Hey all! To re-introduce myself, I'm a combat sports fan who happens to be a physician in the US. I've trained boxing, kickboxing, MT and have competed as an amateur too. I also enjoy writing about the sports med/neuro aspects of this crazy sport, and hope to provide a different perspective to the typical breakdowns you may see. I wrote this brief post in light of Giga Chikadze's upcoming fight against Calvin Kattar this weekend. Check out my IG page if this kind of stuff interests you.
Note: the following is for general informational purposes only, not to serve as actual medical advice. See a doctor IRL if you wish to seek treatment for concussions
Note 2: No I'm not the same doctor who made the video about Adesanya's gyno (I've been asked this question here before)
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All fighters know that itβs the strike that you donβt see coming which does the most damage. This makes sense on a general level, but is there any science behind it?
π₯ Fighters through the ages have trained specifically to increase their ability to take head strikes, mainly via neck hypertrophy exercise. However, more recent research suggests that it's the reaction time needed to quickly stiffen the neck in time for impact which could be more important than simply increasing size or strength. Fighters known for their βchinsβ may therefore just have excellent eyes. They can anticipate attacks while avoiding focusing too much on any one spot (like driving a car). Reactive drilling and fight simulation to instill pattern recognition and reflexes should therefore remain the most crucial parts of fight prep.
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π₯ There's still much to learn about the inner workings of the brain, but studies have shown that visual attention and focus can temporarily suppress parts of the brainβs vestibular cortex (the part which is important for balance and gives us the ability to perceive our bodies in relation to the external environment). This may happen via decreased release of glutamate, the molecule responsible for βturning onβ many brain functions. Therefore it MAY be possible that a fighter's vestibular function is diminished when he i
... keep reading on reddit β‘
