How Can Combat Sports Promote Aggressiveness?

SUMMARY Many people nowadays believe that combat sports, and especially boxing, promote violence and aggressiveness. The mass media have played a vital role in shaping the perception that the practice of martial arts in fact, attracts violent individuals or promotes aggressiveness especially in young people by frequently presenting martial arts in a negative way, prettifying the stiffened violence of Hollywood as well as promoting this distorted image. (Fuller, 1988, Grady, 1998, Stickney, 2005).
Due to the conflicting nature of these kinds of sports, there have always been conflicting views regarding their influence on young people’s behavior. The question is whether and to what extent can combat sports affect the rate of aggression among
Research that has resorted to conflicting conclusions and disagreements. For instance, it has been claimed that participation in martial arts can provide students with positive educational opportunities ( Theeboom & De Knop, 1999), therefore, the young participants experiencing increased self-reliance and enthusiastic optimism.(Kurian, Verdi, Caterino & Kulhavy, 1994), reduced hostility and aggressiveness (Edelman, 1994 Zivin, Hasan, DePaula, Monti, Harlan, Hossain et all, 2001), increased psychological well-being (Steyn & Roux, 2009) as well as improvements in areas of regulation of cognitive and emotional objects, in positive social behavior and in improved classroom behavior. (Lakes & Hoyt, 2004). On the other hand, some other scientific studies have shown no evidence for improved self-esteem or reduced hostility. (Wargo, Spirrison, Thorne & Henley, 2007). Actually, some studies have even reported negative conclusions as a result of the participation in martial arts and combat sports including increased antisocial behavior, too. (Reynes & Lorant, 2002 – Endresen & Olweus, 2005). Typical is the study of Endresen and Olweus, 2005, which drew the conclusion that participation in power sports such as boxing, wrestling and weight-lifting as well as in Oriental Martial Arts
Not few are the medical scientists who have requested the ban on Boxing for youth sports under the age of sixteen for philosophical, medical and moral reasons (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1997 & Pearn ,1998). Pearn 1998, for example, proposed that “….there is no place in contemporary society for a youth sport which has, as its primary goal, the infliction of acute brain damage on an opponent” (p. 311). In addition, the British Medical Association have displayed a great interest in the direction of struggling for the ban on Boxing in United Kingdom (Underharnscheidt and Underharnscheidt, 2003; Loosemore, Knowles and Whyte,