Should children learn chokes?

I used to in judo when I was a kid and so far I've never killed anyone.
My son learned them too. Certain kids then maybe not but a blanket ban is one of those broad strokes measures that's no good for anyone

 

I always think the problems stem more from the risks in training?

Rather than them going all psycho.

The same for excessive locks, iirc there's an issue with bone formation at certain ages.

 

It's context and knowing the risks. Some kids will understand, some are just horrible. Don't think it's just applicable to kids though

 

IMO Dean alludes to something interesting, where do we draw the line? Chokes can kill or deprive kids brain's of oxygen, breaks or joint manipulation can really damage growing bones, and kicks and punches can do blunt trauma damage. Where do we say enough is enough for kids?

Personally I think most child-child choke fatalities happen with curious kids that try to imitate what they see on WWE (at least that's what we had as kids) and end up doing serious harm to their friends (of course I can't back that up). I think that in a formal setting the curiosity satisfied under proper supervision and they are less likely to try it on friends since they've done it in class already.

 

Might partially depend on what age is meant by kids. "Kids" could mean as young as 5 or 6 and "kids in other classes could be 14 or 15yrs.

 

Ahh ok I see.

Although oxygen is important for the growth of the brain, having it stop for a few seconds at most, twice a week, probably won't have any major impacts on proper development. Also chokes generally don't do much damage to the vertebrae of the neck, so there is a low risk or neurological damage there.

The morals of it is a separate topic though.

 

Correctly applied they may not.

What about the risks of incorrectly applied chokes?

We're talking about kids after all, it's bound to go wonky at some point.

I assume an adult can physically deal with something going wrong a bit better than a child?

 

Its not just oxygen depletion, its the risk to the trachae and spine, and the maturity of the kids practicing.

For Infomation purposes:

IBJJF rules for Kids BJJ - page 22

http://www.ibjjf.org/docs/rulesibjjf1stedition.pdf

General guide, no direct attacks to the trachae, nothing which incidentally attacks the spine - i.e. triangle choke.

General Judo Shime waza background - http://judoinfo.com/chokes.htm

''Judo is well known for the "Judo choke", but many other martial arts are now teaching choke holds without the wealth of background and experience most Judo experts have.''

''Care should be taken when teaching chokes to children whose physiology is different and naturally less developed than adults. In most Judo tournaments in the U.S. chokes are not permitted for children under 13 years old.''

In the UK in Judo, Juniors I dont believe are allowed to compete with shime waza.

 

Well I'd hope the instructor(s) would be better at their job! xD

But if we look at a rear naked choke, then yeah a kid can accidentally twist the neck and do some real damage to the vertebrae. But I also see that happening with adults. I think one thing that we have to keep in mind is that children are physically weaker than adults and so the damage they can deal and take are both much lower than adult's.

That being said I have no clue how much damage kids can actually do to themselves when things go AWOL, and so I'd let someone with the relevant statistics prove me wrong!

 

:hail:

Fair enough.

 

No, I wouldn't even consider it. Kids have a touch time regulating power and pressure, and I don't want anyone getting hurt.

 

I can't remember about now but I know I was choked out in my first competition when I was about 11. Guess thigs have changed but I know kids still learn them in judo

 

Emergencies Only

Chokes are a great self defense tool for a kid to have in his/her "Bag of Tricks" Especially useful when the "Bully" is an older/heavier kid. That said, I teach the chokes on the BOB. I also emphasize to the kid and his parent that the choke is for emergencies only.

 

I learned chokes when I was 12. Never injured myself or anyone else using them either. A proper choke is one of the most effective and safest measures to stop an attacker without damaging them.

 

Most kid may be completely fine doing chokes and other submissions, but all it takes is one injury and you got angry parents filing a lawsuit. And only one lawsuit may be all it takes to shut a club down. Is it really worth the risk?

 

So do the kids ever actually attempt the choke on real person in practise?

Have you qualified in first aid for kids?

 

Yes, I'm first aid/cpr certified until 2014. Actually the kids do the chokes on willing adult participants. eg. Dad