Everyone is terrified of CTE right now

Is CTE really your biggest concern when it comes to training in boxing or other combat sports?
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Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach and fight commentator, and occasional musician based in Shanghai, China.
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[@m.israel2209]

I got kneed in the head 4 years ago. Still experience pressure and pain around that area. Apparently a mild concussion can turn into post concussion syndrome. Been debilitating sometimes. Be safe in this beautiful but brutal world of combat sports. There is always ways to make it safer and avoid damage. My question is to all you, what are ways you stay safe while practicing combat sports? How can you make it safer if you want to go pro?

[@RamseyDewey]

I would love to hear everyone’s answer to this question.

[@machotaco1356]

I think going pro is always gonna be dangerous, it is a fight against another human who has been training to be as dangerous as possible. Damage seems inevitable even with the best of circumstances.

[@doaimanariroll5121]

I think number 1 is to have self restraint and not escalate sparring. 2. Have confidence to say, nah I don’t wanna do that, it’s unsafe. 3. You will eventually need to do hard sparring, make sure it’s with people you trust and make sure you slowly progress to that level. 4. Let yourself rest but train a little everyday.

[@tzaeru]

I'm just an amateur hobbyist, my risk of getting brain injury is pretty low compared to the pros. But still, I've picked up a few things I do to minimize the risk further. My list is: - Stop sparring if feeling rattled. - Only light sparring, I'll prolly need some hard sparring rounds when preparing for my first amateur fight but other than that, keep it light. - Stay hydrated. Don't take hits to the head when anything but well hydrated. Dehydration is known to worsen the effects of brain injury. - Creatine. Esp since I don't really eat much meat, which would be a source for creatine. Creatine has been established to have neuroprotective properties. It's not been studied if it really meaningfully decreases the risk of CTE, but it is known to limit the severity of brain injury so prolly helps: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6094347/ - Omega-3 supplements. Omega-3 is also known for neuroprotective properties. Like with creatine, there's no full consensus if it protects from CTE, but again omega-3 helps vs brain injury. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003707/ - A few supplemental strength exercises for the neck and shoulder muscles. Power shrugs. Some neck extensions etc. Just careful to not overdo them. Should help with absorbing blows.

[@m.israel2209]

@Jalmari Ikävalko I think the more evidence has shown that sparring is really what causes the damage. Boxers put in 100s if not 1000s of hard rounds into sparring. Recently from the UFC, Max Holloway came out and send he doesnt spar that often. It is still an important part of the fight game but minimizing it to a certain time in the training camp could be better long term. I’ve heard most recently that during his world championship reign. All James Toney did was spar. And thats how he liked doing conditioning, he did not like the running, didn’t like to do strength and conditioning, he just sparred. Look and hear him now. You can barely understand him. While the fight obviously have some affect. I believe the sparring had an even greater one.

[@corrugatedcavalier5266]

"Not everybody needs to fight, man." Wiser words were never spoken.

[@testtor2714]

You don't make this decision. Others make this decision for you. And that's exactly what it's about.

[@kanethesevenfootmonster868]

@@testtor2714 Wtf are you talking About Goofy????

[@moroc333]

Something I have learned with time is that you don't need to go pro on every thing you like. I felt really sad when I was in highschool and every adult in my life was trying to convince me to leave boxing and focus on my studies. I finally caved in and forgot about the pipe dream of becoming a boxing world champion. But even if I left boxing, boxing couldn't leave me. I have been in and out the gym again and again, I just can't keep away for too long. Time has given me perspective and I can say that I don't need a belt that much. I just like boxing and I will keep doing it as long as I safely can.

[@jimmykruzer]

This is some great insight and I needed to hear it. Fir some reason the media makes us think we've failed if we don't become popular from our hobbies

[@sliderx1897]

More ppl need thos perspective

[@Saber23]

@@jimmykruzer when has the media done that? The guy is right but still

[@jimmykruzer]

@@Saber23 I'm just agreeing with the not having to go pro thing. But also it reminded me how everyone wants to get famous, that's all

[@Saber23]

@@jimmykruzer oh I see then yeah 100% the narcissism people have nowadays is ridiculous but more and more people are starting to realize that it’s bad and are waking up all the best brother 🙏

[@raccoonmyroom6861]

The art of training for longevity is one of the coolest things you can get out of combat sports. Training more means being happy more.

[@damienthetexasian6827]

My coach always said, " Everyone knows how hit. Hitting basic. Good fighter know how not get hit."

[@combatsportlover6919]

Sounds like a Miyagi quote.

[@damienthetexasian6827]

@@combatsportlover6919 a Kru Vongpachan quote ;)

[@TheReal_GigaChad]

Sounds like a person with a talking disability

[@philcliffe6909]

Jon Jones has often said that he does not hard spar and considers part of his longevity as not to get punched.

[@Grainz_music]

I almost was gonna ask, did you train with Kru Phet Phongsavane? 😅

[@damienthetexasian6827]

After I spun out and highsided my bike on a wet day, (helmet worn, bike spun and leg whipped me down smacked the back of my head). went to get a CT scan and they explained the different types of concussion: Stage 1: the kind that you shake off in a few minutes or same day Stage 2: those that take a few days to feel better but not more than a week Stage 3: those that take a week or more. I had just had a stage 3 from the bike, but it wasn't the worst head trauma after years of amateur muay thai. So they asked how many stage 3 have you had? "At least 4-6, even remember passing out behind dumpster after a fight" How many stage 2? "Probably more than I have fingers and toes..." How many stage 1? " how many times have I had my bell rung in training..?.... more than I could possibly count...." Didn't think it was big deal because I was never KO'd. Dealing with numbers of mental health issues from insomnia, PTSD, anxiety, depression but who knows how much of that is from cTe or my own emotional trauma.

[@ricardoflummiremus]

Thank you for sharing! Respect!!

[@RyFol717]

I've had alot of the same experiences you have and deal with severe long term depression, paralyzing anxiety, mood swings and ptsd. You're not alone.

[@Sophist98]

currently going through smth similar, did they advise you on when to stop with combat sports because i had around 3 stage 3 concussions maybe another three stage 2 and a couple stage ones so i‘m kinda worried about CTE aswell.

