To ask your opinion on contact sports?

[InCrowCountryIDance]

Not an actual dilemma, just a matter of curiosity, what is your stance on people, especially young children, engaging in contact sports?

If I were to ban my boys from any sport in which they may get injured then they're all out. I've anaesthetised kids with broken legs from soccer, broken shoulders / elbows from rugby, serious corneal injury from tiddlywinks, put half drowned kids on life support from accidents during a swimming class, taken kids half way across the uk with depressed skull fractures from cricket balls ....

Everything involves an element of risk. Strangely I've not had to look after a child or adult with serious injuries from martial arts practise but I assume that's due to the ethos of the local dojos. Takes around 6-7 years to get a black belt in our karate dojo for an adult, closer to 8-9 for a child.

We all do karate and all train / spar together. If the boys wanted to do a contact sport I'd be fine with it but I would check the club / coach / attitudes out first.

DS who is 6 does MMA in a group session once a week and also a one to one session twice a week, he's too young for actual sparring ATM though so the contact is all kept to a minimum really

I have had 3 DC try/train/and compete in lots of different sports. As long as the coaches are fully competent I don't see a problem...getting in a car or crossing a road is a greater risk!
Like curren we chose a karate club that trained to high standards...where they earned their belts...didn't get them just for turning up! DD took 7 years to get to black belt...she competed to a high level and because she was trained well won 90% of competitions she entered! Her friend at school trained at a different club and was a black belt in just over 2 years.. The requirements were very basic compared to DDs club.
DD now returns to her old club and takes sessions and gradings...and has no hesitation in failing pupils..the parents always complain if their little darling is failed but DD won't compromise on standards. the kids love her and fear her at the same time!

I agree that the club makes so much DS's first club was a good club but the teacher was better suited to older kids. He stayed there for 3 years, took a break for about a month and then found his new club and five years later, here we are. He's in the adult class, he's working on his blue belt and he's loving every moment of it.

*So much difference, sorry.

DS plays ice hockey and that is considered a contact sport. Players take pleasure in putting the perfect check on an opposition player. Things often get nasty and there are fights.
I can't say I love that side of things but I can't moan about it because I have been following ice hockey for years and knew exactly what was involved when DS signed up.

I do take the point of view of what happens on the ice stays on the ice and that there is an etiquette involved when gloves are dropped.