9 years post TBI from football and not being treated for it properly. Not only that but I was allowed to play football the following year. I am miserable. Headaches, PTSD, depression, Anxiety, insomnia, terrible mood swings mostly anger related. I will tell you that even though I played my senior year and won a state championship. It wasn't worth it. Had I know I would have quit then and there. It isn't worth it people. No matter how much you love the sport it isn't worth the risk. I'd rather have lost a limb than had a TBI.
To be fair mma has no count witch significantly has lowerd the risk of injuring the brain and no fighter has ever died in ufc mabey im bias because I am just starting in mouy tiah but the sport of fighting will never be gone its in human nature the sport has been around longer than almost any other its truly an art form
As someone who's been involved in a lot of street fights from growing up in a poverty stricken and dangerous environment, I am very sad at the idea that all of the hits I received onto my head have significantly damaged my brain. I got out of the ghetto but the consequences of my past concussions still live with me, my attention span is poor and so is my memory, I just wish I had never been through those traumatic events, I wish I could have my brain back.
Same dude. My concentration and memory has gotten poor after those concussions. But mine was self inflicted whenever im frustrated i hit myself in the head or bang it in the wall. I regret doing those in the past
As a life long martial artist and veteran who has had over 13 TBIs from mild to severe this was informative. I had decided to donate my brain and spine to the Boston University and VA brain bank. I do this so that one day they can find better protection for our troops. I encourage and vet or combat sports practician to consider it. It took ten years after I was first asked to decide to do it because I noticed differences in my cognition and behavior. If interested look up the Concussion Legacy Foundation on how to donate or about other programs. I carry a donor card in my wallet and the military and VA no my intentions.
It's the reverberations from the punch that do the damage. helmets give the impression that no real damage is being done to a fighter because it protects against the cosmetic injury of cuts etc. but it does nothing for the 'shaking' of the brain, which is where the real risk of cte, neurological disease etc comes from
i'm sure there is some better protection than not wearing anything. otherwise this neurologist wouldn't be saying it's a bad decision for the brain to remove helmets..........
@@hectorescobar8555 As someone who has boxed throughout their life I am somewhat acquainted with this issue. I'm not a neurology nor do I have a scientific background, however, I have spoken with clinicians and neurologists (whose positions are informed by the science). There appears to be some debate as to whether helmets are a positive or not. The weight it adds to the 'shake' is certainly a negative. So too is the fact that your neck is built to stabilise your head but not your head with a helmet. There is also the larger surface area. Why do you think the olympics and many other major amateur boxing associations have done away with the use of helmets?
Floyd Mayweather should be commended for his fighting style. They should change the scoring system and allow more points for hitting the body and less for hitting the head.
Floyd Mayweather will also have taken a fair amount of braindamage. its not avoidable unfortunatelly. they should work hard on finding a cure for this stuff. boxing is way to much fun.
Very refreshing hearing this perspective from someone who admires and appreciates boxing and therefore wants to change the rule set, rather then someone who knows nothing about and thinks it should be abolished.
A great speech by Dr Steven Laurey. A sure pleasure to watch. Thank you so much for posting this up. A must watch for anyone recovering /have had any form of brain trauma ☺☺
I am a retired professional MMA fighter, and golden gloves boxer. As someone who has been hit with and without head gear.. I can safely tell you head gear does not help in boxing or MMA.. it will stop you from getting cut or bruised up, but it will not stop your brain from shaking around when you get hit.. the fact is, wearing head gear adds weight to your head increasing the amount of whiplash. It also drastically limits your field of vision leading to several unnecessary blows being taken.. So, head gear is a bad idea. As for your idea of just not hitting to the head. They have that already, it’s called point sparring. But, people don’t pay millions of dollars to watch people do that. The real problem is that fighters are not paid what they are worth, and many of them have to keep fighting to survive well after their health is in decline.
The muhamid ali point can be debunked because ali obviously had a certein style that meant he had to use head movement flexibility speed and endurance to dodge punches and float like a butter fly the real qwestion is if he reteird earlier would he still have brain damage
This guy, Dr. Laureys really knows how to present information in an easy to understand way and it's clear he cares about the health of these athletes. I kind of wish he'd said to not have these contact sports at all though. With tackle football there's no way to avoid frequent injury to the brain, but if they aimed for the torso in boxing it might become a lot safer. I appreciate this information, thank you:)
At ten years old, I scored 167 on my IQ test. After a dozen or more concussions, I process slowly and confuse easily. My reading skills continue to deteriorate along with volition. My greatest concern IS the oncoming "D" train. I have witnessed dementia in others, and personally, I don't want to go there. For me, the worst part of brain damage is that I know that I knew so much about so many things, and today my skull is slowly filling up with concrete that swallows any knowledge I had acquired in my earlier years. I suppose, eventually, this concern will become full blown terror in my dumbness.
I agree too. But unfortunately full contact entertainment sports like Boxing, MMA and American Football makes too much money for Businesses. So likely it won't be a banned sport.. It will take a miracle, lots of talking and research and a new law in place to get it banned from sports.
Sorry but u dont have the full story the head gear will not help at all and bodey shots wont ether something that will is paying fighters enough so they can retire early and not fight into there 40s and potentially damage there brain
I was looking into self-defence styles (many of which involve striking) and now I'm convinced that to learn and practice one would pretty much be a contradiction. To actually be ready for a fight, you have to practice fighting - that means sparring and getting hit in the head regularly. The chances of me being attacked are far lower than the guaranteed brain damage I would receive for such a thing. The only "fight" I could imagine ending up in, is a fight with a mugger, who probably has a knife (I live in England - knife crime is kind of a problem here), in which case I'm likely to get severely or mortally injured anyway. And even if it is just a one on one no weapons street fight and lose said street fight maybe I get hit in the head a few times and lose my wallet and phone. Do I value my phone and wallet more than my brain? And are those few hits to the head in this one unlikely imaginary scenario comparable to several every week? It's all madness. And even if I just get randomly stabbed and die (we're probably talking shark attack levels of probability) because some guy's just feeling a but murderous - well even if I was a true professional, the likelihood of winning against this crazed stabber is rather slim. Even I somehow win because I don't know, let's say the attacker is drunk and he's holding the knife the wrong way round, hurray, I am victorious! Those years I spent developing a dormant brain injury were worth it! No, but, I'd rather die than suffer the decades of torture that some of these poor guys went through... I think I'll just take my chances, stay away from areas or situations that could result in that, and maybe take up sprinting and parkour instead (assuming my attacker isn't within kissing distance).
Don't over think it use prioritize footwork and hitting while moving. Incase you don't have enough space to flow you would need to practice combos incase someone closes the distance. Learning how to defend yourself is essential nowadays.
Here's a novel idea to deal with the knife wielder. Do like Metatron does and wear mail. Your odds of survival against a knife wielder rise dramatically if the weapon can't penetrate.
a couple of sparring sessions wont cause the amount of brain trauma to make you even feel a slight bit of anything, even majority of professional boxers years after retirement don't experience mid-level effects of CTE.
I agree 100% that getting punched/kicked in the head isn't worth it. But you could focus on grappling/BJJ, and do a lot of no gi if self-defence is your main priority. About 95% of street fights end up on the ground (and if you know how to take people down to the ground, which you learn in grappling, I'd say it's most probably ending up on the ground). And if you are a proficient grappler there is a high likelihood that you'd win. I don't think untrained people realise how defenceless they'd be against a proficient grappler lol. The risk of brain injury is very low, and I'd argue that the positive cardiovascular benefits that comes from grappling (it's very intense) means you'll probably end up with a healthier brain in the long run (unless you're already doing exercise that taxes your cardiovascular system 2-4 times a week). Moreover, when sparring you are both going 100% because you aren't hitting/kicking each other, so you would get to practice on a fully resistant opponent which I think is crucial. But as you said, most people will never get in a fight. I think the main reason men train martial arts is to be able to win a street fight if they ever ended up in one, and even though they probably never will fight they become more confident and grow as men. And it's also a lot of fun and a great way to exercise, provided you don't do any sparring that involves punches/kicks to the head of course. Definitely not worth it lol. (On that point, you can still take introductory classes in something like muay thai if the dojo you train at doesn't allow blows to the head. You'd learn how to throw a punch and kick someone, and most importantly you'd learn how to defend yourself whilst standing up. Combine that with a deep knowledge of grappling and takedowns, and you'd probably be in the 96th-98th percentile of fighting ability. And a lot of places allow punches/kicks to the body, not the head. So I'd say the striking skills you'd learn would translate fairly well to a real fight.)
Insightful talk although helmets do not protect from concussions. There's evidence they make it more dangerous. A brain is like a driver in a car; no matter how many bumpers and how many air bags, the driver still moves upon impact and this is similar to the brain inside the skull. The individual will suffer a coup and contrecoup causing mtbi. We can't change sport, the aim should be to make athletes more informed.
The point of the helmet isnt to minimise the movement of the brain once the impact has happened, the point is to absorb some of the impact force and increase the time of contact at a decreased momentum, similar to a crumple zone of a car
Helmets are not effective because they don't immobilize the head. A neck brace would be more effective in boxing since the G-Forces come from focal strikes. It is the "G-Forces" that are the problem, not the actual impact. Sudden changes in motion stretch the brain apart and make them collide back together. The brain lags behind the skull. If the skull doesn't move, neither does the brain. Most of the damage is minimized. In football, the G-Forces are not focal. Their entire body is in a state of motion, by default so are their brain. When a football player makes contact with another player, the sudden change of motion occurs that stretches the brain. Helmets give a false sense of security and may actually encourage even stronger hits and less defense against damage. Helmets protect against fractures of the skull. For helmets to minimize G-Forces, it would have to be of impractical size. It is ridiculous for people to say removing tackling with your head solves the problem. Even simply falling down from another player yanking you down is enough to create a sudden change in motion. It doesn't remove the G-Forces which is intrinsic to the sport.