[@angryktulhu]

That’s mostly irrelevant. Because brain is a jelly and it is extremely fragile. Every time you get punched even lightly, some amount of brain cells die. It’s not correct to think only heavy concussions cause damage. They just do more damage per second. But if you spar regularly, your brain accumulates damage from those thousands of light punches. Unfortunately it’s true, read articles at pubmed

[@jonnyjensen399]

Dam brother that is rough. ❤

[@johnf7332]

My college MMA coach only let us compete in no-gi BJJ tournaments. He’d teach us boxing/kick-boxing of course, but he wouldn’t train any of us for a full MMA fight until we had our degree in-hand. I’m really thankful to him for that (and for all the other help/advice he gave me)

[@The_Mastery]

In sweden We have an amateur system which makes you ready before you are able to compete with full power

[@AdobadoFantastico]

I think a big influence on the boxing culture is that losses are considered really bad marks on your record. People want to go really hard beforehand to know they're ready.

[@ExecOpsN7]

If you are afraid of cte its not wimpy to stop. Even safe training has a level of risk. These are combat sports after all. Ultimately only you can do what is best for you. Also, Im proud of all of you that train and stay healthy.👍

[@kramepilef]

I had a benign brain tumor removed several years ago. My neurosurgeon told me that I could still train Muay Thai, but sparring was absolutely out of the question. The tumor didn’t damage my cognitive abilities as far as I know. I’d like to keep it that way.

[@IncredibleMD]

I'm mostly blind in my right eye, so my biggest fear is taking damage to the left side of my face (the side orthodox strikers hit harder), or just straight up getting eye poked. I suppose CTE would be a concern for people who competed, but if you're just training and sparring in the gym, going hard enough to put yourself at serious risk of CTE is probably going too hard.

[@johnlime2610]

Yeh I'm right eye dominant I got hit with an overhand in my first kickboxing fight remember seeing stars and getting 8 count from ref But yeh I definitely took more damage sparring den I did in fights

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

Yeah, going that far in sparring is too much, but unfortunately still common (and even the norm) in boxing and dutch kickboxing.

[@Cavouku]

The bad news is, damage to neurons seems mostly irreversible from what I've read. I think there are some stem cell therapies that might help, but your body doesn't seem to have any innate mechanisms for repairing neurons. The good news is, the brain is highly plastic. When some area gets damaged, another area can often fill its role, and often with very little noticeable difference. Other bits of non-medical intervention recommendations are: don't fight dehydrated (more cerebrospinal fluid is good for dampening brain impact), and don't stop doing something when it's frustrating. That last one may sound counterintuitive, but frustration is a sign of the presence of stress hormones in the brain (norepinephrine and... cortisol, if I'm remembering right), and those actually prime the brain to be more neuroplastic - to more readily learn a new motor pattern. Then, as you perform the action better, you'll likely get a dopamine response, which "locks in" the pattern more and more.

[@combatsportlover6919]

The bad thing is that fighting dehydrated happens quite often with so much extreme weight cutting.

[@yeshuasage3724]

Just fyi, then does repair itself Slowly but surely With contact sports, the healing ability of the brain is overwhelmed

[@idihcerebe]

No, the brain does produce new brain cells on it’s own, especially after injury (can site studies if prompted). Other facts contribute to cell death and protein aggregation (hallmark for ‘CTE’), not just head trauma.

[@mystyle8753]

​​@@idihcerebewell the brain seems to heal itself until it took so much damage and scar tissue.. Because some people left contact sports at like for example 20 years old and by 25- 30 they had extreme cte it kept getting worse without them being hit so probably the brain stops healing after too much trauma

[@Docinaplane]

Very well presented!! Long distance running will increase trans-callosal communication in the brain after around 45 minutes of running. Whether or not this is a mechanism for helping CTE, I don't know. It does enhance clarity of thinking while you are running.

[@theodoreconstantini2548]

I have a friend who is highly a regarded neuro scientist, and he says one of the sure fire ways, that we know about ways to reduce your chance of dementia is regular exercise, he says it helps keep the brain young. He himself is an avid runner, and cyclist.

[@Docinaplane]

@@theodoreconstantini2548 Appreciate your telling me that! Best!

[@dcard228]

I played American football in high School. I distinctly recall a concussion I received (the timeframe, not the event itself) after a helmet to helmet hit. I know for a fact that that event changed me. The majority of my mental health and memory issues happened AFTER that hit. Take care of your head folks

[@yeshuasage3724]

Unlikely If you get permanent brain damage from 1 concussion, then you got some terrible genes in your family, sorry to say! When people talk about how combat sports or football has changed them, they’re talking about a decade ATLEAST of brain trauma. You cannot tell me your issues are from a single concussion, that’s a copout, you gotta address the real cause of your emotional issues, whether it’s a neglected childhood or abuse or a familial history of mental disorders or whatever But don’t sit there and pretend like you’ve changed bcuz of a single concussion. The brain repairs itself, slowly but surely Permanent brain damage comes from repeated head trauma that overwhelms the brains ability to heal itself

[@dcard228]

@@yeshuasage3724 that was the last concussion, not the first concussion.

[@yeshuasage3724]

@@dcard228 my bad! Alot of us who engaged in contact sports for a while (nothing compared to those who do it for a living) are quick to jump in the bandwagon of brain trauma being the cause of their character problems, but if they looked deeper they would probably find more significant causes I know where my issues come from, parents passed me nd my siblings around to different homes bcuz they were busy working or “chilling”with their friends, it lead to a whole load of self loathing and self hate and just anger towards life I did play rugby for about 9 yrs and had more than 10 concussions and many subconcussive hits bcuz we don’t fuck around in wales when it comes to rugby It was an outlet for all the aggression and got me in great shape and plenty of cunts Did it kill some brain cells? surely But I’d be lying if i said my issues are from rugby The brain heals itself, slowly but surely Especially with plenty of sleep and vitamins.

