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by Christian Duque<\/em><\/p>\n Slap boxing is an extremely bizarre passtime. I have no problem calling bodybuilding a sport, despite the fact many people have misgivings about it. A lot of people think it\u2019s just a pastime, a pageant, or a hobby. Ok. Well, if that\u2019s so, then I\u2019m sure these same people wouldn\u2019t fault me for, perhaps, being overly-critical about slap boxing. This is a situation where two people face each other and take turns slapping the hell out of the other. There\u2019s judges, cameras, and fans. That last element is key. People can\u2019t get enough of these matches. You\u2019ve got men and women, of all ages, from all parts of the world, throwing their hats in the ring. What\u2019s truly different is that this phenomenon has gone from being a totally underground situation, to one that\u2019s got the likes of Logan Paul and Arnold Schwarzenegger turning it onto the mainstream. For someone on the level of Arnold to want to get involved in this, means that it\u2019s got the potential to be really popular, and more importantly, really profitable. Just look at what Dana White has been able to achieve with MMA in 20 years. It\u2019s bigger than boxing, it\u2019s not dependent on any state or country, meaning they could have a UFC in Seattle or Singapore, and everyone will attend and buy Pay Per View. What other sport can you say that about?<\/p>\n If the fans can\u2019t get enough, you\u2019re going to have vendors, licensing, and residuals. At its core, it doesn\u2019t seem all that exciting, but that\u2019s because I\u2019m looking at it with a certain degree of skepticism. That\u2019s why I\u2019m a writer and not a promoter. To me, there\u2019s nothing all that exciting about people exchanging slaps, but if we look at the sport\u2019s reception in Europe and Asia, then it stands to reason it\u2019ll be huge in America. There, I finally called it a sport. <\/p>\n Of course it\u2019s a sport, it\u2019s just SO weird. For starters, there\u2019s an undeniable strength component. While this isn\u2019t a physique-based sport, it requires a lot of full body power. The competitors have to have excellent hand-eye coordination, the ability to hit on a number occasions, and do so with a great deal of accuracy. Much like boxing, it\u2019s not so much about the quantity of hits, as much as it\u2019s about the quality. The key would be to produce the maximum amount of force possible. They\u2019re not trying to tickle each other. This is an aggressive, violent sport. Folks can\u2019t really knock it for that, then go watch MMA.<\/p>\n Mixed Martial Arts is probably the most violent sport out there, from local fight nights to the PPV options. People can\u2019t get enough and not only can\u2019t they get enough, but they want to participate as well. Just look at how many MMA gyms have sprung up throughout the country. Who knows, maybe we\u2019ll start seeing Slap Boxing dojos in your hometown gyms. Afterall, if the demand is there, someone\u2019s going to capitalize on it. And you know, maybe my initial skepticism is simply based on the fact I\u2019ve never heard of this before. <\/p>\n To be honest, the first time I saw all of this slap boxing stuff, I had a flashback to Kali Muscle\u2019s Slap City. That\u2019s a little different though. There you had a yoked, juiced to the gills ex-con slapping young punks on the back after taking pre workout powder at big fitness expos. That\u2019s not a sport \u2013 it\u2019s just weird. Slap Boxing is pretty weird, too, but maybe not that weird. If you slap these people, they\u2019ll slap the hell out of you, back. It\u2019s also organized around rules, referees and so on.<\/p>\n That said, from the looks of the strikes, I\u2019d imagine some of these folks could easily have broken cheekbones, noses, maybe lose some teeth and\/or maybe even suffer concussions. While it\u2019s not closed fist punching, you have a person standing still while another uses an enormous amount of total body power, all channeled through one slap against the still person\u2019s face. There\u2019s no telling what kind of injuries could result. And I mean totally beyond swollen lips and eyes. TBI\u2019s, or traumatic brain injuries, require MRI\u2019s and CT Scans in order to become known. There\u2019s no telling if the harder slaps could cause these types of very serious injuries. Also, unlike boxing and MMA, all the hits in Slap Boxing go to the head and unlike those other sports, the person receiving the blows can\u2019t even put up their guard. They just stand there and take it. It just seems like a really bad idea, but I\u2019m just a writer; I have to report on what people are doing. With guys like Logan Paul and Arnold now involved in this sport, it\u2019s bound to get a lot bigger, in no time. <\/p>\n
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