I used to always keep my helmet wicket tight and that’s really bad. You’re supposed to give it a little slack so when you hit someone your helmet moves and take force off of your brain. If your helmet is tight then there’s literally no difference. It just protects your skull but not your brain
At the end of the day, it's the individuals decision to engage in this beautiful but dangerous sport. Personally I quit boxing, just because I decide to enjoy longevity and quality in my life.
This is why I only body spar in my martial art (video on channel for those curious). The problem is... a lot of people dont like how I spar but at the same time I dont want brain damage. It is not a mystery that body sparring is actually a thing in my art just not as a common practice.
There's no reason to go hard on any body part during sparring. Light technical sparring is way better at improving your technique. Some elite MMA fighters, such as George St-Pierre, rarely went hard during sparring (according to Firas Zahabi, his head couch), and he's widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
@@martialartist6165 Not just some elite MMA fighters, but most elite fighters out of any combat sport: boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, MMA or whatever. Going hard to the face during sparring is just horrible and unpractical in every way. Many fighters go relatively hard to the body and legs though, helps with conditioning and feels more real.
@@martialartist6165 elite fighters dont go hard in sparring because they dont need to. They already know how to fight very good. For a begginer its essential to hard spar so you can condition your body to take hits and your mind to act under the pressure of heavy hits
the best thing i can say is that sports give a lot of people opportunities that people wouldn't otherwise get, is it better to make millions and enjoy it until the injuries take then toll or make minimum wage or be homeless?.
You shouldn't have to hasten your death or drastically reduce the quality of your life just for the sake of wealth. Think about the pain and gaping hole you leave behind in the lives of your family and friends when you die prematurely or the emotional turmoil of watching you gradually be reduced to a vegetable. We work so we can not only survive but enjoy the fruits of our labor. Athletes already sacrifice so much of their time that could be spent with their families and friends on arduous training. They get injured and sometimes have to still perform with injuries. Some develop addictions to pain killers and yet after retiring, they have CTE to look forward to? That's not living. That's a nightmare.
Yet they choose it willingly without anyone forcing them. They know the risks. Driving a car is also much more dangerous then taking a bus, yet many people prefer cars.
You can’t imagine how difficult it is to stop boxing if you‘ve learned it and have fun with it. Even you know it hurts your brain. Just don’t get hit is my kind of protection plan. Of course sooner or later one or another punch gets through but its something else than taking every punch with the guard or the head
As a 5 year old kid my fav boxer was Floyd Patterson and when he lost to Liston I was angry. Later when Ali beat Liston I became a fan. Then before I was 9 I had two brain injuries from bicycle accidents. Blood came out of my ears. I was kept awake for 24 hours observation. Later i wanted to become a boxer. My older brother Ray talked me out of it... Thank you brother Ray.
I don't agree that you should take headshots out of boxing but I do agree that EVERY boxer should be monitored, amateur or professional, so maybe as soon as you show negative signs they can call it a day for you rather than make it 10x worse by continuing to box
Effects of brain damage in combat sports usually manifest years after the damage was done but sure it would be better to stop fighter when damage is lesser
I absolutely love the sport of boxing and make no apologies for it. There’s risks involved as with anything physical. But boxing has provided opportunities for individuals to better their lives.
Padding is there to protect fighters hands, not the other guys head. The more padding there is, the harder punches can be thrown, without fear of hurting or breaking one’s own hand in the process. The solution is no gloves. Joe Rogan and John McCarthy had a great discussion about this on Rogan’s podcast
@@bruhmomenthdr7575Nah bro, I didn’t see it. I have my regrets. Neither my parents or teachers were neuroscientists. I didn’t know We come into this life unprepared.
It is somewhat discerning that boxing and other sports we like are not only dangerous but can very well ruin lives and even kill people; so are there anyways we can prevent, or even repair brain damage related to boxing? Only solutions I can think of are the following-- - Reduce head shots, or even don't go for head shots at all - Immediate medical attention and check ups, to see how the brain is if you do get punched in the face - Brain rest, take as much time as necessary for your brain to recover - Eat food that replenish the body, and are particularly good brain food like fish for example - New protective gear around the collar to strengthen the nerves or muscles in your neck, to restrict movement of the brain when being struck That's pretty much all I got, but I'm certain that people will jump right away and tell me none of those could help at all.
So here's my whole perspective on this whole thing with CTE and TBI all of this stuff. 1: Helmets ,like the ones in football or boxing, do not protect the brain and here's why. You see making a helmet better so it doesn't hurt the athlete as much will make them want to use their head more because it doesn't hurt them. Also more padding doesn't stop physics. An object in motion will stay in motion unless stopped by another force. 2: 3 things we can do to stop these injuries from happening is you can inform the athlete and let them choose to do it or not do it, you can rule someone else's life and sport by changing the rules and not letting them choose, or ban the sport entirely. I think what we should do is teach the athletes about what all can happen to them and say "hey you know when you get 30 if you beat your wife because a disease then it is your own fault." Let these players make a informed decision on their own life is what i am saying. My own personal decision is my kids and myself are never playing sports where the my thing is to use your head as a weapon.
Ali actually won the title back 8 months later after Spinks won.. then to go on to lose 2 matches in a row for the first time, then to retire shortly after.
You guys should check out Dustin Poier. I believe that is how you spell his name. He is a very good MMA fighter. He specializes in stand-up. With that said, he has talked about this issue before. What was his solution??? He has decided to engage less in sparring. Moreover, all of his sparring sessions are VERY TECHNICAL and VERY LIGHT. He said that light sparring and technical fighting has extended his career. I have done MMA for 2 years. I have never gotten seriously injured in my head. Why? Because I am not a brawler. I am a very technical fighter, I love using my ground game, and I know when to attack and advance. As crazy as it sounds, a recent scientific report showed that 6% of the general population has CTE. This shows you that non-athletes also have CTE. There are risks associated with everything in life. If practiced correctly, I believe that the benefits of MMA out weigh the risks. MMA has completely changed my life for the better. It has taught me to defend my self properly and it has given me a lot of confidence and discipline in life. I do not recommend boxing. I do not think that it is very effective for self-defense, and I also think that the risks outweigh the benefits. If you want to practice MMA, you need to do it. Do not live with the regret of not knowing how to defend yourself properly. With that said, this is the checklist that you need to follow when engaging in such a dangerous sport: 1. Become a technical stand-up fighter --> Like Dustin Poier 2. Only do light/ technical sparring --> Like Dustin Poier 3. Do not become a brawler --> You will leave your chin exposed to many unnecessary shots. Remember, minimize the risks of TBI and CTE. 4. Within your training regimen, prioritize technical Brazillian Jujitsu and Wrestling --> Like George St. Piere and Khabib Nurgmedov 5. Within your fighting strategy, prioritize taking your opponent to the ground. Prioritize your ground game. Use technical Brazillian Jujitsu and Wrestling --> Like George St. Piere and Khabib Nurgmedov 6. Specialize in Brazilian Jujitsu and Wrestling --> Like George St. Piere and Khabib Nurgmedov 7. Make an effort to practice more ground game than stand-up --> This will preserve your brain's longevity and allow for more brain injury recovery time 8. Train at approximately 70% - 75% of maximum capacity. Unless you are training for a professional or amateur fight, I highly suggest you don't go over this threshold --> Like George St. Piere 9. Develop technical stand-up --> Become a very technical Muay Thai fighter 10. REST YOUR BRAIN & LISTEN TO YOUR BRAIN WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE RECOVERED AFTER AN INTENSE FIGHT. Let your brain heal properly and do not return early. 11. Cross train with different activities that increase neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is a process where the brain creates new neurons (brain cells). I have these activities within my workout program as well. Some of these exercises include: 1. Meditation 2. Hatha Yoga 3. Aerobic exercise at 70% - 75% for more than 40 minutes 12. Eat a proper diet that enhances your brain's cognitive functions. For ex. Cocao and Blue berries are very beneficial to the brain. Cocao dialates the body and brain's blood vessels. As a result, you will have a higher cognitive function, and reduced chance of developing brain diseases. Blue berries have also been studied and shown to reduce the risk of alzheimers disease. 13. Get adequate sleep. No sleep = Cognitive decline and long-term cognitive health problems
unfortunately any contact sport including wrestling and jui Jitsu all still pose a risk with CTE, When you wrestle and go for a throw you’re potentially damaging your brain with impact on the matt’s, BJJ you will have to worry about torn ligaments and other joint issues, going for takedowns is a great substitute for strikes to the head but it’s still a CONTACT SPORT, wrestling will unfortunately give you cte not as common or as frequently as strikes to the head, but the risk is still there. MMA also promotes ground and pound and advancing positions because control time in mma doesn’t mean you’re winning the fight. in professional and even amateur mma they will stand you up if you decide to not advance ground position, throw ground and pound, or trying to submit your opponent. Blood chokes also can potentially damage your brain (still unknown). I freaking love mma but it’s just too dangerous to even attempt to go for it at a amateur level. So many risks, the Glory, the fame, the belts, the Money, it’s all temporary and your brain is Forever. i so desperately wanted to become the first ever Triple Champion in the UFC achieving belts in 3 weight classes, but reality hurts and we have to get out of our fantasy world and look at the consequences and Decide if we really want to take that risk.