[@AnPrimWrestler]

Take curcumin. It's been shown to alleviate damage in the brain caused by head trauma. Start taking curcumin with piperine to increase absorption asap. It's a powerful antioxidant that does so much for the body

[@patrickstar4132]

​@@yeshuasage3724ive had so many dude. One time I got knocked out for a second and woke back up. Ive been out of high school for 2 years and I feel horrible. I have no idea whats wrong with me. I stuggle heavly with talking to people, I can never think striaght and nothing feels real. I have sucidal thoughts all day evey day. I never cry in front of people but when I get home from work or whatever im doing man its just unbarable. I feel like the old me died and now im some hollow shell of what I used to be and im only fucking 20 years old. If I feel like this now what is the point to keep living like this

[@KurtOnoIR]

When I was 11 my dog pushed me over on my bike and I bumped my head. I was never good at math after that.🤔 Actually maybe I was just never good at math.

[@Eduardo-nq1zh]

Loved that you comment out your intuition on the feelings presented on his writing. Hope the guy can read all the comments here, sometimes we have to feel what we really wanna do, and take the risk to follow that way and embrace ourselves. Stay safe you all. Peace.

[@Brian-nw3ey]

Wow, very well put. I should’ve never taken a break from watching you! Thanks so much

[@joeboyd8702]

Great upload. I appreciate your thoughts and I am sorry about your injuries. Best wishes.

[@ViDaVerastegui]

As a Doctor I really appreciate that a fight channel talks about this like that

[@chrislampkin7896]

I think what's being asked is "are the risks worth the potential rewards in boxing". This can only be determined by the work the fighter in question devotes to over all training especially defensively.

[@antoniomrubio]

I appreciate your thoughts on safe training and how important it is for a fighter to choose their bouts intelligently. I do judo and feel less at risk from outright concussion than from long term impact of sub concussive impacts. I don’t really know how to quantify that risk but it has led me to train differently and we now do randori more like the old Mifune videos than going all out like we would in a tournament. I also got a really bad concussion playing rugby in college. I wandered off from the team after the game and eventually my girlfriend found me a few hours later in the basement of the student union. I couldn’t find my way out because I didn’t realize I wasn’t on the ground floor. That entire semester was a blur and I developed pretty severe depression after that for something like a year. I don’t recommend the experience for anyone and am glad that people are smarter about recognizing concussions now than they were when I was an undergrad.

[@danielschwarze781]

Something similar happened to my brother after a car accident, he has been struggling with depression ever since

[@eyalmagen663]

Super important subject!! Thank you dude.

[@doaimanariroll5121]

I think I’m way more scared from knee injury than Cte. I feel cte is a lot easier to avoid by simply saying “hey bro your going to hard, chill out a bit please”. Knee injury’s on the other hand, 1 well intentioned take down and a wrong twist or fall. BAM 1 year in a knee brace.

[@antoniomrubio]

For what it’s worth my year out with knee injury wasn’t terrible. You can’t play your sport but you do other things. I played a lot of chess and learned to draw in my free time when I wasn’t doing my physical therapy work.

[@doaimanariroll5121]

@@antoniomrubio yeah. Need my knees to work haha

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

@@doaimanariroll5121 I feel you. I would rather drop a few iq and process a little slower than trash my knees.

[@idontwantahandlewtf]

Honestly why I stopped training. Got up to blue belt in BJJ, but by that point I'd had both shoulders dislocated a couple of times, and shortly into my time as a blue belt, I hurt my knee. This was ten years ago, I turn 30 next month, and I can barely bend that knee some days. My job doesn't help things, and even back then, my main reason for quitting was I can't do my job one legged, and I had, and have, bills to pay. Same reason I gave up skating, too, broke my wrist a couple of times and both times had to miss too much work. I still love martial arts, they've helped me in sketchy situations, they still help me, but I never had an interest in fighting for a living, and for me, I never really needed to go further.

[@doaimanariroll5121]

@@idontwantahandlewtf yeah man, sometimes I think Judo got it right not allowing leg locks, scissor throws, ect… I mean they’re obviously one of the best attacks out there. But for average folk who train for fun, it’s a lot of risk. I still love training mma and bjj, but yeah, that’s definitely my main thing I’m concerned about.

[@midlifemma3049]

I am 46 and combat sports are the only way for me to train. In my twenties, my kickboxing (full contact) instructor used to call me 'the mastiff' because I was really good and he wanted me to compete, but I have never competed... I believe that playful sparring is still a good option, it gives the thrills but it won't give you the same damage... It's fun for me. One more thing: Whenever sparring is not playful with either some members of the gym or all of them... nobody is forcing you to either spar or to stay in that gym...

[@SuperhumanUnchained]

Thanks for the great information

[@RobertAgarHutton]

Ramsey - Without a doubt that was simply a GREAT message - everyone who spars and/or competes should LISTEN and LEARN from what you said.

[@Chief-Solarize]

I've been hit so hard I lost my hearing in my right ear by 85%. That wasnt a puncher, that was the concrete without a helmet. I couldnt walk strait for about 2 weeks. I felt like i was in a rocking chair nonstop. It was wild.

[@jimpim6454]

Balance is the inner ear maybe that's why your balance was off?

[@bso1469]

wow that letter might aswell have been written by me haha i have the same feeling about combat sports as that guy writing to u. Iv been worried about cte too recently but it was good to hear someone with a reasonable perspective on it finally.

[@bunklypeppz]

Ramsey makes a great point that I think a lot of people overlook. Hard sparring works, but it only really works for the people who are not taking a lot of hard hits compared to many of their sparring partners. For every great fighter that developed their skills through sparring hard, there are thousands of fighters who took so much damage in the gym that they were past their prime before accomplishing anything they had hoped for. A lot of people swear by frequent hard sparring because they believe it worked for them, but they fail to realize that it is probably the very thing that wasted the potential of the people they trained with early on.

[@hermeticinstrumentalist6804]

Much respect to you and yours. I think I had to calm myself down about that stuff, feels weird. I'm just 2 weeks into Brazilian Jujitsu and I'm loving it, the teacher is cool, and it's just a lot of fun. Been good vibes every time I've gone to it, gotta keep going and practice, it's interesting being thrown/rolled around. Would totally recommend. Learning to fall and roll properly has been totally cool. Want to get better. Thanks for the informative video, I'll be sure to be calm and spar respectfully and safely if I ever do.

