- This just in: getting hit in the head over and over could be very dangerous.
Getting hit in the head is generally not very good for your health. Yet, many sports from boxing to football put the athletes at serious risk of getting bonked on the noggin.
That’s why the athletes and contestants wear protective gear. Football players take to the field while fairly heavily armored and even boxers use at least padded gloves.
But not slap fighters.
Slap fighting is a relatively recently invented contact sport that is growing in popularity. The concept is simple — the fighters take turns slapping each other in the face until one of them hits the canvas.
Unlike in boxing or other fighting sports, you can’t defend yourself in slap fighting. Even flinching can get you disqualified, so using protective equipment is out of the question.
Now, however, concerned doctors are ringing warning bells about the sport. A new study has found that slap fighters regularly experience concussions and risk incurring serious brain injury.
We totally needed a new study to tell us that getting repeatedly slammed in the head can be dangerous. Who would’ve thought?
Slap Fighting Explained
In itself, slap fighting is nothing new. People were probably slapping each other in the face to see who was the toughest when we were still cave-dwellers.
In the last few years, however, the slap fighting concept has made its way into official contact sports. For instance, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has sanctioned slap fighting, with the sport’s rules based on those of MMA fighting.
In a bout, the slap fighters stand firmly in the ring within slapping distance of each other. They take turns to deliver full-force open-hand slaps into each other’s faces.
The rules specify that the competitors must maintain a stone-faced demeanor the entire time. In fact, they’re not allowed to make any attempt at defending themselves — flinching, raising your shoulders, or tucking your chin is grounds for disqualification.
After receiving a slap, the contestant has 60 seconds to bounce back. Failing to do so awards points to their opponent, while getting knocked out ends the match.
There are multiple active slap fighting leagues in the U.S., but it’s not just an American sport. Viral online videos are making slap fighting increasingly popular worldwide, and leagues are also popping up in the U.K. and elsewhere.
Obvious Concussions
By now, you may think that slap fighting sounds a little bit unhealthy. Well, that’s what it is, and doctors are starting to issue health warnings about the sport.
The latest warning came from a research team led by Dr. Raj Swaroop Lavadi. His team watched and reviewed a slew of recorded slap fights, and they weren’t thrilled with what they saw.
In total, the team watched 78 fights, during which 56 contestants delivered a total 333 slaps. The results are pretty grim — 44 of the contestants displayed at least one sign of concussion.
What’s worse, 20 of them went in to get hit again after the first concussive sign. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the fighters who appeared to have suffered a concussion lost their fight 75% of the time.
But what were these concussive signs? Among others, Lavadi’s team observed fighters getting up slowly from the ground, showing motor incoordination (that is, being wobbly and unsteady), or displaying a “blank and vacant” expression.
Three slaps even resulted in the hit fighter developing amnesia about recent events. If that’s not a concussion, we don’t know what is.
‘Grievous Combat Sport’
But perhaps you’re a slap fighting fan and think the doctors are just being overly cautious spoilsports. In that case, we unfortunately have to tell you that the risks they highlight are very real.
After all, slap fighting has already claimed the life of one athlete.
On October 22, 2021, Polish bodybuilder and MMA fighter Artur Walczak died after receiving a strong hit in the face during the PunchDown 5 slap fighting event. He suffered a brain hemorrhage and, despite immediate emergency surgery, died a month later due to multiple organ failures stemming from his brain injuries.
“Slap fighting may induce traumatic brain injury in contestants, with potential for long-term consequences,” Lavadi’s team warns in the study.
“The risk is further augmented given that the contestants must stand defenseless, allowing their opponents to achieve complete and precise contact with their heads during each offensive blow. Therefore, there must be a high surveillance when evaluating such athletes both acutely and on long-term follow-up,” the researchers recommend.
Overall, they conclude that slap fighting might be a “more grievous combat sport” than organizers, fighters, and the audience have assumed. We’re not really sure what people expected.