I was always tempted to fight and test myself but my father always hold me back from these kind of sports. Think Wrestling is the perfect sport to test yourself without ending up with lasting damage.
At some point Sports where the skull is in jeopardy is going to have to be looked at at the lower levels of school grade school high school and college you can’t have people graduating and starting life with multiple concussions
Most sports are particularly dangerous for your head. It would be very difficult to completely cut out all sports like this however I do agree they should make them safer.
One way to reduce brain damage in boxing (without killing the sport) could be by changing the points scoring: 1 point for a head shot and 2 points for a body shot.
Its impossible to do anything about it in boxing they take so many hits to the head and they can only do that because the guy has gloves on what dulls the impact !
@@mr.t658 I boxed for years, studies with very strong evidence show that even sparring with heavy gloves and headgear will lead to brain damage. Now will it lead to serious complications down the road maybe not, but 100% will lead to brain damage. Now you can just train boxing like hitting bags and mitts without getting brain damage, but if somebody is punching you in the head, you're going to get damage.
@Eddie Hearns a sellout listen man i love boxing, but no way around it, boxing is the worst sport when it comes to brain damage. thats all im saying with my previous statements.
@@athanassiospagalis913 meh just gotta be smart and minimize damage. Maybe people should not box until they are 40-45 as many greats have, maybe less sparring sessions in between big fights. Its up to each athlete to be informed and manage the risk.
@Martin Gailhofer well first I didn't mention Ali by name. But Ali continuing to take punishment later on certainly didn't help. He only added to the problem. As for his early career, some say he sparred way too much. Sparring can do just as much damage if you go hard, and some people prefer training hard sparing. They think the helmet protects them, and they are wrong
As a engineer who trains kickboxing, I highly agree. The damages to the brain adds up and quickly becomes permanent. You should think very wisely before you consider competition. Training and sparring can be done without permanent damages to the brain, if done with the right philosophy.
I’m a high school football player (15 year old Freshman) and football is coming up again this year. Over the years I have skipped years of football. I first play pee wee football. I first played when I was 8, missed a year when I was 9, (a day late for sign ups, I was crying but now I don’t regret it), played again when I was 10, did it again when I was 11, decided not to play when I was 12, couldn’t play when I was 13 (wasn’t a 7th grade football team in Middle School that year), played when I was 14, and then slipped Football again when I went to high school. So let me break it down like this... Months old- No football One year old- No football Two years old- No football Three years old- No football Four years old- No football Five years old- No football Six years old- No football Seven years old- No football Eight years old- Played Football Nine years old- No football Ten years old- Played Football Eleven years old- Football Twelve years old- No football Thirteen years old- No football Fourteen years old- Football Fifteen years old- About to do football I’m trying to get recruited and play in the NFL one day, but I’m about to go leg tackling like a mf though. No brain injuries for me. Wish me luck!
After a small accident while wearing a great helmet I am 25% of who I was. Now this is the new normal. I cant retire. I cant work either. It's very depressing. No wonder suicides are through the roof.
people call to change the rules of theses dangerous sports but that would effectively ruin them. just accept the risk and participate or don't participate, you cant have it both ways.
Yeah its very simple if you wanna take a risk then take it if you dont then dont its that simple, no one is forcing anyone to do boxing, its you choice.
Wanna decrease head trauma, get rid of the gloves. Fighters won’t be able to punch with so much force, the force will be more concentrated and won’t carry as much as a blunt impact. The gloves are meant to protect the hands not the head, take away the gloves fighters will fight smarter and less brain trauma
LegendaryBilly whilst true to an extent, with no gloves then expect shows to result in multiple jaw reconstructive surgeries for a large majority of the losing fighters and even some of the winners.
ElementsMMA true enough. But at some point compromises have to be made in fight sports. No solution is perfect when trying to avoid damage to someone when part of the sport is to damage someone
The gloves is a meant to protect the head too, cause our knuckle bones are harder than our gloves padding. If you remove the padding, our punches are much more devastating and dangerous
When I was young, my friends & I boxed, & we only hit to the body. It could work, but to tell the truth - a boxer knows what he/she is getting into. Just like people who become Cops know they could possibly get shot, Firefighters know they can possibly get burned, or a Soldier knows they could possibly get blown to pieces. The danger is sometimes what makes it exciting, & it makes you improve your skills so all those bad things won't happen to you.
Love the talk, and this neurologist is being conservative to be heard. Even if the brain isn't hit but the body is--there is a jarring that occurs which affects the floating brain. Think of a brain in a jar of water. Every time the body is hit, the brain is shaken in the water. The movie Concussion is a excellent watch.
@@martialartist6165 dont fret about it too much mate. people do crazy stuff all the time; drugs, extreme sports or even being obese! if you like to box. then box. you could die at anytime from anything else. why waste the opportunity to do a sport you love because of something that might happen?
Don't be discouraged. Do your thing. There are plenty of old fighters with lots of experience living fine today. Just know its a possibility and be smart.
Finally Someone says the thruth and try to find solutions for what people call "Noble Art". I think killing people just for sport is the worst thing you can do in Life, so if the federerations don't change the rules, It seems to me so absurd that very Young athletes expose themeselves to the risk to kill the opponent or to be killed! It's like a russian roulette: It could be right for several Times, but at the end you'll pay the price and Life is only one. Tragedy is always behind the corner, listen to the Doctors! ❤🙏
I did amateur boxing when there were no headguards (during the late 70s) and I think that based on points, there should be a 2 point system in boxing. If you hit the body, you get two points, if you hit the head you get one point, maybe use jabs only to the head and whatever we want to the body. Or not hit too hard on the head but hit has hard as we want on the body
9:48 Is it me, or is this chart confusing? Why, in the upper left, does it suggest boxers are in blue and mixed martial arts are in red, yet on the chart MMA is indicated as blue and boxers in red? Earlier, at 5:31, the title says DIRECT BRAIN DAMAGE, with high being red and low being blue, and yet he says, "So what you see here, it's all blue. We're looking at brain activity. So we basically inject sugar. You should look... all red and yellow, very high activity. I hope. There the lights runs out it's all blue and I can tell you we're now eight years later he will never fight again. He will never even be thinking about fighting. He will not be thinking about anything." Is the scale brain DAMAGE or brain ACTIVITY? Shouldn't TED speakers be more organized and clear in their presentations? This guy's supposed to have a PhD, yet it seems he can't make a proper chart or make himself understood. He may even add confusion to the matter by the way he presents ideas.
Idea here!.I think the best thing to prevent injuries that will leave devastating effects on the brain, for all sports, would be to create and have all athletes wear a full body suit, made of clear or colored foam plastic, that would give the body a balanced impact protection!. Of course this idea would have to be improved year by year, by the companies who make this product
While I can understand that head injuries amongst many other aspects of the sport, are definitely dangerous both short term and long term, I do feel as if removing punches to the face will ultimately ruin the sport of boxing forever. I am a die hard boxing fan, and have been for many years. The excitement of the sport will be lost if we force these athletes who have trained their entire life to all of a sudden switch their method of fighting and restrict them to only hit the torso. I want to believe this doctor when he says hes a boxing fan. But if he truly was a boxing fan, I dont think he would be suggesting removing punches to the brain all together.
@@mfululizowak9899 well many of the boxers have few or no other options of employment, and by making them not punch in the head it would be the end of the sport of boxing, so they may actually be worse off if you do that.
@@matthemmer7114 well from someone who possibly lived with it I am telling you it ain't fun. It's tormenting. So no.... They wouldn't be worse. Always worrying if someone poses a threat to others and themselves is worse than worse. The chances of that person forgetting their identify, loved ones and the life they have lived, in their later years is disheartening. Working at burger king ain't so bad if they don't have any other option. Unless you selfishly benefit from the sports industry, I don't see how anyone would encourage that path.
@@mfululizowak9899 I dont selfishly benefit from it at all, and if youre telling me its better to be a fry cook then floyd mayweather then imma just move on with my life an cease to communicate with you 😂😂😂.
He brought up the roman gladiators, which I think is an interesting point. We see that as barbaric in our day and age cause of the brutal murder and violence. Yet, modern combat sports does involve death too, just stretched out over a much longer period of time. However, as a martial arts enthusiast, I'm conflicted. Removing blows to the head keeps fighters safe, but it also takes away from the quality of the art. There's a huge disparity between fighters who know how to take a blow to the head vs those who don't. I think perhaps the way to go forward is to bring more attention to the potential risks of combat sports so that people understand what exactly they are getting into. And this way, the general population, those who may never fight ever in their lives, will have a much greater appreciation for those who enter the ring/octagon...
100% agree that shaking the head and causes brain damage. But stopping sports lmao. But deff be aware of it and take precautions and avoid unnecessary hits.
