The distinctive value of impact in martial arts and combat sports

In defending the claim that youth participation in impact sports constitutes a form of child abuse, the target article questions the value of physical impact, arguing that non-impact sports can provide the same, if not greater, benefits without exposing participants to comparable risks. Although we share the authors’ concern for the safety and well-being of young athletes, we contend that their conclusion that impact sports should be prohibited is premature and rests on an insufficiently nuanced ethical analysis. By focusing primarily on empirical assessments of harm and benefit, the authors overlook several meaningful goods that may be unique to impact versions of combat sports and martial arts. These include (1) enhanced enjoyment derived from levels of excitement and intensity absent in non-impact alternatives; (2) more effective self-defense and confidence-building training; (3) a distinctive phenomenology of physical adversity that can lead to the cultivation of virtue; and (4) opportunities to challenge gender norms and promote the bodily autonomy of girls and women. While these distinctive values do not in themselves justify participation in combat sports, they are ethically relevant considerations that must be incorporated into any adequate assessment of their permissibility.