Please don't hit me in the head

[rms6000]

I know I sound like a complete pussy saying this, but I hate getting hit in the head. It's not the initial pain that bothers me, its the fact that I'm scared that I'm losing brain cells and that I'm becoming dumber and dumber the more I get hit. I believe that your mind is the most valuable thing you have, so I want to keep it at optimal functioning. I'm sure getting hit in the head affects everyone differently over time, but what are your guys' experience/opinion with brain damage from fighting? Do you personally know any people who became noticeably slower/dumber after fighting for a while? I don't mean to diss any strikers, and I'm not saying that striking will eventually make you dumber. I just want to see if serious fighters even think twice about this, or if you just see it as a worthwhile sacrifice.

 

[LS1Rx7]

Yeah man.. I hear yah.. I dont mind getting hit but I got knocked down last time I sparred decently hard and I dont know if this is the reason but I've had intermittent light headedness since.

I saw a doctor and they dont think thats the problem. I guess headaches or siezures are more typical of real brain injury. Its been about a month and its not a big issue, just wierd. I doubt it had to do with the sparring session but still.. I felt like it opened my eyes and made me more cautious or what "could" happen. Its tough to explain to training partners, because I used to enjoy and take all chances to spar, even if I got my ass kicked, and I'm sure they think I got soft because I got tuned up a bit.

Sucks but I dont care to risk things. That being said I've gotten busted up with knees and elbows in BJJ just as much as sparring

 

[Doctorsteel35***]

dude you wont get brain damage from sparing hard.

your not sparring like wanderlei silva did in chute boxe. nor are you a pro fighter or some street fighting god.

you will be fine. you need to get over getting hit, than again its not something you can learn. some people will always fold, brock and mir are guys who are pro and good but cant take being under pressure or being hurt. no mater how much experience they cant take it. however you should realize being hit is part of the game especially in the head

 

[Tropic]

Yes, while brain damage and loss of some brain function is something that has to be dealt with in the sport it is not something to be concerned about unless this is your career.

You have to think about guys like Silva. When he was with chute box they would spar hard every time and when it has come to the actual fights, Silva has taken alot of huge shots and been knocked out multiple times. He has been fighting and receiving blows to the head for YEARS. You have nothing to worry about. Take it easy when sparring and if you ever feel like your head is not feeling right when sparring take a break.

 

[rms13]

dude you wont get brain damage from sparing hard.

your not sparring like wanderlei silva did in chute boxe. nor are you a pro fighter or some street fighting god.

you will be fine. you need to get over getting hit, than again its not something you can learn. some people will always fold, brock and mir are guys who are pro and good but cant take being under pressure or being hurt. no mater how much experience they cant take it. however you should realize being hit is part of the game especially in the head

That's just plain stupid. If you are getting hit hard enough to get knocked down or concussed than you are experiencing brain damage. Some people spar as hard as they fight and whether or noth they are a pro fighter they can be hitting hard enough to experience some level of brain damage. And if you do that once a week or more than it will add up. I don't see the point in going that hard unless you plan on fighting and actually have a fight upcoming that you are preparing for.

 

[aries]

Not to sound like an arrogant smart arse but I'm a fairly bright guy, graduate in science and I'd be lying if I hadn't said I've thought about losing brain cells. But that said, I'm never going to be fighting professionally and because of my job I'd notice any significant lessening of brain power fairly quickly so it's not something that I lose any sleep over. If I did notice some damage I'd stop.

 

[rms13]

If you look at professional fighters who experience more severe brain damage it's not something that happens immediately. It is a cumulative effect that becomes a problem later in life. I agree that someone sparring hard a few times a month is not going to experience as much damage as a pro fighter but it is still there to some extent. And I also understand that people just want to live in the moment and not worry about how your health is when you are 60 because there are a million other things that can happen before that which might cause you not be alive long enough to experience any negative effects from getting punched in the head.

 

[Doctorsteel35***]

That's just plain stupid. If you are getting hit hard enough to get knocked down or concussed than you are experiencing brain damage. Some people spar as hard as they fight and whether or noth they are a pro fighter they can be hitting hard enough to experience some level of brain damage. And if you do that once a week or more than it will add up. I don't see the point in going that hard unless you plan on fighting and actually have a fight upcoming that you are preparing for.

1. you will gain experience
2. you will gain more expierence if you ever fight in the streets.

who is more prepared for a street fight? a guy who does boxing and gets beat up in the gym? vs the guy who just practices his moves against targets and in the air?

taekdwondo guy or guy at mcdojo punching air. and moves "to deadly to try on each other"

or guy with boxing experience and hands on experience?

if you have never been beat up or been hit hard. you wont know how to deal with it. Im no expert nor do i own my own gym, but getting hit in the head is part of it. Im a wrestler and now do bjj first. my boxing sucks but when i got box believe it i get hit in the head. ive been hit in the head plenty and can stand it, i dont fold when you hit me. well if i was fighting like rampage jackson you can believe id fold hell most people would. All i am trying to tell "TS' is that getting hit is part of fighting.
Machida 1 of the least hit fighters with a background in karate still gets hit and can withstand it.

BTW it seemed as if "TS" was implying that he'd recieve brain damage similar to that of a pro fighter who had fought for years and years. im telling him sparring shouldnt give him speech problems a few years down the line.

 

[flanellograf]

Not to sound like an arrogant smart arse but I'm a fairly bright guy, graduate in science and I'd be lying if I hadn't said I've thought about losing brain cells. But that said, I'm never going to be fighting professionally and because of my job I'd notice any significant lessening of brain power fairly quickly so it's not something that I lose any sleep over. If I did notice some damage I'd stop.