I’ve boxed for 6 years 23 amateur fights now I know that’s not a lot for 6years.. but I was taken care within thouse 23 fights I have 12belts 1hold 1bronze . Now amateurs did mess me up it was 7 days a week 6hrs a day not including morning and night run and the 6days a week sparring. That’s what messed me up one day I did 12rounds feeling great cocky boxer and the time and a homeboy came in fresh first round cracked me in the top of my head now we’ve sparred for about 2yrs so he knew me. I instantly I got cracked a my neck hasn’t been ok since I have to wake up crack my back and neck. My speech studers once in a while I had a year where I didn’t even speak because when I did I just couldn’t speak
This guy says not having a headgear might be a bad idea but then the next slide he shows how rotational force in boxing causes the brain damage. What? If anything a neck brace would be a better idea. Also, take off the gloves as well as bringing back leg sweeps like the old days.
There is no safe area to hit, we have a rib cage to protect fragile organs. Head gear will not save your brain. Train as much as you like just don’t allow anyone to hit you especially to the head. The human body is fragile and it’s not designed to sustain heavy blows that’s why we have a thick cranial skull and a rib cage.
At some point I used to think that if we shook our own heads crazily we would damage our brains, even though we all did it when were young😂😂we've all done this at some point in our life
unfortunately, there is still NO answer whether that brain damage is only caused by medium to heavy concussions, or it can also be the result of dozens of thousands of light punches during chill spar sessions. And that's a VERY important question for many, because lotta people don't really wanna go hard and do more of a "hobby" boxing with no competitive fighting. But what if the brain damage is actually also get accumulated over time even from pretty light punches that aren't even classified as a concussion?
Hopefully scientists are working hard at figuring this out. If light sparring doesn’t cause CTE i’d probably get into muay thai. But due to the uncertainty of that I decided to go with BJJ. (Which is dangerous in other ways, but safer on the brain)
@@PS-lv1mr it’s hard to research this topic because scientists need to divide people into decent categories who only do light spar, medium, and hard. And it’s all subjective anyways, like what’s light for some people, might me medium for others. Etc.
@@angryktulhu True, I wonder too if someone is developing a helmet that prevents brain damage. I feel like it’s almost impossible to develop something like that due to the fact that the helmet would have to essentially absorb 99% of the force in order for the brain to not bounce around in the skull. I feel like if someone figures this out though that it’s an incredible breakthrough.
@@PS-lv1mr I’ve been thinking about that too. I came up with an idea that it should be some kind of a transparent shield attached to your chest. Made from plastic or smth like that. So the impact would be absorbed mostly by your body, which is pretty safe. But this eliminates a lot of nuances, like habit to keep the chin down, proper distance management, fear of getting punched, and overall might feel awkward. Helmets, well, a decent one would be heavy af (like motorcycle one) and would slow down the movement, and a lighter one wouldn’t really protect the brain from impact. So yeah. Idk any decent solution (
in early july i was punched 2 times in a row in my right ear area, pulsating pain in both head and neck, unbearable pain, the first doctor that saw me said dont worry a fist cant do nothing serious so take diclofenac every 12 hours! 3 weeks on i managed to get a ct scan, nothing abnormal showed up, i now have memory plobems, both short term and long term, a sensation of "heavy" left foot and left hand, my eyes dont blink at the same rate they used to, both my mental and physical energy is not the same as before, i have much less of both, i am taking omega 3 in capsules, magnesium, green tea, lots of chocolate, although i am getting better cognitive problems and limb problems are still there, i am going ask my neurologist for an order so i can go to hyperbaric chamber sessions cause i read they accelerate healing times, i stay positive
I had eight concussions before I graduated from high school I would say to date and I am 50+ years old I’ve had at least 13 concussions that have been documented medically. My memory is now different And my interests have changed
Basketball is actually very high risk for causing concussion. The hardwood doesn’t give and they’re so many fast moving and jumping resulting in head injuries.
I'm a hardcore MMA fan, but the rules definitely should be changed, we can enjoy a very tactical fight without hitting the head, a chess match just like Petr Yan vs Corey Sandhagen. Going to a decision makes things even more exciting.
I was thinking about Boxing But I became so sad that in Islam hitting the face is a bad thing Glad I watched this video now I am feeling That I have avoided a major risk
I think that head guards should be required for all boxers regardless of how good they are at the sport. Head guards make it much less likely for you to get injured really badly. Its effectiveness is really visible when you see amateur boxers fight each other because you rarely see them get hurt in any type of way. They just suffer a few nose bleeds or bruises and that’s it. If anyone has ever seen the KSI vs Joe weller boxing match you’ll notice that Joe was never sent to the canvas despite getting obliterated with KSI’s haymakers.
Has anyone experienced a feeling of inactivity in their injury site? Where I got hit feels cold and dormant. Very inactive. Sometimes even cooler than the rest of my brain.
This is not just for boxing, it also gymnastics, diving, extreme sports, football also military training, police etc… is not mental health but brain health what we should be advocating for…
I can't believe they never taught us anything about this in school.
What do they teach you about in school that’s actually beneficial. Seriously
I can, they don't teach you anything except how to follow rules and grow up to do nothing
Sean Taylor amen
Aardvark 52: how to read and write. Math, history about the past so you dont repeat the mistakes of others
Nathan Bruce false
9 years post TBI from football and not being treated for it properly. Not only that but I was allowed to play football the following year. I am miserable. Headaches, PTSD, depression, Anxiety, insomnia, terrible mood swings mostly anger related. I will tell you that even though I played my senior year and won a state championship. It wasn't worth it. Had I know I would have quit then and there. It isn't worth it people. No matter how much you love the sport it isn't worth the risk. I'd rather have lost a limb than had a TBI.
Very sorry to hear of your story, Gabe. I hope you can educate people about the dangers you risked in your football career some day.
😥
amen to that
I had very high iq but after tbi I am suffering from depression,pstd,insomnia
I lost my entire right leg to cancer, and yes. I would much rather be like this than have a bad brain.
I am a hardcore Boxing and MMA fan, but I have to agree with this guy, no sport is worth brain damage.
To be fair mma has no count witch significantly has lowerd the risk of injuring the brain and no fighter has ever died in ufc mabey im bias because I am just starting in mouy tiah but the sport of fighting will never be gone its in human nature the sport has been around longer than almost any other its truly an art form
When all you have is fighting to get you and your family out of poverty it’s pretty worth it.
@@joshmatovka6271 I dont disagree my friend, we just need to keep these fighting sports as safe as possible.
Pain is nothing for these warriors, it's the long term damage that needs to be avoided.
Amen. I was knee butted working at Wal Mart I have bells palsy now
What a very important talk and topic. It breaks my heart to see fighters take brain damage and get more easily knocked out the next time they fight.
As someone who's been involved in a lot of street fights from growing up in a poverty stricken and dangerous environment, I am very sad at the idea that all of the hits I received onto my head have significantly damaged my brain.
I got out of the ghetto but the consequences of my past concussions still live with me, my attention span is poor and so is my memory, I just wish I had never been through those traumatic events, I wish I could have my brain back.
My only dream o this life to become mma champion and if you wanna become champion you have to pay the prise badly😑❤
@@Brucelee-pv6uf good luck man 👌👊
@@crisalzate1255 thank man
Good man, you'll be alright~
Same dude. My concentration and memory has gotten poor after those concussions. But mine was self inflicted whenever im frustrated i hit myself in the head or bang it in the wall. I regret doing those in the past
As a life long martial artist and veteran who has had over 13 TBIs from mild to severe this was informative. I had decided to donate my brain and spine to the Boston University and VA brain bank. I do this so that one day they can find better protection for our troops. I encourage and vet or combat sports practician to consider it. It took ten years after I was first asked to decide to do it because I noticed differences in my cognition and behavior. If interested look up the Concussion Legacy Foundation on how to donate or about other programs. I carry a donor card in my wallet and the military and VA no my intentions.
@de2yoll there is literally a demand... judging by your comment you may have CTE lmao
How is your life?
It's the reverberations from the punch that do the damage. helmets give the impression that no real damage is being done to a fighter because it protects against the cosmetic injury of cuts etc. but it does nothing for the 'shaking' of the brain, which is where the real risk of cte, neurological disease etc comes from
Your on point. Protect the children football causes brain damage. 🙏🧘♂️🙏✌
i'm sure there is some better protection than not wearing anything. otherwise this neurologist wouldn't be saying it's a bad decision for the brain to remove helmets..........
@@hectorescobar8555 As someone who has boxed throughout their life I am somewhat acquainted with this issue. I'm not a neurology nor do I have a scientific background, however, I have spoken with clinicians and neurologists (whose positions are informed by the science). There appears to be some debate as to whether helmets are a positive or not. The weight it adds to the 'shake' is certainly a negative. So too is the fact that your neck is built to stabilise your head but not your head with a helmet. There is also the larger surface area.
Why do you think the olympics and many other major amateur boxing associations have done away with the use of helmets?
@@hectorescobar8555Slows down the punch and force I guess.
Makes it less likely to get a severe TBI
Floyd Mayweather should be commended for his fighting style. They should change the scoring system and allow more points for hitting the body and less for hitting the head.
It's a gladiator sport.
and let MMA prevail
Floyd Mayweather will also have taken a fair amount of braindamage. its not avoidable unfortunatelly. they should work hard on finding a cure for this stuff. boxing is way to much fun.
I laugh at people who hate on floyd for fighting responsibly. He fights the way anybody who cares about their future should fight
No Name he’s the only boxer in history that has token the least amount of damage in boxing
Very refreshing hearing this perspective from someone who admires and appreciates boxing and therefore wants to change the rule set, rather then someone who knows nothing about and thinks it should be abolished.
