Thought about putting this under the “Bad Ideas” thread, but, dont know how many check that one out. This is a decent article on the hazards weight cutting, quoting Jim Miller, a current pro MMA fighter. For those of you actively competing, it is worth a read:
Very good read.
Making weight is probably the most difficult and least pleasurable element of combat sports.
In extreme situations, it can also be the most painful and damaging.
This is definitely an area that we all need address
this was a great read thanks.
Cutting for wrestling - is brutal
for the longest time it was par for the course
its what my contemporaries did and its what I did.
and you had to get over the dram of it.
lots of injuries - both traumatic and long term can sprout from this
you can become more susceptible to concussions
and long term there is allot of endocrine damage that can occur
[quote]brotardscience wrote:
this was a great read thanks.
Cutting for wrestling - is brutal
for the longest time it was par for the course
its what my contemporaries did and its what I did.
and you had to get over the dram of it.
lots of injuries - both traumatic and long term can sprout from this
you can become more susceptible to concussions
and long term there is allot of endocrine damage that can occur
[/quote]
Fact man…
I messed myself up pretty bad there for a while and it took some fixing
what do you make of the way weigh classes in sports are designed.?
does anyone think it needs restructuring to the day off the event - or failing that, have a limit to how much weight can be gained back? ive heard of a couple of fights having rehydration clauses but they seem to be a rarity.
it just seems abused. I mean, one example that springs to mind is chavez jr. When he fought Martinez, he rehydrated to 185 from 160. Martinez meanwhile weighed 167. an 18lb difference.
I haven’t watched many chavez fights but I hear he regularly use to outweigh opponents by 20/25lbs.
And then, in a big dose of retribution, the one time he fights someone the same size (fonfara) he gets knocked out.
People say he smoke too much weed and doesn’t train right. To me it just seems like hes not that good and finally took shots from someone not 2 stone lighter.
It a idealistic thought; setting the weigh ins the morning of the fight will eliminate weight cutting.
It may reduce the size of the cut, but even if they set the weigh in an hour before, there will be cutting.
The issue with Chavez Jr. is not the size of his cut; but the legality of his cut.
Its true, Julio Jr. often comes in 25lbs heavier than opponents;
in and of itself there is nothing wrong there.
If you can do that healthily and legally more power to you.
But there are numerous questions over Chavez’s cut and particularly pharmaceutical agents that may have been used.
He is not a Light heavyweight. With correct training and nutrition he would probably be a middleweight.
20lbs may sound a lot from a boxing perspective. It is.
But from a grappling perspective, that would be a regular cut.
Freestyle wrestlers; they have the real hellish cuts.
The problem is, in striking arts we expect and anticipate strikes to land to the head and surrounding areas. Without any scientific support I know that getting hit while you are dry hurts more than in your natural, well hydrated training state.
Selecting a weight class is your own choice and responsibility.
In boxing particularly there is a weight class every 5lbs or so.
More severe punitive measures for those missing weight will result in more careful consideration of what class you are truly capable of making.