What do you guys think of children doing ___THAI__KICK__BOXING__?????

[RTKangaMummy]

Children aged under 10 years old?

I think they are about to talk about it on THIS MORNING now

There was a family on GMTV earlier who did it

Do any of your children do it?

Are they DDs or DSs?

How old are they?

When did they start?

Or do you disagree completely?

[Nemoandthefishes]

Its on channel 4 on thurs rtkm cutting edge I think

[RTKangaMummy]

yes NEMO that is what the parents on GMTV were talking about

The guy on TV now is talking NON CONTACT which IMHO is ok

[RTKangaMummy]

I was just interested if any MNetters DD or DS did it?

I realise the prog on Thurs has been edited to show a certain slant on what goes on

But like I always say with editing "If it didn't happen it can't be put in even if it has been taken out of context"

Does anyone here have their children do THAI BOXING?

.

Documentary
Strictly Baby Fight Club Thursday 24 April
9:00pm - 10:00pm
Channel 4
I'm not sure which is more distressing, watching primary-school-age kids kicking and punching each other in a Thai boxing ring, or seeing the contorted faces of their parents screaming encouragement in the audience. "Go on, kick 'er, Princess!" shouts one dad to his five-year-old girl, who moments earlier was in tears at the prospect of going in to fight. This astonishing documentary follows five kids and their parents as they journey around the country (this is an increasingly popular amateur sport) in the hope of winning more trophies and bigger titles. The parents argue it's better for a youngster to keep fit through martial arts than to turn into a couch potato. The programme makes no comment, but when you see two under-tens fighting each other in a cage, you may not agree.

RT reviewer - Jane Rackham

[MargaretMountford]

ds did karate starting at age 4,nearly 5...he is a very gentle and not very physical boy and it gave him a lot more confidence.

[Threadworm]

DS2 does kickboxing. Not sure whether it is Thai or not.

Almost entirely non-contact, though he does have the option to do occasional 'real' fighting, which I am happy with.

It is not agressive, or at least not more so than other sports. DS2 is a lamb and the atmosphere at his training is cooperative, supportive, etc.

You get idiot competitive parents shouting with contorted agression in all sports.

[Threadworm]

DS2 is eight, btw.

It is not completely free of agression I suppose. But why should it be? We do have agression in us and the controlled expression of it is fine in sport.

[RTKangaMummy]

it was the fact that the little boy this morning was kicking the other boys private parts that shocked me and I was thinking he should be wearing padding there cos it must hurt

[MargaretMountford]

ds's karate was mostly defensive I think ...I can't remember what kind of karate it was, it involved a lot of kicking down foam blocks and those little boxing gloves

[RTKangaMummy]

by the way my DS does FENCING and has done for many years so I am not against contact sport and does rugby as well {he is now 12}

[Threadworm]

That sounds horrible (the private parts kicking). I'm sure that wouldn't be allowed at DS2's club.

I woouldn't have chosen kick boxing for DS2. Prefer something a bit more reflective, like Tae Kwon Do. But I think the C4 thing was prob a bit

[RTKangaMummy]

I know I couldn't understand how or why they would wear padding around the tummy and head and then allow him to kick him in the private parts area that had no padding just a pair of {what looked to me like} flimsy thin shorts

[Blu]

The only child I know who does it should definitley not have been encouraged. her mother gleams with pride while she 'demostrates' her moves on children around, reducing them to tears. She is 5.

A child's personality and attention to the no 'extra-curricular' rule are vital, I would say. Some of DS's young friends who are very keen to try such things are clearly imagining themselves putting it into action on a daily basis...

[Blueblob]

My son and I both do kickboxing, but nothing like the clips I've seen of that documetary, happen at our club. For under 7's there is no contact. It's general fitness, Kata, line drills and kicking pads that adults hold.

For the 7 + it starts with point scoring or feather contact only. I've been to many competions and haven't witnessed the sort of behaviour I've seen advertised on that programme.

It's only when teens are allowed into the adult classes, when they're ready, are they exposed to more contact. I personally love the contact sparring

[Threadworm]

I dindn't know about the light contact rules for children, blueblob. That sounds really good. I want my DS to get involved in the actual 'combat', since I know he will enjoy it. So it's good to know that they won't actually be aiming to pulverise one another.

It really is a joy to see DS2 do the moves, because he enjoys it so much and puts all of his energy into it (and is very agile). It really has as little to do with agression as does, say, tennis.

[RTKangaMummy]

OK

I agree that the programme is very very very extreme

But some people may want to watch it on CHANNEL 4 tonight

9pm

[RTKangaMummy]

9pm

[RTKangaMummy]

x

[RTKangaMummy]

They are deffo extreme in prog tonight

[RTKangaMummy]

x

[bogie]

Non contact seems fine but that program thats on tonight looks absolutley horriable.
Do people not know of the serious brian damage that sort of fighting can cause??

Ds is 2 and loves to play fight and if we wanted to train him to fight he would love it.
But it is irresponsible and just wrong

[bogie]

Non contact seems fine but that program thats on tonight looks absolutley horriable.
Do people not know of the serious brian damage that sort of fighting can cause??

Ds is 2 and loves to play fight and if we wanted to train him to fight he would love it.
But it is irresponsible and just wrong