A great speech by Dr Steven Laurey. A sure pleasure to watch. Thank you so much for posting this up. A must watch for anyone recovering /have had any form of brain trauma ☺☺
I am a retired professional MMA fighter, and golden gloves boxer. As someone who has been hit with and without head gear.. I can safely tell you head gear does not help in boxing or MMA.. it will stop you from getting cut or bruised up, but it will not stop your brain from shaking around when you get hit.. the fact is, wearing head gear adds weight to your head increasing the amount of whiplash. It also drastically limits your field of vision leading to several unnecessary blows being taken.. So, head gear is a bad idea. As for your idea of just not hitting to the head. They have that already, it’s called point sparring. But, people don’t pay millions of dollars to watch people do that. The real problem is that fighters are not paid what they are worth, and many of them have to keep fighting to survive well after their health is in decline.
i disagree
@@darraghahearne9545 cool.. what is your reasoning? I am open to differing opinions.
@@rickanderson536 Nah you were right, I guess I wanted a fight or something, thanks anyway
The muhamid ali point can be debunked because ali obviously had a certein style that meant he had to use head movement flexibility speed and endurance to dodge punches and float like a butter fly the real qwestion is if he reteird earlier would he still have brain damage
@@slippinjimmy4239 he had brain damage symptoms even before he retired so yes, he would.
This guy, Dr. Laureys really knows how to present information in an easy to understand way and it's clear he cares about the health of these athletes. I kind of wish he'd said to not have these contact sports at all though. With tackle football there's no way to avoid frequent injury to the brain, but if they aimed for the torso in boxing it might become a lot safer. I appreciate this information, thank you:)
At ten years old, I scored 167 on my IQ test. After a dozen or more concussions, I process slowly and confuse easily. My reading skills continue to deteriorate along with volition. My greatest concern IS the oncoming "D" train. I have witnessed dementia in others, and personally, I don't want to go there. For me, the worst part of brain damage is that I know that I knew so much about so many things, and today my skull is slowly filling up with concrete that swallows any knowledge I had acquired in my earlier years. I suppose, eventually, this concern will become full blown terror in my dumbness.
This is why the pro ball players are committing suicide. Doctors can't fix dementia So the players end there own suffering.
I had an iq of 170 but after an accident I got severe tbi 😰
I have the same fear and after every sparring session even light sparring I have headaches i am debating whether to continue boxing or not
how are you today
I'm a veteran and had seizures for 8 years until they finally helped. I hit my head so many times!
100% agreed. Brain should be protected
I agree too. But unfortunately full contact entertainment sports like Boxing, MMA and American Football makes too much money for Businesses. So likely it won't be a banned sport.. It will take a miracle, lots of talking and research and a new law in place to get it banned from sports.
I feel like everything should be protected
I have only one dream in this life and rhats to become mma champion how can I protect it 😫😥
You pointed out the main reason why these "sports" have not changed for the better so far...
Sorry but u dont have the full story the head gear will not help at all and bodey shots wont ether something that will is paying fighters enough so they can retire early and not fight into there 40s and potentially damage there brain
I was looking into self-defence styles (many of which involve striking) and now I'm convinced that to learn and practice one would pretty much be a contradiction. To actually be ready for a fight, you have to practice fighting - that means sparring and getting hit in the head regularly. The chances of me being attacked are far lower than the guaranteed brain damage I would receive for such a thing. The only "fight" I could imagine ending up in, is a fight with a mugger, who probably has a knife (I live in England - knife crime is kind of a problem here), in which case I'm likely to get severely or mortally injured anyway. And even if it is just a one on one no weapons street fight and lose said street fight maybe I get hit in the head a few times and lose my wallet and phone. Do I value my phone and wallet more than my brain? And are those few hits to the head in this one unlikely imaginary scenario comparable to several every week? It's all madness. And even if I just get randomly stabbed and die (we're probably talking shark attack levels of probability) because some guy's just feeling a but murderous - well even if I was a true professional, the likelihood of winning against this crazed stabber is rather slim. Even I somehow win because I don't know, let's say the attacker is drunk and he's holding the knife the wrong way round, hurray, I am victorious! Those years I spent developing a dormant brain injury were worth it! No, but, I'd rather die than suffer the decades of torture that some of these poor guys went through... I think I'll just take my chances, stay away from areas or situations that could result in that, and maybe take up sprinting and parkour instead (assuming my attacker isn't within kissing distance).
Don't over think it use prioritize footwork and hitting while moving. Incase you don't have enough space to flow you would need to practice combos incase someone closes the distance. Learning how to defend yourself is essential nowadays.
Here's a novel idea to deal with the knife wielder. Do like Metatron does and wear mail. Your odds of survival against a knife wielder rise dramatically if the weapon can't penetrate.
a couple of sparring sessions wont cause the amount of brain trauma to make you even feel a slight bit of anything, even majority of professional boxers years after retirement don't experience mid-level effects of CTE.
I agree 100% that getting punched/kicked in the head isn't worth it. But you could focus on grappling/BJJ, and do a lot of no gi if self-defence is your main priority. About 95% of street fights end up on the ground (and if you know how to take people down to the ground, which you learn in grappling, I'd say it's most probably ending up on the ground). And if you are a proficient grappler there is a high likelihood that you'd win. I don't think untrained people realise how defenceless they'd be against a proficient grappler lol. The risk of brain injury is very low, and I'd argue that the positive cardiovascular benefits that comes from grappling (it's very intense) means you'll probably end up with a healthier brain in the long run (unless you're already doing exercise that taxes your cardiovascular system 2-4 times a week). Moreover, when sparring you are both going 100% because you aren't hitting/kicking each other, so you would get to practice on a fully resistant opponent which I think is crucial.
But as you said, most people will never get in a fight. I think the main reason men train martial arts is to be able to win a street fight if they ever ended up in one, and even though they probably never will fight they become more confident and grow as men. And it's also a lot of fun and a great way to exercise, provided you don't do any sparring that involves punches/kicks to the head of course. Definitely not worth it lol. (On that point, you can still take introductory classes in something like muay thai if the dojo you train at doesn't allow blows to the head. You'd learn how to throw a punch and kick someone, and most importantly you'd learn how to defend yourself whilst standing up. Combine that with a deep knowledge of grappling and takedowns, and you'd probably be in the 96th-98th percentile of fighting ability. And a lot of places allow punches/kicks to the body, not the head. So I'd say the striking skills you'd learn would translate fairly well to a real fight.)
Just do bjj and judo
Insightful talk although helmets do not protect from concussions. There's evidence they make it more dangerous. A brain is like a driver in a car; no matter how many bumpers and how many air bags, the driver still moves upon impact and this is similar to the brain inside the skull. The individual will suffer a coup and contrecoup causing mtbi. We can't change sport, the aim should be to make athletes more informed.
well said man !
The point of the helmet isnt to minimise the movement of the brain once the impact has happened, the point is to absorb some of the impact force and increase the time of contact at a decreased momentum, similar to a crumple zone of a car
...But, the helmet increases the rotational force thereby increasing the damage risk to the brain.
Helmets are not effective because they don't immobilize the head. A neck brace would be more effective in boxing since the G-Forces come from focal strikes. It is the "G-Forces" that are the problem, not the actual impact. Sudden changes in motion stretch the brain apart and make them collide back together. The brain lags behind the skull. If the skull doesn't move, neither does the brain. Most of the damage is minimized.
In football, the G-Forces are not focal. Their entire body is in a state of motion, by default so are their brain. When a football player makes contact with another player, the sudden change of motion occurs that stretches the brain. Helmets give a false sense of security and may actually encourage even stronger hits and less defense against damage. Helmets protect against fractures of the skull. For helmets to minimize G-Forces, it would have to be of impractical size. It is ridiculous for people to say removing tackling with your head solves the problem. Even simply falling down from another player yanking you down is enough to create a sudden change in motion. It doesn't remove the G-Forces which is intrinsic to the sport.
I used to always keep my helmet wicket tight and that’s really bad. You’re supposed to give it a little slack so when you hit someone your helmet moves and take force off of your brain. If your helmet is tight then there’s literally no difference. It just protects your skull but not your brain
At the end of the day, it's the individuals decision to engage in this beautiful but dangerous sport. Personally I quit boxing, just because I decide to enjoy longevity and quality in my life.
God bless you..i took bjj instead
@Ismael Barrera yea you get one brain in your life..gotta preserve it
You're very wise. Our brain is in many ways our most important organ
I respect your decision.
I am also at an impasse I get headaches after every sparring session and I don't know if i should continue it or not or is it just normal
This is why I only body spar in my martial art (video on channel for those curious).
The problem is... a lot of people dont like how I spar but at the same time I dont want brain damage.
It is not a mystery that body sparring is actually a thing in my art just not as a common practice.
What is your art if I may ask?
For those scared of sparring specially mma, go hard on body and soft on the head.
Sparring is training, not an actual fight.
There's no reason to go hard on any body part during sparring. Light technical sparring is way better at improving your technique. Some elite MMA fighters, such as George St-Pierre, rarely went hard during sparring (according to Firas Zahabi, his head couch), and he's widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
@@martialartist6165 Not just some elite MMA fighters, but most elite fighters out of any combat sport: boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, MMA or whatever. Going hard to the face during sparring is just horrible and unpractical in every way. Many fighters go relatively hard to the body and legs though, helps with conditioning and feels more real.