[@stronghold429]

Loved your explanation on how some people become enamored coach. To add on a little something to that feeling, (and you can correct me if I'm wrong here, but this is my perception), most people who end up fighting, and training to fight, have a reason that goes beyond watching the sport or just liking the ego boost that sort of comes from it. I grew up in Latin America, and then moved to the states with my parents who filed for political asylum, I had my first street fight when I was 5 years old, and I pretty much grew up fighting other kids. When i got to the states, i had a strong english accent, cheap clothes because my parents didn't make a lot of money, and i got made fun of a lot. Eventually I developed a huge chip on my shoulder, and anytime anyone said anything to me (even if it was a joke), my first reaction was to fight. When I started training in martial arts I would like to say that it dwindled, but in the beginning it actually got worse, to the point where most people thought of me as an asshole, because I acted like an asshole. It took me a fairly long time, and becoming civilized through building a less stressful more easy going life style before I was able to just joke around with people and laugh, and hang out without having things escalate into a fight with me. For me, fighting came from a deep seeded need to make sure people couldn't talk down to me, and training was my way of making sure that if someone picked a fight with me i was gonna win. I think BJJ helped in a big way to calm that side of me down. It's a huge humbling experience being manhandled by someone on the matt when they simply know much more than you do. Which is why, judging from the letter the subscriber sent, I would say he should probably start with BJJ and work himself into MMA after having about 6 months of BJJ training under his belt. If he goes into MMA with a BJJ foundation first, it should help him to mediate the amount of damage he might take from strikes by taking the fight to the mat, and it might also help him to decide if he just wants to train in the sport, or if he actually wants to jump in the ring. Just my two cents on something that helped me to decide, and that I think might have a similar effect on his decision.

[@goranmekota7540]

Love this video, some very good advice there. From the perspective of a recreational 45yers old - unless planning to become a professional fighter or at least bouncer and are training just for the love of sport and to stay fit there is no good reason to risk with too much full contact in competition or even (too)hard sparing. Recreational striking seem healthy to me, with half-decent technique there is little injury outside competition or hard sparring, unlike grappling where you are sparring all the time and tend to develop cumulative injuries over the years that might be irreversible (joints, back, neck). That to me is the primary criteria for any sport at this stage and age. One tends not to think as much about it when younger and healing quickly, but consequences of what you do with 20 will often have to be paid after 50. Bottom line - if we are not making money out of the sport the reasonable course of action is to prioritise health, so I would say it depends on whether the individual wants to compete just for fun on low-key events, or has ambitions to make a career out of it and that ambition is strong enough to find potential damage acceptable, and it is also coupled with a realistic assessment of abilities to get somewhere as a pro. If the perspective of getting more money than from a regular job is not real than it might not be worth it. The worst thing would be to destroy one's health training like a pro while ending with a third-tier job after a couple of years, having wasted both time and health on a dead end. Doubt there is any way besides luck and good genetics to make sure one is getting no damage with a lot of brain rattling, though it can be minimized with good practice. Some level of risk will always be there. Much like other sports have theirs after all - can't be a pro on the skis without accepting a realistic danger of leg and other injury. Need to make a rational assessment of risks and benefits. Of course benefits are not just financial, some people obviously find psychological and social benefits from unsanctioned and unpaid street fights enough to make it worth it. As long as it is an informed decision it is all good, but I would not be happy with my child getting into anything like that without a good chance of getting settled for life while making sure there is a good and reasonably safe gym culture wherever he trains.

[@luisquintino7308]

One of the things that makes me consider Jigoro kano a genius was exactly this. To get good you need time on the mat. You cannot do this if you are always getting injured. So he decided to take away strikes and dangerous techniques that could not be done 100%. The result was that his philosophy resulted in a high percentage of winning fights against Jiu jitsu practitioners. The most notable examples was the competition for getting the right to train the tokyo police. Putting in the hours in free practice/ sparring safely will get you good.there is NO magic. I have seen the result of tough man machismo martial arts and have seen many people in their thirties that cannot train properly because of their injuries. Consider that these are not professionals but hobbyists that trained 3-4 times a week.. I have seen this in several martial arts and correlates positively with the lack of s healthy competitive scene. Sparring and critical thinking are key.

[@astrobullivant5908]

What's so strange about the CTE scare was how overnight it was. I'm a millennial, and when I was a freshman on my JV football team in 2003(my school didn't have a frosh team), they would pull a player for a the next series of downs or a few minutes if he got hit really hard and seemed a little dizzy. The trainer would come over and ask how many fingers he was holding up and things like that. Then, in the middle of my sophomore year, suddenly, one day at practice, there was an all-school meeting where they said that any athlete with concussion-like symptoms would have to be benched for two weeks. I'm still looking for the footage from the 2003 Superbowl of Warren Sapp and John Lynch butting heads before the game; I think the NFL has tried to erase that footage from history.

[@christianpaez2624]

Great info, for me the answer was that I just wanted to train martial arts without really competing or hard-sparring for my safety; occasional light sparring, forms and bag work is more than enough for me.

[@SilverC3ll]

"A man who fears nothing, is a man who loves nothing." - First Knight

[@mistermister1366]

Well, It comes with the territory. People afraid of any injury make terrible fighters. I mean you should have a rational amount of fear as to use precautions, but when it's time to fight, you should never overthink about that stuff if you want to be serious.

[@Umbrellagasm]

I think most people would rather be alright fighters injury free rather than great fighters with multiple TBIs

[@JakeNukem3D]

If you want a "safe" combat sport, go for BJJ. I started with MMA, because i wanted to be a badass fighter. Soon i realized that the risks were not worth it, because i was 33 with zero martial arts backround. I absolutely fell in love with the ground game tho, and yeah i feel like a fighter still.

[@beawarrior9208]

Excellent video! John doesn't seem to be into fighting otherwise he probably would have fought already. You can adore a sport, train like a champ, spar and don't fight. You don't need to fight, it's not for everyone and it's ok, no shame in that. People ask me why I train so much if I'm not planing to fight. Just because I love the training, lol. John, do what seems right to YOU. There are no rules so just make you own and have fun ;-)

[@maxzhao8331]

Very interesting!