If you'd notice some damage it'd probably be to late already.
But yeah, I get the fear of diminishing brain function. I've had very serious concussions in my life (not fighting related, but actual head-meats-pavement type shit) and after my last one I was fucked up for months. Constantly dizzy, seeing double, tired as fuck and needing 12 hours sleep and constant naps etc. It was hell. It was years ago, but I still feel like my brain hasn't fully recovered (I don't function properly anymore if I get less than 9 hours sleep, for instance). I will never again voluntarily put myself in a position where there even is remotely a chance of it happening again.

However, there are things you can do, as eating creatine which apparently is neuroprotective, and protects against brain damage from concussions. Also BCAA seems to be deficient in mice who have had TBI, so supplementing EAA/BCAA might help (but do your own research).

 

[illmatic]

can any of you nancies provide a link from a valid source that states amateur-level fighting causes any brain damage? i think you might be trying to justify your overwhelming fear of being hit, and giving yourself an easy way out.

How Dangerous Is Boxing For The Brain?

a quick search on google came up with that article, not sure why it took 10 posts for someone to link it.

basically it comes down to: if you don't like fighting, that's totally understandable. it's not for everybody, just say it's not for you and quit making excuses.

 

[rms13]

I've also had at least 3 major concussions on my life. Not from fighting but from other sports when I was younger. And I've taken shots to the head sparring that were probably minor concussions. I know I can take a punch in a fight or in a street fight (also taken punches in bar fights when I was younger that were probably undiagnosed concussions). I'm not training to prepare for a fight and I have nothing to prove and I'm 34 so I don't feel a need to take those kind of shots in the gym while training. If I decide to take a fight then I would want to be pushed harder leading up to it so I'm prepared but not just for the sake of being a tough guy

 

[pash123]

Wladimir klitschko is the current IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO heavyweight boxing champion and has had 59 professional fights. Not to mention his amateur career. He has a Ph.D in Sports Science and speaks five languages. So I think you will be fine..

 

[BrokenNose]

I get worried when I get clocked real hard and zap out for a second.

However, I am scared to throw a hard punch at a guy's face because I think about the possible damage I could be doing to him. He could be the biggest jerk ever, but I always hesitate to throw any of my weight behind a punch at their face.

Baseless worries, but they are still there.

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

Check out that thread about fish-oil. That stuff really helps dampen the damage according to the scientific studies. Find that thread (it was around recently)

Also, if you want to continue, you better make excellent footwork/head-movement your immediate learning priority/bread & butter style of fighting, which is the best and most useful thing boxing/striking teaches. Besides, you don't sound like you'd make a good brawler-type (lol)

 

[NoodlesRap]

Man I love getting hit in the head!

 

[SAAMAG]

You guys are funny. Extremists on both sides...none of whom actually know what they're talking about. Internet research is not true knowledge folks--fyi.

1. ANY fighting activity where one is being exposed to blunt force trauma to the head or body poses risks to its participants. Risks will vary depending on the amount of force being transferred, the protective gear in place, and the volume of force being received. Whether or not a person wants to believe it--yes--even sparring can pose risk of concussion and subsequent death if not addressed.

2. Learning to fight, or rather learning the application of skills used within the context of fighting--requires one to immerse his or her self in the actual activity. I.E. you have to apply the skills in the same setting that you're learning about. So if you're learning to grapple, you need to roll to learn to apply those skills. If you're learning standup fighting, you have to spar to learn to apply those skills.

If a participant in a martial art or fighting sport wants to take extra care by eliminating head targeting for a while--then so be it. He has every right to do so, because it is HIS health on the line, not anyone else's. Partner's should be wary of their colleague's wish's and accommodate them as best as possible because people are there to train--and one can't do that if they keep harming their partners.

 

[pash123]

You need to face the fact that the main goal in boxing is to punch your opponent in the head/body (mostly the head though). You need to learn to take hard punches to the head. I'm not saying that you should let the guy punch you in the face repeatedly every session, but you need to get used to the feeling of getting punched to some degree. Given that you sparr with headgear, a mouth guard and 10oz - 16oz gloves, the risk of serious head injury is very minimal.

Yeah you are going to lose a few braincells in the process, but who needs that many braincells anyway?

 

[flanellograf]

Wladimir klitschko is the current IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO heavyweight boxing champion and has had 59 professional fights. Not to mention his amateur career. He has a Ph.D in Sports Science and speaks five languages. So I think you will be fine..

Great proof there buddy. n=1 is powerful.
Some seem to be more susceptible to damage also. You never know what genes you have.
Also, the Klitchko brothers style is one that enables them to stay away from damage.

 

[aries]

You need to face the fact that the main goal in boxing is to punch your opponent in the head/body (mostly the head though).

First thing I noticed upon switching to MT from boxing was I hardly get hit in the head anymore. That can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

 

[pash123]

Great proof there buddy. n=1 is powerful.
Some seem to be more susceptible to damage also. You never know what genes you have.
Also, the Klitchko brothers style is one that enables them to stay away from damage.

Thanks for mentioning the style aspect of boxing. Naturally if you are an out-fighter, then you can maintain a distance between you and your opponent by using your reach and your jab, etc. This means that the chance of getting hit is a lot smaller than that of an in-fighter. An inside fighter like mike tyson, will be bobbing and weaving inside and will usually have to take some shots to the head in order to land his shots. If you are quite tall, maybe around 5"11 or above and have a long reach, then I suggest you learn to become an out-fighter.