I think most guys get the mild hankering to start a “fight club” after seeing the movie of the same name. Apparently some more than others — CBS 5 reports on an informal fighting club in Silicon Valley. A group of software engineers get together wearing minimal protective gear (cups, fencing masks, elbow pads, knee pads) and have at it. Exotic weaponry is showcased, such as (I kid you not) plastic knives, rolled up magazines, toilet seats, and cookie sheets. This is a bad idea.

Sparring is a good thing. It’s also very controlled, so often, one wonders how applicable it is to real life fighting. However, a free-for-all like this is a little bit unsafe. I can see stab wounds, concussions, and other injuries just around the corner for this group. Someone’s going to the hospital.

While I can certainly appreciate wanting to do something that really breaks you out of the cubicle world, as well as engaging in an activity that allows you to use your martial arts skills, a club like this dangerous. It’s not even necessarily a new concept — backyard wrestling had been making the headlines for a while, and this is just a different type of the same sort of thing. With no generalized supervision and a high risk of injury, I get the feeling this is heading towards a bad ending.