[@josemarialaguinge]

I researched a lot of this topic, I found out post concussion syndrome treatment, neck exercises, and getting loads of water and vitamins before a fight help a lot. Stuff that uses the working memory like playing chess also helps a lot, don't do it after fighting tho because it might be too much stress for your brain, but do it some time before and some time after proper recovery.

[@harrisonbloom816]

Great vid! Also, I’m curious, in your opinion, when is the right time to spar hard? And when do you think someone should spar hard for the first time? Is it more like a gradual increase in the intensity you can handle during selected sparring sessions?

[@lewisbromilow9046]

Completely agree with you about the boxing gym culture. Not got loads of experience in boxing in the UK because I train more Thai and MMA, but the few gyms I’ve been to sparing often turns into a dick measuring contest.

[@anon2034]

11:25 "combat addiction". I have read about millitary men signing in for another tour just to get this high, but can you elaborate how prevelent this is in combat sports. Do you have such people in your gym like that? What is the psychology of such a person? Thank you for the video, Ramsey!

[@kylemacarthur9863]

The funny part is being worried only that YOU might get brain damaged but NO concern you might be GIVING IT to another person. Gods.

[@viiltelijamurhaaja7225]

Their body their choice. If im not giving it someone else will.

[@GodCarnage]

You should not being Getting hurt in Sparring, You don’t get paid for it and you shorten your career

[@agitatedcarrot1689]

This especially concerns me as I tend to use a crouching swarming style and people who fight like that tend to have a short career lifespan

[@1TheShawnster]

It's good to hear people having real conversations about the risks involved in combat sports. I thought that I quit the serious full contact fighting early enough to avoid the consequences. Unfortunately it turned out that the damage made me much more susceptible to future concussive injuries that were seemingly rather minor. After a long day playing in a softball tournament, I got hit by the ball while attempting a circus catch deep in the outfield. Everyone laughed it off, but I still don't remember anything about that day except what I've been told. A week later I apparently passed out in my office and was found in a pool of blood, because I hit a CRT computer monitor and the corner of my desk on the way down. I was never the same again, and I lost everything as a result. The moral of the story is: "Be very careful with your head, and the brain inside it."

[@Dave_Hulsey]

Spot on coach.

[@DavidLangfordShaolin]

Definitely worth being careful. I wonder if this wouldn't be as big of an issue if we went back to bare knuckle being the standard.

[@pussyhammer6969]

This is good, this needs to be talked about more. Really I think professional combat sports is not something we should promote, to be completely honest.

[@steffanofumo]

I’ve seen guys go into a fight and come out mentally a different human being and not in a good way, sometimes it was a fight that they won but still the damage changed them, that is a possibility, and if your passion for the sport doesn’t exceed the fear of that possibility you shouldn’t fight, you need aware and accept that possibility, you can always take the sport up has a hobby and that’s still a great thing.

[@LibertyJefferson]

It's one of the things that kept me from getting my pro license. I was in my senior year of my first undergrad degree at the time and I had a sparring session in which one of our lightweights and I were doing rounds of boxing and takedowns. I hit a 1-2 and shot in for a double leg, and he shot in at the same time and we bumped heads... More like smashed, actually. Left me seeing stars for about 10 seconds and after practice I just remember sitting in my room and wondering about how many undiagnosed mild concussions I may have had up to that point and the innumerable amount of sub-concussive hits I'd taken, and just asking myself if it was worth it. I was undefeated as an amateur at that time but I was honest with myself enough to know that I just wasn't at the level of some of the pros I trained with, and I also was just more interested in other things. I still train (primarily grappling now) but I'd say everyone should just come to the decision they think is right for them. Brain damage is a fact of combat sports. Just try to be as safe as possible.

[@fitnessandcombat8906]

You have touched a very accurate culture in boxing and recently i have had the same experience. I am a Muay Thai fighter ( decently experienced, maybe more than 8-12 years of amature and professional combined ) started sparring this boxer( he's heavier than me about 3-4 weight class,maybe 30 pounds more than me, and has a longer reach) he's been training for about 6-8 months now, before starting sparring we agree on technical and flow sparring, touch to the head and 20 percent to body, but most of the times he starts hitting heavy shots the head and i have to tell him to slow down and then he does it again. Being a lightweight fighter with short reach ,i counter using leg kicks and stay moving to avoid hits to face but due to his reach advantage it's not possible all the time, but it's hard to make him understand that sparring is improving the techniques and not kill your partner, it's not a fight. Especially when your partner is lighter and has shorter reach

[@stevejuszczak9402]

The same can be said about throwing systems can result in the same type of injuries . Bouncing off a floor or even a mat hard can be nasty over time

[@stevejuszczak9402]

Some bitch about Aikido . But look at the late Bob Saget and the damage done to his skull from an accidental fall . Now the force of impact from a throw

[@1983jcheat]

I trained to be a Pro Wrestler in the year 2000 and at the same time studied Martial arts. In that Era the expectation of Wrestling was crazy. I did some crazy stuff on a local level. CTE is super common for guys who trained or worked in that Era. Watch some ECW and you tell me. Everybody and their brother wanted to be Mick Foley. Mick can't tie his own shoes without help today.

[@RamseyDewey]

I have some friends who were pro wrestlers. Man… they torture they put themselves through to entertain the crowds was insane sometimes.

[@1983jcheat]

@@RamseyDewey Yeah, I was a Big Bret Hart fan. I trained with Bam Bam Bigelow and Pat Tanaka from the WWF. It's tough; even Pro athletes have trouble learning to fall and do it for hours. Landing on your head will give you CTE in a couple years.

[@burgersquid]

A few years ago I woke up on the side of the road with no idea what year it was, ambulance on the way, and the dude I was out riding motorcycles with pulling my bike off of me. I got dinged up pretty good. 6 broken ribs, broken scapula, and a concussion that basically wiped my memory of the accident. It wasn't a fighting-related thing that landed me in the hospital, but the experience of just.. immediately losing a chunk of memory this way helped me decide whether I really need to compete as a boxer, even at an amateur level. Waking up like that on an empty backroad was shitty, having that same experience in front of a crowd full of screaming drunks? My god. Honestly sparring is fun enough for me anyway.

