ESPN Debate with Frank Shamrock on Kid's MMA

MMA teaches discipline and respect. It teaches you about yourself and makes you a stronger person. I do recommend proper headgear and gloves especially for the younguns. Here is the description our Wildcats Kid's MMA program: Wild Cats is a children's mixed martial arts (MMA) program guiding our youth from the ages of 5 to 15 years. Wild Cats MMA is mix of all full contact styles in sports combat. Those styles included Muay Thai/kickboxing, wrestling, boxing, judo/jiu-jitsu, submission grappling and Shamrock Submission Fighting. This complete MMA program designed for children teaches real self defense techniques while instilling traditional values of respect and discipline. September of 1999 marked the beginning of what is one of the most unique martial arts programs available to kids today. Instead of sharing one particular style with students the philosophy was to share a unique and effective system with the same values and principles of traditional martial arts. The curriculum that was developed encompasses the extensive that Mr. Shamrock and the Shamrock Submission Fighting Team use in preparation for MMA bouts of which they continue to engage in today. The curriculum and ranking system combines the discipline and respect we have come to expect from any martial art. The goal of the program is growth, guidance, and proper behavior of our children whether it be in the classroom, with adults and peers, or in a self defense situation. Wild Cats Mixed Martial Arts is committed to family, friends, community, and our children.

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• Dewey said July 23, 2008

  Kids aren't even allowed to play "tag" in a lot of schools anymore. Instead kids just keep getting fatter and fatter. Anything that promotes healthy bodies and minds is all good in my book. MMA included. Definitely. America needs more push-ups and fewer push-pops.

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  • tedhill replied July 23, 2008

    I agree with Dewey and Frank
• Thedoors86 said July 23, 2008

  Do they not understand the US is one of the only countries who "babies" their kids the way they do?

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• divac54 said July 23, 2008

  People who have no experience with Martial arts will always have a hard time understanding the the live fighting part of it, most of them have never been in a fight more or less a martial art they dedicated to. It makes it real tough to see the intangiable effects that Martial Arts can have on your life when you have not experienced it and the "mental scars" that he kept bringing up happen in daily life, martial arts helps you to be strong mentally..

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• psycoglass said July 23, 2008

  What is wrong with a fight anyway. It is the basest of instincts, that will always be a part of human nature. Fighting in one way or another is a hard wired part of us as humans. I see no problem and even benefit in embracing it in a safe controlled manner.

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• tazloz6 said July 24, 2008

  lost for words

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• tazloz6 said July 24, 2008

  DANA WHITE WOULD HAVE DID A BETTER JOB.

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• JonnyH9837 said July 24, 2008

  I just watched this report on tv and I wasn't shocked to see Dan Doyle to be so one sided. I don't see how martial arts is all that different from other sports. More contact yes but contact none the less. When people get lit up in college football and or NFL don't people get excited. It would probably even make the Top 10 Plays on Sportscenter. And yet they do pee-wee leagues and nobody cares? I agree with people who know nothing about MMA have a hard time with anything it stands for or promotes. I think it's a healthy alternative to exercise and it teaches discipline and will try to get my future kids interested in it.

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• Dewey said July 24, 2008

  I didn't get a chance to watch the video until just now. You did a great job, Frank. Kids need to exercise more, and people need to stop trying to raise other people's children, especially from a distance and without proper context.

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• GSWgirl said July 24, 2008

  I taught dance while I was in college & I had about quite a few students that did martial arts (there was a place that taught karate in the same building as the studio). The muscle tone, coordination, level of respect, confidence and work ethic of the kids that had been doing it for awhile were obvious. As long as they have the protective gear & a desire to do it - go for it!
  I would rather my students do martial arts then be on a soccer team that doesn't keep score. Life is not like that.
  

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• oflarity said July 24, 2008

  I agree with Frank on most of the points, but I'm a little uneasy about that video with the kids punching the crap out of each other. At least have them wear helmets or some kind of sparring gear.

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• theoneandonly said July 24, 2008

  I gained a whole new respect for you Frank. How you represent MMA, and yourself is amazing. I watched this on the tube earlier, and the only thing I wish would have happened more is you get to talk instead of that guy. He sounded ignorant on the different aspects of MMA. Such as self discipline etc. ect. Overall great job, and good luck in your next fight!

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• Shearl23 said July 24, 2008

  1) I think people make a lot of valid points here, about the value of martial arts for childre, and that is of course true.
  2) People are are against MMA for children are not necessarily against competitive martial arts for children. The issue is not MMA or TV, or MMA or "soda-pop." The alternatives are karate, wrestling, etc.
  3) MMA is violent, and when children are 5-years old they are not necessarily ready for this kind of violence if they are not mature. This is obviously an individual determination, but some people in life are NEVER ready for MMA-trainig, let alone 5-year olds.
  4) Very few people should spar without head gear, let alone 5-year olds sparring without head gear.
  5) There is a reason we don't let children own guns, drive auto-mobiles, vote, and drink alcohol or smoke cigarrettes. Because certain things require a maturity level. MMA is arguably one of those things considering at times we're talking about tearing joints and doing serious damage
  6) Do not forget that children at the age of 5 are VERY IMPRESSIONABLE, and are forming their core values. I've spoken to semi-professional fighters who say before they go in the ring, they picture killing their opponent to build up the anger and mental energy to win. You wonder if this what 5-year olds are ready for?

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  • FlyMaster replied July 25, 2008

    We must remember that Mixed Martial Arts is not the same thing as traditional martial arts. MMA is solely focused on developing fighting whereas traditional martial arts don't usually begin sparring until the intermediate levels. MMA also does not focus on the mental and spiritual aspects of traditional martial arts. MMA takes techniques from various Martial Arts without taking the philosophy and history of any one art.
    
    I began studying Taekwondo almost 30 years ago and have taught the traditions and rituals that accompany it for nearly 17 years. While I do have kids spar, and then have older students compete and fight, the root of the training is based in consistency, discipline, and cultivating students as people. There is a distinct difference between becoming a gifted martial artist who fights well and becoming a fighter. I wish that more people respected the other atributes of the martial arts instead always going to the lowest common denominator of fighting and violence.
    
    On the positive side, it is good to see debates like this in the mainstream.
• Brewer said July 26, 2008

  i agree with frank, kids should be able to do mma, its a great sport, it teaches good discipline, i myself would love to compete in mma and im 13, i hope mixed martail arts for kids will succeed in taught around the world

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• FrankShamrock said July 30, 2008

  Thanks for all the feedback and support. ESPN called me in at 5 a.m. and told me they wanted me to talk about kids mma. Then they waited till almost the last minute to show me the videos.
  
  If you have never done martial arts you just won't understand. I have a gotten a lot of email from some of the people in the video who felt they were mislead.
  
  At the end of the day they have no quantifiable statistics to say yes or no that the sport is harmful for kids.
  
  I just read somewhere that doctors recommend not to skateboard. Pretty soon the only exercise kids will get is to watch TV.

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• Goethe said August 21, 2008

  That was ridiculous, you can clearly see Shamrock got ambushed and he wasn't even given time to reply properly, that other guy is every stereotype of an ignorant old man, bald, rude, speaking of things he does not understand.
  I started doing Karate at the age of 4, it gave me a sense of pride, respect, and discipline that guide my life to this day.

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