Anyone thinks it's wrong for young kids to train boxing

[Lawblaw]

I saw that little kid on Instagram, he's a 6 year old boxer. He's got good hands but he posts videos of him sparring and they go at eachother trying to take eachothers head off.
They're wearing protection of course but still, they're smacking eachother in the head at a very young age.
I don't know, I just feel like wrestling is the best thing to enroll your kid at. Striking is just too stupid. Wrestling will teach them the work ethic, the mental toughness and its safer than getting your brain smashed.

 

[mozfonky]

lots of fighters start off that young or younger, I think most trainers recommend 12 or so. Ya, that's young, i wouldn't let my kid take punches at that age, but i wouldn't want my kid boxing period.

 

[Lawblaw]

lots of fighters start off that young or younger, I think most trainers recommend 12 or so. Ya, that's young, i wouldn't let my kid take punches at that age, but i wouldn't want my kid boxing period.

What do you want him to do?

 

[mozfonky]

What do you want him to do?

i don't know, but if i had a son who insisted on boxing, he'd have to wait. I wouldn't mind him doing the workouts and bagwork, but i'd rather not have a son get hit in the head.

 

[pakimahi]

Sparring at 6 is stupid..kids shouldn't be exchanging blows.

 

[Clippy]

When my Grandfather went to school in the 40s, he was picked on by everyone including the shitty girls

His uncle gave him boxing gloves one birthday and trained him and one by one he got the kids back in the ring, he couldn't get the girls tho

but it gave him newfound confidence that instilled him to this day, he's now 83 with a punching bag in his basement and I train with him, he's still got fast hands

 

[Sharkhunter]

Sparring at 6 is stupid..kids shouldn't be exchanging blows.

common in boxing, I started at 10 and there was more then a few kids way younger then me

 

[Kassitus]

I think its best to start kids with non-contact ball sports, then when they're 9 sign them up for the violent ball sports, then when they're 12 get them fighting.

 

[Jonny Ninja]

I've been teaching my daughters kickboxing for a few years now (since they were 8). We do some really light sparring with all the protective gear, and I have a couple of bags, but it's more about them being confident if they ever need to use it to defend themselves. I certainly don't agree with young kids knocking 7 shades out of each other

 

[JonJonesLines]

My son does it...I don't let him get punched in the face and he's 11. Sparring will start in 8th/9th grade

 

[wilddeuces]

That young? That rough? The brain is building itself. Those are important formative years in brain development. I'm all about fitness, self-defense, and self-confidence, but in this respect the juice is not worth the squeeze. You can do some drills and keep it light.

 

[Minowafanatic]

It could be severely detrimental to their health if they're taking heavy blows at that age when everything is still in development. It's not worth the risk. Train and learn the skills, 6 is too young for sparring. A lot of kids will burn themselves out going hard in boxing as preteens and early teens anyway so pulling the juniors back a bit might still lead to more boxers in the long run.

 

[ICHEERTHEBULL]

No but I don't think 6 year olds should be sparing

 

[chiefwiggum]

If you're boxing and sparring at 6 your dad is trying to give you your career.

I've been training my boys their whole lives through extensive chores.

Now I'm trying to implement these chores into a fighting style.
Like miyagi to young Daniel.

 

[Sir Punchalot]

Having been around the sport since 1987, knowing all too well what the sport does to people and their brains, I would never let my kids start boxing. Just forget about it. They're not going to do it, whether they're six or sixteen.

 

[jm0b]

No head shots at 6.

I played rugby before boxing from 6-16 and had plenty of head on collisions, concussions, broken noses etc

I wouldn't let my kid spar til his/her teens and even then I'd wanna be there to watch and pull them out every time they took a good jab lol

 

[aries]

Maybe do what they do at the Wincobank Gym in Sheffield run by the Ingles (trained Nas, Kell Brook, Junior Witter, Johnny Nelson) they only allow their kids to spar with body shots. And they still produce great boxers.

 

[Boxer]

My son does it...I don't let him get punched in the face and he's 11. Sparring will start in 8th/9th grade

Yeah I think once they're teens then you can spar, no point in children sparring because your bodies changing every year so how you box when your 10 won't be how you box when your 16 and put more weight, height and muscle on.

....... also if your going to have a boxing career, why start taking punishment at such a young age? the training is good enough to develop fast hands and basics, you don't need to be getting punched in the face yet.

 

[former-monger]

There are risk involved with every sport if managed properly sport can help in social development and confidence, I mean wrestling encourage fasting and weight cutting with isn't good for liver and long term heath baseball can cause serious shoulder damage football head injuries broken legs torn acl's etc. Ive seen Thai's have pro fights at like 11. One thing is for sure you wont have some soft ass kid who can't handle tough situations in life in general even if he decide sport isn't for him

 

[JonJonesLines]

Yeah I think once they're teens then you can spar, no point in children sparring because your bodies changing every year so how you box when your 10 won't be how you box when your 16 and put more weight, height and muscle on.

....... also if your going to have a boxing career, why start taking punishment at such a young age? the training is good enough to develop fast hands and basics, you don't need to be getting punched in the face yet.

I agree. He encouraged all of his little friends to let each other give body shots on a few occasions and my son wakes up the next day and tells me his ribs hurt. I just laugh and say "well you asked for it" but he never learns. He wants to spar extremely bad but I 100% refuse. I told him when I thought he was ready he could do it. Thankfully, his coach is a good guy who knows what brain trauma can do and doesn't like anyone under 15 sparring (and those are with 18oz gloves, full headgear, and light punches).