Slap fighting
Slap fighting is a competitive sport where two participants, known as "strikers," take turns delivering open-handed slaps to each other's faces without the ability to defend against the blows. Matches can occur over a set number of rounds or continue until one competitor submits or is unable to continue, such as being knocked out. Originally emerging from small venues, slap fighting's popularity has surged globally, particularly in the United States, where it has been officially sanctioned since late 2022. The Nevada Athletic Commission introduced specific safety rules, such as prohibiting strikes below the chin and requiring open-handed slaps to minimize risk.
As a form of competition, slap fighting can offer cash prizes or simply bragging rights, and it has gained a broader audience through media exposure, including the show "Power Slap" and the establishment of the Power Slap League, promoted by Dana White of the UFC. However, the sport has faced significant criticism from medical professionals and athletes, who raise concerns about the potential for brain damage and other injuries associated with repeated head trauma. Supporters of slap fighting, however, argue that its risks are lower compared to more traditional contact sports like boxing, where participants endure a greater number of strikes. As slap fighting continues to grow, it remains a topic of debate concerning safety and its place in the realm of competitive sports.
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Slap fighting
Slap fighting is a competitive activity in which participants, or “strikers,” take turns slapping each other in the face. A slap fighting match may play out over a set number of rounds or may continue until one competitor gives up or is rendered unable to continue. Slap fighters are not allowed to defend against incoming strikes. However, in regulated slap fighting contests, certain safety rules apply. The main rules are that all strikes must be open handed—true slaps—and blows cannot land under the chin.
Background
Slap fighting is a contest in which two participants stand face to face and proceed to take turns slapping each other in the face. The competitor being slapped is not allowed to defend against the oncoming strike. The contest may have a set time limit or round count; otherwise, it continues until one competitor submits or is unable to continue, such as by being knocked out. Match winners may win a cash prize or some other reward. In unsanctioned matches, the prize might simply be “bragging rights.”
Like boxing or mixed martial arts matches, slap fights are divided into rounds. Sanctioned matches may last for three to five rounds, depending on the circumstances. The competitors are known as “strikers.” After each slap, the striker who received the slap has one minute to recover and regain composure, and then prepare for a return slap. Each slap is rated based on its power, with the most powerful awarded more points by judges.
Overview
This unique form of competition started small, with slap fighting contests taking place sporadically in small-time venues. Its exact origins are unclear, but some researchers have traced its earliest development to Russia or other parts of Eastern Europe. These events were not sanctioned by major sporting organizations or held to any standardized body of rules.
Despite its initial low profile, the activity became increasingly popular and spread to many parts of the world, including the United States. By the 2020s, had become one of the fastest-growing games in the country, alongside other popular activities such as pickleball (a combination of tennis and ping-pong) and cornhole (a throwing game involving small beanbags).
In October 2022, slap fighting gained a sudden increase in reputability when it was officially sanctioned as a sport by the Nevada Athletic Commission. In early 2023, the new sport rose to an even higher profile and level of exposure when the television station TBS introduced “Power Slap,” a show featuring slap fighting contests. This show and its contests became popular, along with online videos of sanctioned and unsanctioned matches.
In January 2023, the first major national slap fighting organization, the Power Slap League, debuted. As of March 2023, the Power Slap League had a roster of more than thirty strikers. The Power Slap League’s lead promoter and public figurehead was Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a popular, long-running mixed martial arts organization. White as leader would serve as a to bridge between martial arts and slap fighting, potentially drawing in established UFC fans to the new sport.
White, an established promoter, was also seen as a good choice to draw public attention to the new brand. For his part, White commented that he liked the challenge represented in slap fighting and characterized its practitioners as regular people with a love of competition. White also explained that he was looking forward to his own personal challenge, on the business end, in taking a relatively small idea and attempting to create a new international powerhouse sporting brand.
In February 2023, the Nevada Athletic Commission followed its sanctioning of slap fighting with a concession to safety by requiring all sanctioned contests to abide by certain rules. The most basic rule is that, as is the nature of a true slap, the striker must use an open hand. (A closed hand would turn the strike into a punch.)
In addition, strikers are barred from slapping below the chin. As in other combat-related sports, a strike to the chin is likely to cause the struck person’s head to rotate sharply and suddenly. This violent movement may affect the brain, which may move in the skull in potentially dangerous ways and lead to a loss of consciousness. In addition, strikes below the chin might damage the throat or other delicate parts of the neck.
Judges attending each match will have the ability to analyze each strike, on video if necessary, to determine whether it was a legal maneuver. Strikers who do not abide by these rules may be disqualified. In sanctioned matches, medical personnel should be on hand to act quickly in the event of a knockout or any clear injury or emergency. Strikers are likely to be medically evaluated after each match to determine whether they sustained any serious or lasting damage.
Despite the sport’s nods to safety, thousands of medical experts as well as athletes in other combat sports have spoken out against it. Many have called it brutal and shocking. Specifically, most complaints and concerns about slap fighting focus on the dangers of brain damage incurred by concussions and other head trauma. In the twenty-first century, the results of repeated concussions have shown to have devastating long-term effects on participants in other rough sports, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Some observers have charged that slap fighting is merely brain damage used as entertainment.
White and other supporters of slap fighting have defended against criticism, claiming that slap fighting is less dangerous than other contact sports, mainly boxing. In boxing, participants may receive dozens or even hundreds of strikes per match. Meanwhile, in organized slap fighting, matches typically do not exceed three to five strikes per striker.
Bibliography
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Brooks, Khristopher J. “Face-slapping League Turns heads as it Looks to Become Next Major U.S. Sport.” CBS News, 9 Mar. 2023, www.cbsnews.com/news/slap-fighting-power-slap-league-dana-white-sport/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.
Dawson, Alan. “Slap Fighting, a Brutal Sport, has Left the World of Boxing Confused and in Shock. It’s ‘Literally Organized Brain Damage,’ One Exec Said.” Insider, 29 Jan. 2023, www.insider.com/power-slap-boxing-world-aghast-at-american-slap-fighting-2023-1. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.
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Washburn, Emily. “Slap Fighting: What to Know About the Controversial New Combat Sport Trying to Grow as Medical Experts Disapprove.” Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/emilywashburn/2023/03/08/slap-fighting-what-to-know-about-the-controversial-new-combat-sport-trying-to-grow-as-medical-experts-disapprove/?sh=748000574f59. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.
“Why Do Boxers Get ‘Knocked Out’?” Science ABC, 8 July 2022, www.scienceabc.com/sports/people-get-knocked.html. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.