Popular medical professional and YouTuber Dr. Mike has voiced strong opposition to Power Slap competitions, calling for their prohibition due to significant health risks.
“Someone needs to come out and speak out against [Power Slap]… It needs to be stopped,” he stated in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. “It takes the worst part about combat sports and accelerates it.”
The physician, who is currently researching the most dangerous sports, explained that Power Slap essentially magnifies the most harmful aspects of combat sports while eliminating beneficial elements.
“Why is boxing problematic? Repeat blows to the head if someone’s not protecting themselves. And here, the whole point is to not protect yourself and take blows,” the doctor pointed out.
Unlike traditional combat sports that require extensive training, cardiovascular conditioning, and defensive techniques, Power Slap competitions involve participants standing stationary while receiving undefended strikes to the head.
This format has raised alarm among neurologists and sports medicine specialists who warn about the potential for traumatic brain injuries. With competitors unable to dodge or block incoming slaps, the full force impacts directly on the brain, causing it to collide against the skull.
Several states have already taken steps against the activity. Alabama’s Athletic Commission voted to prohibit slap fighting in 2022, with Executive Director John Parris describing it as “just a head injury waiting to happen with no gear or anything.”
Alabama Senator Gerald Allen has filed legislation to codify this ban into state law after viewing online clips of the competitions.
Meanwhile, Power Slap promoters defend the activity, claiming they implement safety protocols and medical supervision.
Health experts counter that no amount of supervision can mitigate the fundamental danger: repeated, undefended blows to the head. They emphasize that brain trauma is cumulative, with effects potentially manifesting years later as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or other neurodegenerative conditions.
“It’s literally taking the unhealthiest aspect and removing the healthiest aspect which is all the cardio, the training that’s required to box,” Dr. Mike concluded. “To me, it’s nonsense.”
Recently, medical professionals urge regulatory bodies nationwide to prioritize competitor safety and consider following Alabama’s lead in prohibiting what they view as an unnecessarily dangerous activity masquerading as sport.