[@honigdachs.]

i have a healthy fear of CTE. For me, that means sparring with LIGHT touch to the head at MAX. I personally pull my punches most of the time. I don't wanna punch a training partner in the face. If my glove touches them lightly, that's enough for me and them as far as training value goes. If someone thinks they need to crack people in the head in sparring, I'm not interested. But it's not just CTE, man ... I got in caught in an armlock and thrown over a year ago and still to this day feel a discomfort in that arm every now and then. A lot of shit can happen and the best thing we can do about it is to be as responsible as we can with our training partners.

[@CesarMartinez-wx6vl]

Best thing you could do is follow a healthy lifestyle with no alcohol or drugs. Enjoy everyday of your life like it is the last. You might suffer CTE your whole life or die tomorrow on a car accident. For me the goal is to don’t have in my head “what if” questions when I’m in my grave. If you already wonder about cte with no fights then it means you don’t love it enough. I’m a fighter myself, I have been hit a lot when training, fighting and real life struggles. Only thing I noticed is that my speech has slow down. Most important is not to overthink about, it is real but most important that is working for me is: willing to learn new things that require focus, memory … could be dancing salsa, play chess, read a book … so you can feel your mind expanding. I was severely depressed for several years on the US while fighting. I was illegally in the US, toxic relationship, breaking myself in pieces to make everyone happy but me. My ten year relationship ended up last year. What a nightmare but beggining of the year I felt reborn. Now I have to clear all my mess. *back to the point, eat good, train hard but not all sparring has to be all out (listen to me younger people, I was all out all the time)I quit coffee and I don’t feel anxiety anymore. I have tea and it gives me more than enough. I control my body and actions x3 times better. Defense over offense. Train hard but at the end of training ask your partner or coach to grab 2 pool noodles and hit you with them. Start slow the little by little go faster. Live with healthy brain and fear or possible CTE symptoms and ways to manage it. Choice is yours. Amen

[@sotheysay4040]

I agree I was boxing at Tapias gym, after 5 months of training I did my first sparring session, although I had 6 months experience boxing 7 years prior, 7 months MMA, I couldn’t spar because of a shoulder Lambrum tear I obtained a year prior which still was lingering along with osteoarthritis swelling that was battle to bring down. Anyhow, I was concerned to spar because I noticed they go hard there, and that is exactly what I said, they are fighting not sparing. I had other head gear but purchased Fairtex HG13 I believe which is full face guard but poor view, found it was diagonal view only and was a mistake that I used it. I asked the GM that I wanted to spar someone my level and only go 50%, so she had me spar another coach. He was shorter than me, and from a distance I could see ok and landed a couple shots including a left hook, once he got up close I could not see him and he hammered me, I and gave me the old love beaten hug in the end and wrapped his towel around his neck like a big shot. I drove home and felt off,I was not knocked out but my symptoms were ringing ears, very tired, dazed/rocked. 2-3 days later, my upper right side of head close to the back was in pain, pain pills didn’t really touch it, so I stared drinking to help ease it. I went to the ER, then did a cat scan, all was good said I had a concussion. This happen in October 4th of 2023 and barely eased more the first week of January of 2024, but is still tender some. That day the nurse on site said are you coming back tomorrow, unfortunately I never went back. I find that poor teaching with lack of safety or concern for students! He said one time after he sparred another student, I mentioned you guys were going at it snd he said ya we go hard here and I loose control. Hard to learn if you are injured and cannot even train, I was I pain for months coach bound after work, could barely bend over without pressure pain. I believe there is time for hard sparring maybe a little before fight, but not all the time is stupid, and will only add up to a short shelf life. Couple coaches who boxed before, took too many hits in the past had that drunk speech! BJJ not any better as far as joint injuries go, I suffered a coupled and seen many. I am gonna train Krava MAGa or kenpo 5.0 but I am near 43 now, and my brain health is more important and my career vs brain dead!

[@RamseyDewey]

Ooof… even 50% sparring is a lot. Half of the power of a punch that can knock you out is a punch that can hurt you badly, especially if you are new to boxing. Sparring with any percentage of power is a mistake for anyone who doesn’t know how to box. Headgear exacerbates the problem. It doesn’t protect your brain at all. All headgear does is prevent cuts and bruises on your skin.

[@sotheysay4040]

@@RamseyDewey Yes Sir, I agree 50% is a lot, more like less than 20% Just light taps is more like it, yes headgear only protects against cut and head buts and stuff, some idiots think it is an armor and they can go 100% all the time, no wonder why students do not last there, people are getting beaten! Hard to find a place where safety is a priority, if I ran a gym, that would be my number one concern, starred with education/prevention speech from experience, knowledge and observed injuries in the beginning, however I understand shit happens, but if all places did that, it would at least reduce it if people were more aware. Kenpo 5.0 at least their websites announces safety as priority.

[@steve00alt70]

Its the same as riding a motorcycle as transport all you can do is minimize the risks. Ji jitsu and wrestling wont have as much fear of getting brain damage. But will risk of cauliflower ear (wear ear guards) and do no gi ji jitsu

[@pelejahosoba5280]

Please I injured the right side of my right wrist in a mma a month ago and it still hurts when I train judo or grapple,I used ice and pain killers but they aren’t helping at all,please does coach or anyone here has a better advise or strategy for me

[@Emperor_x8]

Yeah another thing with CTE though is it's relatively new discovery so you're literally learning more and more about it by the day also apparently too much bowing can cause CTE

[@bso1469]

yes the thing is with cte is it seems like so many sports are said to cause it that we might as well just live in a bubble wrap and not do any sports hahah. Some of the most popular sports, boxing, rugby, MMA, American football and apparently even heading a ball in football too often can cause cte. I think we just need to train smart and keep doing what we enjoy.

[@idihcerebe]

What the hell? Where’d you find that from; the brain can not be damaged by forces produced by the neck alone.

[@paulthomassen5007]

Yeah, I remember the days of hard sparring. The only reason I could find the bus after training, was because it was yellow. Later on I found that the hard sparring wasn't necessary. It has probably made me tougher. But, my vision got a little impaired from it. I still managed to finish two engineering degrees after it. So the brain has to be quite resilient and has some ability to repair or replace damage

[@Felled-angel]

I've learned its more noticeable in people who don't allow efficient time between fights or training for that matter i think there's something about the healing process that gets weaker the longer it goes on.

