Wellesley Ont. man takes part in Power Slap competition
A Wellesley Ont. man is part of a unique combat competition where competitors slap each other throughout multiple elimination rounds.
Power Slap has gained popularity and was turned into a show by UFC’s Dana White.
How it works
There are different weight classes that compete in a match that consists of three to five rounds. In each round there’s a striker who does the slapping and a defender who stands on the other side and tries to absorb the slap.
Someone can win if they get knocked out, receive the best score from judges or if their opponent gets disqualified for slapping in a way that’s deemed as unsafe.
Local contender
Vince Tracey, a 32-year-old father of two, is one of the contenders.
“I've had combat experience. So I've done boxing, I've done wrestling. So I knew that I could essentially take the hit,” Tracey said.
Filming for the show takes place in Las Vegas as it's licensed and sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“First day I landed in Vegas, we did Olympic-style testing. So blood work, EKGs, urine work, MRIs,” he said.
Tracey said the tests are to ensure they are physically capable of competing.
The episode he appears in as a welterweight competitor is set to air within the next couple of weeks.
“It was always kind of a dream to fight for Dana White.That was always something I wanted to do.” Tracey said.
He said he takes his training very seriously and admitted that taking a hit is just as important as the slap itself.
“I try to take a lot of the damage away from the brain and get all that energy through the rest of the body,” he said. “So if I get slapped and get rocked, I got a minute to get my wits about me.”
Safety concerns
There is concern from the martial arts community in terms of the safety aspect with Power Slap competitions.
“Taekwondo Ontario is very far ahead as far as trying to prevent head injuries. So at our school, any recreational athlete, we do not allow head shots,” said Master Erin Smibert from Black Belt World in Kitchener, “Really traditional taekwondo --- you know, the poomsae, the patterns, the self-defense and we do sparring.”
Meanwhile,Tracey said the lack of sparring in power slap is part of what's protecting competitors.
“So the longevity in the sport and big thing is, we don't spar, you can't sit around slapping each other back and forth, giving possible concussions and who knows what else, right?” Tracey said.
He said that is giving him hope of a future in power slapping especially because the winners of the competitions usually get prize money.
“I’m still working a full-time job, l’m a mortgage agent. But it's coming to a point where I don't think I really need to do that any more. I can just solely focus on power slap and that's the goal,” Tracey said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7034258.1726084302!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'An unfortunate waste of resources': Ontario woman facing criminal charge following water gun incident
A Simcoe, Ont. woman is facing an assault with a weapon charge after she said that she accidentally sprayed her neighbour with a water gun over the Labour Day weekend, a situation that at least one legal expert says amounts to an ‘unfortunate waste of resources.’
Ontario woman misses flight to funeral due to airline ticket typo
An Ontario woman admits she was flustered and stressed trying to book an airline ticket when she found out a close relative had died last month.
Taylor Swift wins big at MTV Video Music Awards, ties Beyonce's record and thanks Travis Kelce
Taylor Swift's dominance continued at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she took home seven awards — including the night's biggest, the trophy for video of the year.
WATCH LIVE Billionaire steps out of SpaceX capsule for first private spacewalk hundreds of miles above Earth
A billionaire kicked off the first private spacewalk Thursday, teaming up with SpaceX on the daring endeavour hundreds of miles above Earth.
Jon Bon Jovi helps talk woman down from ledge on Nashville bridge
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jon Bon Jovi and a video production assistant persuaded a woman standing on the ledge of a pedestrian bridge in Nashville to come back over the railing to safety.
What passengers need to know about their rights ahead of a potential Air Canada pilots strike
While Air Canada has shared advice for travellers ahead of a possible pilots strike, an airline passenger rights advocate has more tips for Canadians who may be affected.
Dollarama keeping an eye on competitors as Loblaw launches new ultra-discount chain
Dollarama Inc.'s food aisles may have expanded far beyond sweet treats or piles of gum by the checkout counter in recent years, but its chief executive maintains his company is 'not in the grocery business,' even if it's keeping an eye on the sector.
Consul general to New York to answer questions over $9M luxury condo purchase
After weeks of pressure, Canada's consul general Tom Clark will testify on Thursday before a House of Commons committee about the purchase of his new official residence in New York that generated a lot of political attention over the summer.
'Buy nothing': PSAC wants federal workers to boycott downtown Ottawa businesses
A union representing federal employees is asking its members to bring their own lunch to work, in an apparent retaliation against downtown Ottawa businesses as new return-to-office protocols begin.