Every year, millions of students around the world participate in school activities involving intense physical contact, significant risk of injury, and even potentially long-term health effects. Programs such as football and wrestling have become entrenched parts of school culture despite their dangerous nature, yet school officials often reject combat sports like boxing and jiu-jutsu for being too violent for school environments. This raises an important question: if schools already accept physically intense sports, should combat sports really be considered unacceptable?
Throughout the past several decades, one of the biggest parental concerns with combat sports in schools has been the idea that they promote violence. While this is true, it’s important to note that CHS has incorporated high-contact and physically demanding sports in their repertoire before, two of which stand out the most: wrestling and American football. Wrestling, which itself is a form of combat sport, involves a player attempting to pin an opponent to the mat until time runs out, with players often landing in positions placing them at risk of neck and spinal injury. American football isn’t any better, with players colliding at high speeds, making every player susceptible to concussions, broken bones, and even chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition which gradually degrades the brain until the individual exhibits symptoms similar to that of both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. If the school is already fine with having these highly physical sports, then incorporating other combat sports shouldn’t be a major issue.
Ironically, sports scientists argue that combat sports may even be safer than football. According to a study by the Association of Neurological Surgeons, in 2025, only about 5% of boxers suffered from serious, lifelong head injury, a 50% decrease from previous decades. Furthermore, only about 5-7% of boxers suffered at least 1 concussion per match. In comparison, the NFL reported that around 25-30% of players suffered at least one concussion per season, with 50% exhibiting signs of CTE. Researchers concluded that, despite boxing’s more obvious head blows, fighters are trained to defend, avoid, and minimize impact, so the amount of head injuries are significantly lower than expected compared to football.
Additionally, schools like to promote sports that involve a great deal of teamwork. Soccer, American football, basketball, and all other sports CHS has participated in all involve some degree of teamwork, displaying a unified school spirit. On the other hand, combat sports are typically very individualized: fighters spend a great deal of time fighting alone. However, this can also be said about wrestling – wrestling matches are only between two fighters, involving almost no team coordination, with strategies and tactics only applying to individual players.
It can also be argued that combat sports do involve a lot of teamwork, even though it doesn’t seem like it. Behind the scenes, fighters train alongside teammates, supporting each other during conditioning and weight cuts, competitions, and giving words of advice and encouragement to one another. Daniel Park, a JV wrestler at CHS, even stated that he found himself “making and strengthening a lot of meaningful friendships ever since [he] joined the team.” Fighters can display school spirit and pride through partaking in matches with sportsmanship and valor.
Beyond safety and violence concerns, however, schools must also consider the legal and liability issues associated with combat sports. Because these sports usually involve direct physical contact, schools may worry that these may lead to various lawsuits or increased insurance costs. However, these issues are also present in wrestling and football: players constantly suffer from a plethora of injuries, ranging from minor sprains to broken bones, yet these programs continue to be widely accepted by schools across the nation. These problems are typically addressed with better coaching, stricter guidelines, medical supervision, and waivers requiring parent signatures, all solutions that can be implemented into the incorporation of combat sports to make them significantly safer.
Combat sports are often criticized for their perceived violence, yet many existing athletic programs already involve significant physical risk. Because wrestling and football remain widely accepted, it is reasonable to reconsider the role of combat sports in school programs. With better coaching and stricter regulations, these sports could offer meaningful athletic and social experiences, help strengthen school spirit, and set a precedent for future schools.