[@Felipe-pn1mn]

im 36 and only been training about 8 months and i've expressed interest to fight at an amateur level. I feel maybe its backwards for me, more like i already feel afflicted by so much that i may as well try.

[@speedbag1]

Another Brilliant presentation. Everything in life has risk vs reward variables.

[@RamseyDewey]

Thank you!

[@andrewguler8091]

Hello Coach. When and why did the idea of chi, as supernatural fighting power, originate? As Meier Shahar points out in his book (The Shaolin Monastery), Kung Fu began as military exercises for warriors. They weren’t sitting around trying to generate magical power. They were wrestling and learning to handle weapons.

[@RamseyDewey]

I suspect it was done originally as a joke.

[@sabian5290]

I want to learn boxing just to be fit, self confidence, and to be able to defend myself. However I am concerned about damage to my brain as I need that more than anything. Is it best to just space out light sparring like every month ?? Maybe a hard spar a few times just to know what the pressure of a real right is like

[@xenov6033]

From what I have been hearing, you shouldn’t do any hard sparring, otherwise there’s still a prominent chance that you develop brain damage. So, 2 years having passed, how are you doing?

[@johngruber6015]

After a football career I've had memory issues and things the last 3 years. Im only 43. Short term memory is shot. Anger self isolation. Really sucks

[@The_Zefside]

I’ve considered quitting boxing due to the CTE risk. Still on the fence though. For the first time in my life I have physical goals.

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

What are your physical goals if you don’t mind me asking? And is boxing 100% tied to that goal?

[@The_Zefside]

@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 Id like to get to professional level but not actually compete - so cardiovascular health, skill level, strength, output, and endurance.

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

@@The_Zefside Give something like kickboxing or Muay Thai a chance. The variation of targets kind of mitigates “some” risk of CTE.

[@jamesbovington8218]

Hi. I hope that you haven't quit boxing. It's the best sport for a man to prove what he's made of and show that he can handle himself with courage.

[@The_Zefside]

@@jamesbovington8218

[@elvicho6876]

You can get cte from just training, if you are going hard 3 times a week could be dangerous to your brain even tho if you are not competing

[@ClayHales]

You can see the fear of CTE creeping into high school sports. There are concussion procedures, which is a good thing, but numbers participating in football seem to be declining. If it continues long enough, I could see the NFL start to go downhill in the near future.

[@rsmith02]

Maybe it's time for that.

[@jonharris3857]

Hey Ramsey, that shirt sports a very symbol used by American commandos known as Task Force Black. They operated in the south of Afghanistan circa 2013 and later. Were you a member?

[@RamseyDewey]

No. That’s the Punisher logo from Marvel comics.

[@176Taichi]

Now,Dewey,I am catching you up,man.

[@RamseyDewey]

My name is Ramsey.

[@benjaminforster2529]

When I say the title and thumbnail, I thought you were going to make fun of those who are concerned about getting serious, permanent brain damage. But as always, your video was filled with wisdom and nuance.

[@RamseyDewey]

What about the title and thumbnail mad you think this wasn't a serious video?

[@benjaminforster2529]

@@RamseyDewey I misinterpreted what the video could be about because you were laughing in the thumbnail and because of the "Everyone is terrified ..." part.

[@RamseyDewey]

@@benjaminforster2529 Interesting. That wasn’t a laugh in the thumbnail though.

[@daa589]

The mom from the parent trap had, what she thought, a minor skiing accident where she hit her head. Ended up passing away. Older I get, more I move away from MMA. I like light sparring and doing boxing drills... Grappling the other hand, anything goes 😝

[@achannel1818]

She was married to Liam Neeson. She was also Vanessa Redgrave's daughter. It was sad when she passed. I liked her a lot in the Parent Trap.

[@daa589]

@@achannel1818 haha yeah she was probably the best part

[@thesurgeon6713]

We all die someday If you love combat sports and that’s your passion go all in for it Every man dies but not every man really lives Just try to do it as safe as possible light sparring

[@TaijDevon]

My right shoulder still twinges. But at an aprox 30 mph bicycle crash while I flipped over the handlebars one of the smartest decisions of my life was just please let me impact on my shoulder not my head. It hurt like hell. Complete shear through the humerus my orthopedist claimed is one of the most painful injuries. But luckily he was so good at pain management he made it bearable without getting me addicted to opiods. Then he sent me to the physical therapist for the LSU football team. For skeptics, my experience is that physical therapy totally works. Maybe he was just some freak genius and you won't have this experience. But I went from my arm in a sling to throwing around a 45 lbs weight in that hand within about six months.

[@lancemurdoc6744]

Hello Ramsey, I hope again that my question isn't totally stupid. What do you think, was fighting in the old days more dangerous, than today ? It is unimaginable to get a new "thriller in Manila". On the other Hand, Ali hit Foreman in Kinshasa hard, but he delivered no unnecrssary blow while Foreman tumble down. This is also rare today.

[@scottmacgregor3444]

By fighting, do you mean boxing specifically? The answer is complicated, and hard to give a simple yes or no to. Olden time fighters had A LOT of fights in their careers on average compared to today. What sorts of factors might affect that? No, or lighter, gloves mean you can't punch as hard without risking injury to your hands. On the other hand we are far more aware and cognizant about injuries and the long term effects of fighting. Also sports medicine has advanced and treatment and recovery methods make recovery from injuries faster and more complete than they used to be. I'm sure there are a ton of factors that I'm not aware of either.

[@lancemurdoc6744]

@@scottmacgregor3444 Thank you for your answer, I guess I get your point. My question was about boxing, because MMA did not exist in the old days (or better not as a promoted sport). I am not a fighter, the old fight looked more brutal, on the other hand the fighting was different (at least it look different). I had also Rocky Marcianos 49 victories in mind. And he took a lot of bows. So this was the reason for my question.

[@scottmacgregor3444]

@@lancemurdoc6744 it's a good question, and one worth exploring, BECAUSE there is no simple answer. I hope Ramsey sees this, because I think it would make a good video.

[@MrTaipeiDan]

Is CTE worse for those who have a low count of blood platelets? I ask because I love martial arts but I have been diagnosed with this disease. Been a bit of a concern.

