Many parents of youth boxers seem to only have praise for the childhood sport. Not only does it keep their children physically active, but it instills confidence and keeps them busy during down time so they are more likely to stay out of trouble.
American Academy of Pediatrics, however, feels the benefits are not worth the risk of injury.
Based on the number of boxing injuries recorded by U.S. and Canadian health officials, pediatric organization is encouraging doctors to “vigorously oppose” youth boxing under the age of 19 because of the risk of head injuries like concussions.
According to a figure from 2003, there were 14 boxing-related hospital visits for every 1,000 particpants between the ages of 12 and 34.
Dr. Claire LeBlanc, lead author of the statement, says:
“There’s no reason why we as pediatricians should be condoning such a thing, when we know that the risk is not zero for these kids, and perhaps the damage may be more long lasting.”
She maintains any benefits that children get from boxing can be gained in any other, less violent sport like tennis, baseball, or basketball.
Those actually involved in the sport will argue otherwise and maintain that those like Dr. LeBlanc are completely out of touch with the reality of the sport.
Most time isn’t even spent in the ring sparring or competing, but doing conditioning workouts or practicing punch combinations on bags. Furthermore, despite trading blows to the head, serious injuries (beyond blood noses and cuts) are very rare because of the headgear that covers most of the face and padded boxing gloves that absorb punches.
With childhood obesity reaching an alarming rate across the country, we think it’s important to find a physical activity that will keep kids engaged and coming back for more.
One parent says he introduced his son to boxing because he was overweight and wasn’t exercising. Now at 18, that boy eats salad instead of pizza every day and is a Golden Gloves amateur boxing champion.
At the end of the day, it’s up to the parents to decide whether the risk is worth the reward for their child. Check out the poll below and let us know what U think!
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[Image via WENN.]
