Stupidity or Sport?
A Deep Dive Into Slap-Fighting
C. D. Michel
I’M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO POWER SLAPPING or slap fighting through TikTok, or Instagram Reels, as you watch two absolute units try and slap each other unconscious. These videos left me in utter confusion as I questioned whether this weird testosterone warfare was cool or further rotting my brain. So, I decided to do some research to help both of us understand this strange sport.
Vasily Kamotsky at the Siberian Power Show 2019
Slap-fighting had been running informally in Eastern Europe since the early 2000s, as groups of people would join to win a locally collated prize pool of approximately $500 USD ($780 AUD). However, the sport’s lack of media coverage and prize funding left it in the shadows, until a video from the Siberian Power Show (2019) went viral. The video was of professional slapper Vasily Kamotsky knocking out another fighter, which gathered over 14 million views. This single video led to the globalisation of the sport, especially gaining attention in the U.S. The significant growth in the sport’s popularity was furthered by the creation of the Slap Fighting Championship (2022) hosted by Logan Paul, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and The Power Slap League (2023), which were both televised over the States – allowing the sport to become a part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Ryan Phillips taking his first slap in the Power Slap League
The rules are quite simple to appeal to the thick-headed (literally). The slap-fighters are organised into four different classes: heavy-weight (120kg–92kg), light-heavyweight (92kg–83kg), middle-weight (83kg–77kg) and welter-weight (less than 77kg). Each fighter is matched up against another fighter in their division, and there are three to five rounds where players take turns in slapping the souls out of each other, until the rounds are over, or the opposition is knocked unconscious. Each round lasts two minutes and is split into quarters of 30 seconds. The first quarter is time for ‘Slapper 1’ to slap his opponent, and the second quarter is for the opponent to recover, and if he cannot do so within the 30 seconds, ‘Slapper 1’ wins the fight. The third and fourth quarters are the same as the first and second, however it’s “Slapper 2’s’ ‘ turn to slap. If neither athlete is knocked unconscious, or taps out by round five, the judges decide on a winner, based on the effectiveness of the slaps, the opponent’s reaction, and their recovery time (the lower the reaction and recovery time, the better). The final rules implemented in the competition are illegal slaps, which are either caused by a slap which is led by the palm and not the wrist, or if the striker moves their feet while slapping.
As expected from any fighting sport, injuries are very common, however slap fighting is often considered one of, if not the most dangerous sport. Brain trauma, bleeding and concussions are to be expected, as players take repeated blows to the head. However, what differs from most martial arts, and boxing is that the players must take the hit and are not allowed to protect themselves. Their hands must be behind their back, and players are allowed to align their hand to conceive the perfect hit resulting in full impact, causing the athletes to be highly susceptible to injury in comparison to other sports.
Julia Kruzer slapping Adrianna Sledz at the Slap Fighting Championship
Despite being a one-way ticket to a concussion, there are still thousands of people who slap-fight. The rewards for winners are approximately between $2,000 – $10,000 USD per round in the Power Slap championship. However, slap fighters often receive minimal income during the rounds previous to the leagues. Despite seeming like a hefty amount of money, the cost of healthcare, and insurance, especially in America where the sport is most popular, seem incomparable to the prize money; Concussion treatment in the U.S is approximately $800-$2,000 and permanent traumatic brain injury can cost between $85,000 – $3,000,000 across one’s lifetime.
Comsa Sorin’s face after winning the Romanian Championship
The Goats of power slapping (Left to right below)
Heavy-Weight Champion:
Damien Dibbel
Light-Heavy-Weight Champion:
Ron Bata
Middle-Weight Champion:
John Davis
Welter-Weight Champion:
Christopher Thomas
