Imagine standing completely still, hands by your side, as an opponent winds up to deliver a full-force slap to your face. No dodging, no blocking—just a raw, open-hand strike to your head. This is the world of slap fighting, a sport that has recently burst into the spotlight with the launch of Power Slap in 2023. Brutal, fast-paced, and shocking, slap fighting has captivated audiences with its extreme nature. But beneath the entertainment lies a darker reality—one that we are becoming increasingly concerned about: the high risk of concussions and long-term brain injuries.
Despite the sport’s rising popularity, with videos of knockout blows going viral online, the risks have been largely overlooked—until now. Our latest research has taken us into the world of slap fighting, analyzing real match footage to quantify just how dangerous these head strikes really are. The results are alarming, and as media outlets like BBC and CBS have highlighted, slap fighting may be more harmful than even its most avid fans realize.
But how risky is slap fighting, really? In a recent study, we set out to quantify the concussion risk by analyzing video footage of slap fighting matches, uncovering some alarming findings that reveal the hidden dangers behind this brutal sport.
Videos from Power Slap events often show fighters displaying concussion symptoms immediately after receiving blows. Despite growing concern, no one had yet attempted to scientifically quantify the concussion risk—until now.
The Study: Quantifying the Risk
Our study aimed to put hard numbers behind what experts have been warning: slap fighting is dangerous. To do this, we analyzed 78 fights from various Power Slap events, reviewing 333 slaps amongst 56 contestants. Our focus was to identify any visible signs of concussion, like disorientation, motor incoordination, or being slow to get up after a blow.
The results were eye-opening. Concussive signs were observed in nearly 30% of slaps and over half of the sequences(back-to-back slaps within a match). Even more troubling, 78.6% of contestants showed at least one sign of concussion during their match. This means that most participants are likely walking away with head injuries that could have long-term consequences.
The Most Common Signs of Concussion During our analysis, we noticed three signs of concussion appeared most frequently:
- Motor incoordination: Contestants showed difficulty maintaining balance or moving properly after a slap.
- Slow to get up: Fighters took longer than usual to stand after being struck, indicating possible disorientation.
- Blank, vacant look: A telltale sign of brain injury, fighters often appeared dazed or lost immediately after a blow.
Why Is Slap Fighting So Dangerous?
One of the key dangers of slap fighting is that the contestants are not allowed to defend themselves. Unlike in traditional combat sports, where fighters can dodge or block blows, slap fighters stand motionless and take the full force of a hit to the head. This leaves them vulnerable to extremely precise, unprotected blows that significantly increase the risk of concussion.
What’s Next for Slap Fighting?
Our study highlights the serious dangers that come with this relatively new sport, and it’s clear that more needs to be done to protect the health of slap fighters. The high rate of concussions observed in our analysis should be a wake-up call for event organizers and regulators. Implementing better safety measures, including more rigorous medical evaluations before and after fights, is crucial.
But more than that, we need to ask whether sports like slap fighting, which put contestants at high risk for head injuries, should be allowed to continue in their current form. As we learn more about the long-term effects of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, the risks become harder to ignore.
If you want to dive deeper into the full research findings, you can read our published study here.