@@martialartist6165 elite fighters dont go hard in sparring because they dont need to. They already know how to fight very good. For a begginer its essential to hard spar so you can condition your body to take hits and your mind to act under the pressure of heavy hits
the best thing i can say is that sports give a lot of people opportunities that people wouldn't otherwise get, is it better to make millions and enjoy it until the injuries take then toll or make minimum wage or be homeless?.
Big Z So true mate
You shouldn't have to hasten your death or drastically reduce the quality of your life just for the sake of wealth. Think about the pain and gaping hole you leave behind in the lives of your family and friends when you die prematurely or the emotional turmoil of watching you gradually be reduced to a vegetable. We work so we can not only survive but enjoy the fruits of our labor. Athletes already sacrifice so much of their time that could be spent with their families and friends on arduous training. They get injured and sometimes have to still perform with injuries. Some develop addictions to pain killers and yet after retiring, they have CTE to look forward to? That's not living. That's a nightmare.
Yet they choose it willingly without anyone forcing them. They know the risks. Driving a car is also much more dangerous then taking a bus, yet many people prefer cars.
Big Z Nothing is more important than health. I've seen my family suffer due to brain disease and it's very painful for everyone.
But it's only a very small percentage of practicing athletes that make it big and "make millions"
You can’t imagine how difficult it is to stop boxing if you‘ve learned it and have fun with it. Even you know it hurts your brain. Just don’t get hit is my kind of protection plan. Of course sooner or later one or another punch gets through but its something else than taking every punch with the guard or the head
Well, that’s why I do non contact kickboxing. Thankfully, I didn’t push myself into doing these sports when I was younger.
As a 5 year old kid my fav boxer was Floyd Patterson and when he lost to Liston I was angry. Later when Ali beat Liston I became a fan. Then before I was 9 I had two brain injuries from bicycle accidents. Blood came out of my ears. I was kept awake for 24 hours observation. Later i wanted to become a boxer. My older brother Ray talked me out of it... Thank you brother Ray.
You still have memory or thinking good bro?
I don't agree that you should take headshots out of boxing but I do agree that EVERY boxer should be monitored, amateur or professional, so maybe as soon as you show negative signs they can call it a day for you rather than make it 10x worse by continuing to box
Effects of brain damage in combat sports usually manifest years after the damage was done but sure it would be better to stop fighter when damage is lesser
Thats why I stopped boxing
Unless you make a career out of it i don't think you should take it seriously
I absolutely love the sport of boxing and make no apologies for it. There’s risks involved as with anything physical. But boxing has provided opportunities for individuals to better their lives.
So It has drug dealing
@@arnoldemmanuel8838 There is no cost as long you boxing for hobby and health, not for fighting in the ring
Padding is there to protect fighters hands, not the other guys head. The more padding there is, the harder punches can be thrown, without fear of hurting or breaking one’s own hand in the process. The solution is no gloves. Joe Rogan and John McCarthy had a great discussion about this on Rogan’s podcast
no gloves? why?
Or very thin gloves
This is exactly what Wilder is been saying. Thx a lot Sir. God bless you
wish i would've known more about concussions before i started to frequently punch myself in the head as a way to release anger and stress
Start working on your neck and see if that helps💜A lot of tension in the neck and shoulders area.
you don't need to be a neuroscientist to know that that's a bad coping mechanism.
@@bruhmomenthdr7575Nah bro, I didn’t see it.
I have my regrets. Neither my parents or teachers were neuroscientists. I didn’t know
We come into this life unprepared.
It is somewhat discerning that boxing and other sports we like are not only dangerous but can very well ruin lives and even kill people; so are there anyways we can prevent, or even repair brain damage related to boxing? Only solutions I can think of are the following--
- Reduce head shots, or even don't go for head shots at all
- Immediate medical attention and check ups, to see how the brain is if you do get punched in the face
- Brain rest, take as much time as necessary for your brain to recover
- Eat food that replenish the body, and are particularly good brain food like fish for example
- New protective gear around the collar to strengthen the nerves or muscles in your neck, to restrict movement of the brain when being struck
That's pretty much all I got, but I'm certain that people will jump right away and tell me none of those could help at all.
They could
TroyTroodon Have you considered that those very risks are what draws the athletes to the sport?
So here's my whole perspective on this whole thing with CTE and TBI all of this stuff. 1: Helmets ,like the ones in football or boxing, do not protect the brain and here's why. You see making a helmet better so it doesn't hurt the athlete as much will make them want to use their head more because it doesn't hurt them. Also more padding doesn't stop physics. An object in motion will stay in motion unless stopped by another force. 2: 3 things we can do to stop these injuries from happening is you can inform the athlete and let them choose to do it or not do it, you can rule someone else's life and sport by changing the rules and not letting them choose, or ban the sport entirely. I think what we should do is teach the athletes about what all can happen to them and say "hey you know when you get 30 if you beat your wife because a disease then it is your own fault." Let these players make a informed decision on their own life is what i am saying. My own personal decision is my kids and myself are never playing sports where the my thing is to use your head as a weapon.
Ali actually won the title back 8 months later after Spinks won.. then to go on to lose 2 matches in a row for the first time, then to retire shortly after.
You guys should check out Dustin Poier. I believe that is how you spell his name. He is a very good MMA fighter. He specializes in stand-up. With that said, he has talked about this issue before. What was his solution??? He has decided to engage less in sparring. Moreover, all of his sparring sessions are VERY TECHNICAL and VERY LIGHT. He said that light sparring and technical fighting has extended his career. I have done MMA for 2 years. I have never gotten seriously injured in my head. Why? Because I am not a brawler. I am a very technical fighter, I love using my ground game, and I know when to attack and advance.
As crazy as it sounds, a recent scientific report showed that 6% of the general population has CTE. This shows you that non-athletes also have CTE. There are risks associated with everything in life. If practiced correctly, I believe that the benefits of MMA out weigh the risks. MMA has completely changed my life for the better. It has taught me to defend my self properly and it has given me a lot of confidence and discipline in life. I do not recommend boxing. I do not think that it is very effective for self-defense, and I also think that the risks outweigh the benefits.
If you want to practice MMA, you need to do it. Do not live with the regret of not knowing how to defend yourself properly. With that said, this is the checklist that you need to follow when engaging in such a dangerous sport:
1. Become a technical stand-up fighter --> Like Dustin Poier
2. Only do light/ technical sparring --> Like Dustin Poier
3. Do not become a brawler --> You will leave your chin
exposed to many unnecessary shots. Remember, minimize the risks of TBI and CTE.
4. Within your training regimen, prioritize technical Brazillian Jujitsu and Wrestling --> Like George St. Piere and Khabib Nurgmedov
5. Within your fighting strategy, prioritize taking your opponent to the ground. Prioritize your ground game. Use technical Brazillian Jujitsu and Wrestling --> Like George St. Piere and Khabib Nurgmedov
6. Specialize in Brazilian Jujitsu and Wrestling --> Like George St. Piere and Khabib Nurgmedov
7. Make an effort to practice more ground game than stand-up --> This will preserve your brain's longevity and allow for more brain injury recovery time
8. Train at approximately 70% - 75% of maximum capacity. Unless you are training for a professional or amateur fight, I highly suggest you don't go over this threshold --> Like George St. Piere
9. Develop technical stand-up --> Become a very technical Muay Thai fighter
10. REST YOUR BRAIN & LISTEN TO YOUR BRAIN WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE RECOVERED AFTER AN INTENSE FIGHT. Let your brain heal properly and do not return early.
11. Cross train with different activities that increase neurogenesis. Neurogenesis is a process where the brain creates new neurons (brain cells). I have these activities within my workout program as well.
Some of these exercises include:
1. Meditation
2. Hatha Yoga
3. Aerobic exercise at 70% - 75% for more than 40 minutes
12. Eat a proper diet that enhances your brain's cognitive functions.
For ex. Cocao and Blue berries are very beneficial to the brain. Cocao dialates the body and brain's blood vessels. As a result, you will have a higher cognitive function, and reduced chance of developing brain diseases. Blue berries have also been studied and shown to reduce the risk of alzheimers disease.
13. Get adequate sleep.
No sleep = Cognitive decline and long-term cognitive health problems
Thanks for this quality post
unfortunately any contact sport including wrestling and jui Jitsu all still pose a risk with CTE, When you wrestle and go for a throw you’re potentially damaging your brain with impact on the matt’s, BJJ you will have to worry about torn ligaments and other joint issues, going for takedowns is a great substitute for strikes to the head but it’s still a CONTACT SPORT, wrestling will unfortunately give you cte not as common or as frequently as strikes to the head, but the risk is still there. MMA also promotes ground and pound and advancing positions because control time in mma doesn’t mean you’re winning the fight. in professional and even amateur mma they will stand you up if you decide to not advance ground position, throw ground and pound, or trying to submit your opponent. Blood chokes also can potentially damage your brain (still unknown). I freaking love mma but it’s just too dangerous to even attempt to go for it at a amateur level. So many risks, the Glory, the fame, the belts, the Money, it’s all temporary and your brain is Forever. i so desperately wanted to become the first ever Triple Champion in the UFC achieving belts in 3 weight classes, but reality hurts and we have to get out of our fantasy world and look at the consequences and Decide if we really want to take that risk.
I was always tempted to fight and test myself but my father always hold me back from these kind of sports. Think Wrestling is the perfect sport to test yourself without ending up with lasting damage.
