Conventional wisdom has long held that hits resulting in loss of consciousness were the primary factor in long term cognitive dysfunction in athletes. New research continues to shed light on this assumption and it is becoming clearer that while concussive events can lead to long term harm, cumulative sub-concussive events take their own toll.
In a boxing specific study published earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Science research demonstrated that “functional impairment was more related to the volume and intensity of sparring during training than the frequency of knockouts inflicted during competition.”
This finding should serve a strong reminder that it is vital to protect your head not only in competition but in training. Repeated blows to the head take their toll and current research demonstrates that sub-concussive events do add up. There is nothing wrong with training hard but protect your head and spar smart. There is no need to repeatedly rattle your brain in order to improve your craft!
Combat Sports Law 
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