most dangerous sports in the U.S. They lead to more emergency room visits than any other. And according to this article, children and golf aren't a good combination either.

I wonder if parents would allow their kids to train in a Judo/Karate class? I've seen kids do both and if they practice these disciplines in the same class are they not learning a form of mixed martial arts? Perhaps it all depends on how it's packaged and presented to parents. I do wonder if a child's physical development would be affected from some of the joint locks that are taught in MMA. In children, these sensitive joints are still growing and developing. That's why kids aren't encouraged to take up weight training, except for Little Hercules.

MMA is still fairly new and its popularity continues to grow. It remains to be seen if teaching kids MMA will grow along with the sport.

There’s no embeddable video, but you can see the Cage Fighting for Kids video here.

Warning: Hypnotic Scams on the Rise

Hypnosis has been sanctioned by the American Medical Association since the 1950s and is a well respected practice used by psychiatrists, doctors, business and law enforcement personnel. It is also used in sales and advertising. Clinical hypnosis is beneficial in eliminating phobias and helps overcome harmful habits such as overeating and smoking. In fact everyone experiences hypnotic trances throughout the day. It can happen while you are driving, watching a movie or reading a book. It's sort of like being on automatic pilot and it's perfectly normal.

Unfortunately there are those who use hypnosis illegally for their personal gain. Take a look at these videos about hypnosis and mind control. These first two videos are recent news reports of crimes involving hypnosis.





This last video features world renown mentalist, Derren Brown "shopping" in New York City. Everything appears normal, except for the fact that he's hypnotizing vendors into accepting blank pieces of paper as payment! It's an example of what possibly occurred in the previous two videos.


I'm not an expert on hypnosis, but from what I understand the mind is divided into two parts; the conscious and the unconscious. In the videos the victims are put under a trance by use of embedded commands (suggestions) directed at their unconscious mind while their conscious minds are distracted with normal chatter. For the criminal there is a small window of opportunity where the victim is not consciously aware of what is happening.

There are several ways to hypnotize a person using verbal and non-verbal techniques. Today more and more people are learning hypnosis through books and multimedia programs you can buy through the internet.

I'm sure these hypnotic scams occur more often than they are reported, but it goes to show how sophisticated criminals have become.

Is This the Deadliest Martial Art?

A Ninja demonstrates a strike to the axillary nerve. See also, "Is the "ninja death touch" real?

Free MMA Event Tonight

MMA show tonight, featuring middleweight title match between the "NY Bad Ass" Phil Baroni vs. Kala Kolohe Hose. The event can be seen live for free on ProElite.com tonight.

How to Incapacitate an Attacker

Sometimes pepper spray is not enough, that's why Avurt's IM-5 Launcher may be the ideal non-lethal weapon against crime. Compact and small enough to fit in a purse or glove compartment, the IM-5 Launcher shoots PAVA (Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide) filled projectiles that can incapacitate an attacker 40 feet away causing their nose, throat and eyes to burn. PAVA is more potent than the CS gas used for riot control.
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Humans Crave Sex, Food and Mixed Martial Arts

A scientific study detailed in the journal Psychopharmacology, may shed some light on the fascination with combative sports. The study revealed the social significance of violence and aggressive behavior. This is common in the animal kingdom and in tribal communities due to the need to get and protect necessary resources such as food and shelter. Depending on the circumstances, a violent reaction may be necessary when there is a threat to property, family and personal welfare.

"Humans seem to crave violence just like they do sex, food or drugs"

However test results revealed that mice (who have similar brain characteristics as humans) engaged in violent behavior for reward or self gratification. During one experiment, a pair of lab mice were placed in a cage. They fought over a mate and the more aggressive (winning) mouse's brain released the feel good neurotransmitter, dopamine. The release of dopamine triggers an addictive feeling in both humans and mice. As one researcher said, "humans seem to crave violence just like they do sex, food or drugs."

But in modern societies, where civility is the norm (for the most part), there is no need to hunt prey or fight off marauding tribes.

So how do people get their fill of violence?

Movie fights are entertaining, but they are choreographed and outcomes are usually predictable. The occasional brawl in baseball and basketball games may make the news, but don't quite do it.

The answer may lie in combative sports such as mixed martial arts. Sports in general are competitive, but a fighting sport offers the satisfaction for society's primal need for violence.

Source: "Humans Crave Violence Just Like Sex"