At some point Sports where the skull is in jeopardy is going to have to be looked at at the lower levels of school grade school high school and college you can’t have people graduating and starting life with multiple concussions
Most sports are particularly dangerous for your head. It would be very difficult to completely cut out all sports like this however I do agree they should make them safer.
They don't tell us this in boxing school!
My gym never mentioned it ever, they loved people who ️where high pressured fighters who would love a good dust up
It should be common sense.
You will feel it eventually.
It’s obvious im ready to sacrifice my life for this sport tho
Cause it will creat a special class of fear in your mind ..
One way to reduce brain damage in boxing (without killing the sport) could be by changing the points scoring: 1 point for a head shot and 2 points for a body shot.
Croco Dile why not 0 points for headshot
Big boxing fan here. I'm sorry but I don't think that would work
Then it would be a Kyu-Kushin sparring match. People want to see them beat up their brains.
Its impossible to do anything about it in boxing they take so many hits to the head and they can only do that because the guy has gloves on what dulls the impact !
You might aswell forget boxing if people wanna box and people wanna watch let them have it
educating and inspiring
So basically i cant do boxing otherwise i will get brain damage.
You can train, but if you spar, brain damage, if you compete as an amateur, brain damage, if you complete professionally, tons of brain damage.
Matt Hemmer wrong
@@mr.t658 I boxed for years, studies with very strong evidence show that even sparring with heavy gloves and headgear will lead to brain damage. Now will it lead to serious complications down the road maybe not, but 100% will lead to brain damage. Now you can just train boxing like hitting bags and mitts without getting brain damage, but if somebody is punching you in the head, you're going to get damage.
@Eddie Hearns a sellout
Maybe we should look to some social solutions other than boxing
@Eddie Hearns a sellout listen man i love boxing, but no way around it, boxing is the worst sport when it comes to brain damage. thats all im saying with my previous statements.
Really enjoyed this EDx Talk
No hitting the head = boxing dies.
Hitting the head = Boxer dies
@@athanassiospagalis913 no danger == boring sport. people won't watch it or do it.
@@destroya3303 sucks to be this way...
@@athanassiospagalis913 meh just gotta be smart and minimize damage. Maybe people should not box until they are 40-45 as many greats have, maybe less sparring sessions in between big fights. Its up to each athlete to be informed and manage the risk.
@Martin Gailhofer well first I didn't mention Ali by name. But Ali continuing to take punishment later on certainly didn't help. He only added to the problem.
As for his early career, some say he sparred way too much. Sparring can do just as much damage if you go hard, and some people prefer training hard sparing. They think the helmet protects them, and they are wrong
Released a month before Ali passed away. Rest in peace legend.
Does it even matter now. Everyone got brain damage now thanks to cardi b
😭😭😂😂😂😂
💀💀💀
As a engineer who trains kickboxing, I highly agree. The damages to the brain adds up and quickly becomes permanent. You should think very wisely before you consider competition. Training and sparring can be done without permanent damages to the brain, if done with the right philosophy.
Shocking and Impeccable at the same time. How difficult to end with sports games that do so much damage!! How to educate society?
why so many negative post here. Great speech very informative well out together.
The ending was very cringey
Very interesting presentation, new ways need to be found to facilitate a better outcome for those athletes.
Such an important conversation.
He the only person in ted talk that has to grab a letter
I'm really thinking maybe i should stop boxing. It's fun and very good and challenging sport but i don't know is risking my brain really worth it
Miska Kokko Same here
you can be very good at defense right? or spar very lightly
smart water you’re correct . my style and outlook on boxing relies heavily on defense. I’m a very defensive fighter.
Rykano hey it’s a lifestyle full of benefits and consequences
I’m a high school football player (15 year old Freshman) and football is coming up again this year. Over the years I have skipped years of football. I first play pee wee football. I first played when I was 8, missed a year when I was 9, (a day late for sign ups, I was crying but now I don’t regret it), played again when I was 10, did it again when I was 11, decided not to play when I was 12, couldn’t play when I was 13 (wasn’t a 7th grade football team in Middle School that year), played when I was 14, and then slipped Football again when I went to high school. So let me break it down like this...
Months old- No football
One year old- No football
Two years old- No football
Three years old- No football
Four years old- No football
Five years old- No football
Six years old- No football
Seven years old- No football
Eight years old- Played Football
Nine years old- No football
Ten years old- Played Football
Eleven years old- Football
Twelve years old- No football
Thirteen years old- No football
Fourteen years old- Football
Fifteen years old- About to do football
I’m trying to get recruited and play in the NFL one day, but I’m about to go leg tackling like a mf though. No brain injuries for me. Wish me luck!
After a small accident while wearing a great helmet I am 25% of who I was. Now this is the new normal.
I cant retire. I cant work either. It's very depressing.
No wonder suicides are through the roof.
what happened? sorry to hear that.
I am a big MMA fan and one solution to help reduce head trauma is no gloves or hand raps. They mostly just protect your hands.
Main purpose of these gloves is to have more striking in fights, so it is more interresting to watch for the sheep...
Nah just fight like GSP and lay and pray for 5 rds. That man was ahead of the curve.
James Freeman gsp has bad brain damage
Go out and find a neurologist to check you out. You might have brain damage.
If you want MMA to turn into wrestling, with more fractured bones in the hands and face then yes remove the gloves.
people call to change the rules of theses dangerous sports but that would effectively ruin them. just accept the risk and participate or don't participate, you cant have it both ways.
Yeah its very simple if you wanna take a risk then take it if you dont then dont its that simple, no one is forcing anyone to do boxing, its you choice.
"Joe Fraizer hitting the fist of Muhammad Ali", although correct, it sounds a little bit wierd.
LoL you're right, it should be the opposite
LoL you're right, it should be the opposite
This is depressing for people who have been victims of physical abuse! There's no cure and it gets worse. Fabulous!
Wanna decrease head trauma, get rid of the gloves. Fighters won’t be able to punch with so much force, the force will be more concentrated and won’t carry as much as a blunt impact.
The gloves are meant to protect the hands not the head, take away the gloves fighters will fight smarter and less brain trauma
LegendaryBilly whilst true to an extent, with no gloves then expect shows to result in multiple jaw reconstructive surgeries for a large majority of the losing fighters and even some of the winners.
ElementsMMA true enough.
But at some point compromises have to be made in fight sports. No solution is perfect when trying to avoid damage to someone when part of the sport is to damage someone
They have bare knuckle boxing now
That's why mma gloves are better
The gloves is a meant to protect the head too, cause our knuckle bones are harder than our gloves padding. If you remove the padding, our punches are much more devastating and dangerous
When I was young, my friends & I boxed, & we only hit to the body. It could work, but to tell the truth - a boxer knows what he/she is getting into. Just like people who become Cops know they could possibly get shot, Firefighters know they can possibly get burned, or a Soldier knows they could possibly get blown to pieces. The danger is sometimes what makes it exciting, & it makes you improve your skills so all those bad things won't happen to you.
problem is that you cannot avoid brain damage in boxing
You can avoid brain damage in mma
Great talk, I love boxing but hate people getting hurt.
Gotta do non contact boxing, which actually prevents brain damage.
Love the talk, and this neurologist is being conservative to be heard. Even if the brain isn't hit but the body is--there is a jarring that occurs which affects the floating brain. Think of a brain in a jar of water. Every time the body is hit, the brain is shaken in the water. The movie Concussion is a excellent watch.
This is awesome I luv being a sedentary couch potato
Now I’m mad discouraged
I feel the same. You commented 3 months ago, how did you handle it by now? Do you keep training?
@@martialartist6165 dont fret about it too much mate. people do crazy stuff all the time; drugs, extreme sports or even being obese! if you like to box. then box. you could die at anytime from anything else. why waste the opportunity to do a sport you love because of something that might happen?
Don't be discouraged. Do your thing. There are plenty of old fighters with lots of experience living fine today. Just know its a possibility and be smart.
Finally Someone says the thruth and try to find solutions for what people call "Noble Art". I think killing people just for sport is the worst thing you can do in Life, so if the federerations don't change the rules, It seems to me so absurd that very Young athletes expose themeselves to the risk to kill the opponent or to be killed! It's like a russian roulette: It could be right for several Times, but at the end you'll pay the price and Life is only one. Tragedy is always behind the corner, listen to the Doctors! ❤🙏
I did amateur boxing when there were no headguards (during the late 70s) and I think that based on points, there should be a 2 point system in boxing. If you hit the body, you get two points, if you hit the head you get one point, maybe use jabs only to the head and whatever we want to the body. Or not hit too hard on the head but hit has hard as we want on the body
there's some researches that say that even relatively light punches also cause brain damage, which just gets accumulated with time
In my up next section: How a brain injury made me smarter...mmmm interesting
9:48 Is it me, or is this chart confusing? Why, in the upper left, does it suggest boxers are in blue and mixed martial arts are in red, yet on the chart MMA is indicated as blue and boxers in red? Earlier, at 5:31, the title says DIRECT BRAIN DAMAGE, with high being red and low being blue, and yet he says, "So what you see here, it's all blue. We're looking at brain activity. So we basically inject sugar. You should look... all red and yellow, very high activity. I hope. There the lights runs out it's all blue and I can tell you we're now eight years later he will never fight again. He will never even be thinking about fighting. He will not be thinking about anything." Is the scale brain DAMAGE or brain ACTIVITY? Shouldn't TED speakers be more organized and clear in their presentations? This guy's supposed to have a PhD, yet it seems he can't make a proper chart or make himself understood. He may even add confusion to the matter by the way he presents ideas.
