Because You Didn't Ask: The Irony of Outrage Over Slamming in the Children's Division

When reality doesn't meet expectation:

This is a sport where your child may get tossed on their head or neck en route to the ground.

This is a sport where many schools do not teach breakfalls properly or routinely enough.

This is a sport where another child will attempt to choke your child unconscious or break or hyperextend their elbow or shoulder joint.

I see adults still reach out with their hand when being thrown (good way to break your arm or dislocate the elbow), or land with the point of their elbow (shoulder damage or dislocation or rotator cuff damage).

I've seen guillotines in children's division that appeared far more dangerous than any other portion of the match.

What I saw in the match was a kid try to jump guard and as he did it the other kid almost immediately turned it into a takedown.

What was inexcusable is the referee being unaware that the child was unconscious.

Particularly in children's divisions, the first rule is and will always be keep it as safe AS POSSIBLE.
The goal is to train tomorrow.
The goal is to not become injured.
The goal is to not have a concussion.

All of these are things we hope for, but this isn't checkers or backgammon or table tennis.

You have put your child into a combat sport.

These things will happen.
If this sound unsympathetic, you are not reading my words.
You put your kid into football, statistics show, it is the highest rate of catastrophic injury in high school/amateur sporting competition.
You put your kid into cheerleading, statistics show, it has one of the highest rates of catastrophic injury in high school/amateur sporting competition.

Do your due diligence as a parent.
Understand the reality of the sport in which you are placing your child.
Understand that even under the best of circumstances, serious, potentially maiming injury, and perhaps on a long enough time line,  catastrophic injury will occur.