[@ichirakuramenguy4604]

Ask doctor

[@turtlemaster7697]

Why wouldnt you be

[@nirmalalakra1619]

I have got a chipped tooth , little black left eye and a headache . And all i have negative thoughts like I'll be paralyzed, vision loss , brain cancer whatever etc which is possible , maybe I'll stick with ji jitsu only

[@viiltelijamurhaaja7225]

Its not like it doesnt have any risks either. Mosty every joint will be f:ed

[@uditthakur6510]

you have wonderful voice

[@Robo1]

What do you guys think about VR sparring games like thrill of the fight , it´s not on point right now and it´s only for boxing but in my oppinion it can help you spar without getting damage which makes you prepare much better for real sparring in the gym

[@RamseyDewey]

I am unable to use a VR headset due to my visual disability. So, I have no idea what to tell you other than fighting is not a game.

[@Robo1]

@@RamseyDewey I´m not saying it´s close to a real sparring, but I feel it´s good as a beginner to train your skills, like dodging punches, moving in and out, keeping hands up, etc... so when you spar in real life, at least you have a basic understanding of sparring and it will help you get hit less in real life. If you start real sparring without any VR sparring, I feel you have to think about the same things like dodging punches, moving in and out , keeping hands up but you will get hit a lot by the time you understand the basic of sparring, but i recommend the VR sparring only for beginners because for a boxer who are experienced it will not be much of a help because it´s still not near a real fight.

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

Good analogy - "sparring becoming fighting". Wonder if this is why Eastern striking martial arts mostly shy away from sparring?

[@detectivepenegrande]

My friend Ramsey, currently I work in the afternoon, so right now I cant do bjj or mma. Should I stay with boxing in the morning?

[@RamseyDewey]

Do what you can do, and stop focusing on what you can’t do.

[@danilo6548]

Hey coach. I know CTE is real, but you do not think is over-exaggerated these days? They found CTE evidence basically in every sport, even in baseball. So what are we supposed to do now, not doing basically any sport and living under a glass, isolated from the world? Or maybe just embracing the fact that every activities come with risks and if the risks are calculated, most likely we will be fine. I do not have ambition to compete, i train for fun in Muay thai. Of course I could avoid doing sparring, but it is probably the most important exercise to have an understanding about the sport. At the end of the day if i do a couple of sessions a month of light sparring, of course i still can get brain damaged, but the way i see is that the benefits overcome a lot the risks.

[@danilo6548]

@Ricardo i was mostly referring to people who practice striking combat sports as an hobby, who talks about cte and maybe they do twice a month light sparring. Surely professionals should be concerned and limit heavy sparring, as Ramsey often says. Btw first time I heard combat striking sports are the ones with most common concussions, all articles i read confirm that American football and hockey are the sports with most common concussions. In American Football they even do not try to protect their heads, the game forces the players to use it as an offensive weapon, and as we all know headgears do nothing to protect your head from concussions.

[@darklord220]

@Ricardo it was only boxing.

[@julienwanis7583]

i need to go pro, but this one thing is annyoing me ahhh.

[@chaneke011]

I want to get into martial arts (for self defense) but I am dealing with tinnitus. Anyone with tinnitus that trains? How has your experience been with with tinnitus?

[@RamseyDewey]

I haven’t ever had tinitus. Kwon Kicker has it bad though. He’s made some videos about it.

[@XxalmanzorxX]

I love train, but I feel thar the bag isn't enough, I want to prove myself. But also I don't a pro, and I don't wanna deal with CTE. So I wonder of light sparring is the way and if it's save enough.

[@ryanbrusseau9193]

Haven't watched the video yet, but will it work in da Str33tz?

[@nappyheaded]

Ramsey what did you mean when you said your friend who kept losing and losing didn't even train?

[@RamseyDewey]

That means he didn’t train.

[@glorioussun2505]

I thought CTE was the initials for a feared fighter. That would've been hilarious and epic at the same time!

[@MyCommentsRMaturelol]

Do you have a link or a keyword for that running cte study? I'm struggling to find it

[@RamseyDewey]

No, sorry. Someone sent me a link years ago. I didn’t save it.

[@RamseyDewey]

No, sorry. Someone sent me a link years ago. I didn’t save it.

[@bubblewhip382]

You can't get CTE if you never get hit.

[@Rn.1001]

100 Percent bro work ok that defense

[@raphaellopez9290]

I love getting hit cos it teaches me how to fix mistakes in sparing or fighting plus it makes me feel alive.

[@someboi4903]

Are you not worried about the brain damage ?

[@raphaellopez9290]

@@someboi4903 I don't always get hit

[@someboi4903]

@@raphaellopez9290 Ok

[@chilledvibes4139]

I havint been hit yet properly to feel that... But I'm sure i will someday in my mma carrer lol

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Great advice and just like a drug yeah the thought can be addicting

[@anonperson3972]

I get that, I love martial arts. But don't want to fight.

[@_Noodles82_]

After 4 months of training my coach put me with a guy who is more experienced and 20 kg heavier than me and I went to war with this guy and ended up getting knocked down. I was shaking and stuttering and dizzy as hell. I couldn't box after that. I just couldn't. I tried hard to get back to it but I got PTSD from the damage I took. Now I'm kinda depressed and disappointed at myself. I started this to gain confidence and fight my anxiety instead I lost it all and took damage.

[@ke8739]

It wasn't your fault, stuff like that shouldn't happen under the supervision of a good coach. That's unacceptable. Sparrings aren't meant to be wars. Beginners aren't meant to get rekt. !!! (But to be fair, don't try anymore to damage your sparring partner, it takes 2 to go to war and this mindset is concerning. Maybe you didn't realize that you partner mirrored your intensity to "teach you" to take it easy. Just a thought, might be as well that you weren't at fault at all and anyways the more experienced has to explain it to you and teach you. Both the guy and your coach should have told to go light. It's work, not a combat) Find a club with good, smart and benevolent people. Considering your symptoms, better go with some BJJ, you can roll without getting concussed, people are usually laid back and eager to teach and taking care of your training partner is part of the culture (as it should be in any combat sport). You'll be able to submit 90% of the population in no time and will have infinite room to better yourself, which will give you some confidence.