Agreed. Good observation
Idea here!.I think the best thing to prevent injuries that will leave devastating effects on the brain, for all sports, would be to create and have all athletes wear a full body suit, made of clear or colored foam plastic, that would give the body a balanced impact protection!. Of course this idea would have to be improved year by year, by the companies who make this product
While I can understand that head injuries amongst many other aspects of the sport, are definitely dangerous both short term and long term, I do feel as if removing punches to the face will ultimately ruin the sport of boxing forever. I am a die hard boxing fan, and have been for many years. The excitement of the sport will be lost if we force these athletes who have trained their entire life to all of a sudden switch their method of fighting and restrict them to only hit the torso. I want to believe this doctor when he says hes a boxing fan. But if he truly was a boxing fan, I dont think he would be suggesting removing punches to the brain all together.
hockey is NOT the same without the fights! signed by a Detroit Red Wings fan.
So in short you don't care about the athletes? just set up the show huh?
@@mfululizowak9899 well many of the boxers have few or no other options of employment, and by making them not punch in the head it would be the end of the sport of boxing, so they may actually be worse off if you do that.
@@matthemmer7114 well from someone who possibly lived with it I am telling you it ain't fun. It's tormenting. So no.... They wouldn't be worse. Always worrying if someone poses a threat to others and themselves is worse than worse. The chances of that person forgetting their identify, loved ones and the life they have lived, in their later years is disheartening. Working at burger king ain't so bad if they don't have any other option. Unless you selfishly benefit from the sports industry, I don't see how anyone would encourage that path.
@@mfululizowak9899 I dont selfishly benefit from it at all, and if youre telling me its better to be a fry cook then floyd mayweather then imma just move on with my life an cease to communicate with you 😂😂😂.
I had a major TBI. Motorcycle accident without a helmet. Depression is bad.
To make money you have to use your brain
Shake it and you break it
Thus, if you want to make money you should *not* shake your money maker
Like Muhammad Ali said use ur brains instead of ur fists
people want to see violence and head hitting is violent
He brought up the roman gladiators, which I think is an interesting point. We see that as barbaric in our day and age cause of the brutal murder and violence. Yet, modern combat sports does involve death too, just stretched out over a much longer period of time. However, as a martial arts enthusiast, I'm conflicted. Removing blows to the head keeps fighters safe, but it also takes away from the quality of the art. There's a huge disparity between fighters who know how to take a blow to the head vs those who don't. I think perhaps the way to go forward is to bring more attention to the potential risks of combat sports so that people understand what exactly they are getting into. And this way, the general population, those who may never fight ever in their lives, will have a much greater appreciation for those who enter the ring/octagon...
100% agree that shaking the head and causes brain damage. But stopping sports lmao. But deff be aware of it and take precautions and avoid unnecessary hits.
I’ve boxed for 6 years 23 amateur fights now I know that’s not a lot for 6years.. but I was taken care within thouse 23 fights I have 12belts 1hold 1bronze . Now amateurs did mess me up it was 7 days a week 6hrs a day not including morning and night run and the 6days a week sparring. That’s what messed me up one day I did 12rounds feeling great cocky boxer and the time and a homeboy came in fresh first round cracked me in the top of my head now we’ve sparred for about 2yrs so he knew me. I instantly I got cracked a my neck hasn’t been ok since I have to wake up crack my back and neck. My speech studers once in a while I had a year where I didn’t even speak because when I did I just couldn’t speak
I hope for you to get better
Dont forget about rugby player.
This guy says not having a headgear might be a bad idea but then the next slide he shows how rotational force in boxing causes the brain damage. What? If anything a neck brace would be a better idea. Also, take off the gloves as well as bringing back leg sweeps like the old days.
No he said headgear does protect, just not from rotatation force hits.
There is no safe area to hit, we have a rib cage to protect fragile organs.
Head gear will not save your brain. Train as much as you like just don’t allow anyone to hit you especially to the head. The human body is fragile and it’s not designed to sustain heavy blows that’s why we have a thick cranial skull and a rib cage.
At some point I used to think that if we shook our own heads crazily we would damage our brains, even though we all did it when were young😂😂we've all done this at some point in our life
unfortunately, there is still NO answer whether that brain damage is only caused by medium to heavy concussions, or it can also be the result of dozens of thousands of light punches during chill spar sessions. And that's a VERY important question for many, because lotta people don't really wanna go hard and do more of a "hobby" boxing with no competitive fighting. But what if the brain damage is actually also get accumulated over time even from pretty light punches that aren't even classified as a concussion?
Hopefully scientists are working hard at figuring this out. If light sparring doesn’t cause CTE i’d probably get into muay thai. But due to the uncertainty of that I decided to go with BJJ. (Which is dangerous in other ways, but safer on the brain)
@@PS-lv1mr it’s hard to research this topic because scientists need to divide people into decent categories who only do light spar, medium, and hard. And it’s all subjective anyways, like what’s light for some people, might me medium for others. Etc.
@@angryktulhu True, I wonder too if someone is developing a helmet that prevents brain damage. I feel like it’s almost impossible to develop something like that due to the fact that the helmet would have to essentially absorb 99% of the force in order for the brain to not bounce around in the skull. I feel like if someone figures this out though that it’s an incredible breakthrough.
@@PS-lv1mr I’ve been thinking about that too. I came up with an idea that it should be some kind of a transparent shield attached to your chest. Made from plastic or smth like that. So the impact would be absorbed mostly by your body, which is pretty safe. But this eliminates a lot of nuances, like habit to keep the chin down, proper distance management, fear of getting punched, and overall might feel awkward. Helmets, well, a decent one would be heavy af (like motorcycle one) and would slow down the movement, and a lighter one wouldn’t really protect the brain from impact. So yeah. Idk any decent solution (
in early july i was punched 2 times in a row in my right ear area, pulsating pain in both head and neck, unbearable pain, the first doctor that saw me said dont worry a fist cant do nothing serious so take diclofenac every 12 hours! 3 weeks on i managed to get a ct scan, nothing abnormal showed up, i now have memory plobems, both short term and long term, a sensation of "heavy" left foot and left hand, my eyes dont blink at the same rate they used to, both my mental and physical energy is not the same as before, i have much less of both, i am taking omega 3 in capsules, magnesium, green tea, lots of chocolate, although i am getting better cognitive problems and limb problems are still there, i am going ask my neurologist for an order so i can go to hyperbaric chamber sessions cause i read they accelerate healing times, i stay positive
Most important is to be relaxed. Do not force change. If it's meant to happen, it will. Be of good thought.
great speech!
I had eight concussions before I graduated from high school I would say to date and I am 50+ years old I’ve had at least 13 concussions that have been documented medically. My memory is now different And my interests have changed
Godspeed to you sir
What a knockout talk😊
I have an excellent memory of my life's work journey to noman's land in the first place period.
Basketball is actually very high risk for causing concussion. The hardwood doesn’t give and they’re so many fast moving and jumping resulting in head injuries.
Don't forget NFL players also. They get concussion all the time from tackles and blows even with helmet
Well said!
I'm a hardcore MMA fan, but the rules definitely should be changed, we can enjoy a very tactical fight without hitting the head, a chess match just like Petr Yan vs Corey Sandhagen. Going to a decision makes things even more exciting.
I was thinking about Boxing
But I became so sad that in Islam
hitting the face is a bad thing
Glad I watched this video now
I am feeling That I have avoided a major risk
I think that head guards should be required for all boxers regardless of how good they are at the sport. Head guards make it much less likely for you to get injured really badly. Its effectiveness is really visible when you see amateur boxers fight each other because you rarely see them get hurt in any type of way. They just suffer a few nose bleeds or bruises and that’s it. If anyone has ever seen the KSI vs Joe weller boxing match you’ll notice that Joe was never sent to the canvas despite getting obliterated with KSI’s haymakers.
Head guards are worse.
Brain injury is invisible.
Gloves and headgear do not decrease brain trauma. All it does is "sanitize" the viewing experience by reducing cuts and blood.
Wow amazing and powerful what you just said
He is wrong about the head gear. Boxing head gear only protects against cuts and busing on the skin.
Actually he's not. Tell me would you rather have a bruised lip or Parkinson's or dementia
LTS Xpert Killler which one is with helmets?
@@Onbabyams research has shown more knockouts occur with the headgear, as it blocks vision
That was a good presentation.
I bet you will never forget this line in your entire life "shake it, brake it". 🤣
You forgot it already. It is "shake it and break it," not "shake it, brake it." Break and Brake are totally different words.
I won't forget it, that's for sure
Has anyone experienced a feeling of inactivity in their injury site? Where I got hit feels cold and dormant. Very inactive. Sometimes even cooler than the rest of my brain.
This is not just for boxing, it also gymnastics, diving, extreme sports, football also military training, police etc… is not mental health but brain health what we should be advocating for…
Lol gymnastics r u Kidding me lol and the other professions that u mentioned are not comparable to combat sports
Does anybody have a link to any of his research on this?
I remember that fight vividly 😮 but I had color tv but I was the remote control 😂 & part of the antenna with the tin foil 🤣🤣🤣
Some people think that the most complicated and the hardest constructed thing on earth
Is some kind of piece of stone
Or a sponge
NO! IT IS NOT!
This also delicate
If people love fighting, i suggest doing wrestling / BJJ instead🔥
Lame
Wrestling is the king of martial arts