Why isn't grappling more popular?

[POPPA ROTZEE]

At worlds there were a lot of amazing bb fights, but the most action packed divisions were the brown belts and the purple absolutes. Checkmat and Roger really created an amazing atmosphere. In the past though the upper levels had a majority of slow matches so I agree

^ I think this.

I watch high level matches and appreciate them..but I think lower level grappling is more action packed...because people at that level still make mistakes...and a lot of Jiu-Jitsu happens when there are mistakes.

The other fact is the common person is only going to see the sweeps and the submissions..not the set ups, the traps, the attempts and the position advancements, etc.

 

[Respeezy]

I think because it's so unknown it " scares" people , people usually tend to stick to there boring lives , protect their ego and die in their routines.

I see it in my friends when i try to introduce them to grappling , especially bjj.

A lot of them ,i suspect ,don't want to put their ego on the line , because they fear to get humiliated by a smaller/ another person and or have to face their lack in something.

 

[DaGenius]

The number 2 reason why grappling isnt more popular...who wants to roll around with dudes all the time? But the number one reason....drumroll....

Strikers get all the chicks dude. Simple as that.

That said, I enjoy BJJ and have learned a lot thus far

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Culture. Same reason why soccer/football is the biggest worldwide sport, yet people in the US don't seem to care. There's nothing wrong with the sport, it's just not a part of our sporting culture in this country. Grappling isn't the most spectator-friendly thing, so it doesn't get the exposure of other sports, and therefore is more of a fringe activity. MMA's popularity has been the best thing to happen to overall grappling in years imo.

 

[Thrawn33]

Strikers get all the chicks dude. Simple as that.

Negative. Chicks might not understand grappling, but the ground game has more uses than just on the mat.

 

[minimagpro]

I think that the high learning curve is one of the reasons. Barring several exceptions, most people get their asses kicked for about a year before shit starts really piecing together. You really have to be dedicated in order to:

1. Pay expensive mat fees, buy a gi
2. Get dominated for almost a year
3. Get injured and cut up
4. Continue to go day after day to improve

Most people have NO desire to do this.

 

[TheIronGiraffe]

I think just because its hard...I hated it at first

 

[fourfif**]

Negative. Chicks might not understand grappling, but the ground game has more uses than just on the mat.

classic.... :icon_chee

 

[Thrawn33]

I think that the high learning curve is one of the reasons. Barring several exceptions, most people get their asses kicked for about a year before shit starts really piecing together. You really have to be dedicated in order to:

1. Pay expensive mat fees, buy a gi
2. Get dominated for almost a year
3. Get injured and cut up
4. Continue to go day after day to improve

Most people have NO desire to do this.

Sad part is, you're right (with respect to all grappling arts).

You don't advance and learn by breaking boards or fighting air, you go live with someone trying to do to you what you want to do to them first, and as a noob you usually get tooled early and often. People just don't have the stones to get their ass kicked anymore (on the mat or the street).

 

[SLaKKJaW]

This question has been floating around my head for the past few days and I can't come up with a good reason. I love grappling. Passionately. It seems like most grapplers are the same way. I guess I don't understand why so many people are indifferent or uninterested. It's fun to do and learn about, it's fun to watch (dare I say beautiful?), and it's an awesome workout. I don't get it.

Any ideas?

From a fan stand-point, I think it's mostly just a boring sport to watch to those uneducated in it. And unlike other sports that get that same rap (soccer, NASCAR, golf, etc.), there is no team to get behind and root for on a regular basis.

It's tough to appreciate the nuances of the game for most people.

I do think homophobia plays a part in some of it. Wrestling gets ragged on for it with their cute little singlets already... now we're supposed to watch two guys with their shirts of and wearing tight little shorts force each other between their legs or wrap their legs around them from behind? I hear that shit all the time just from first time MMA watchers and those guys are bludgeoning each other with their fists.

 

[87]

Because people don't like sports with a big learning curve. For example, you can learn the basics of football in an afternoon, watch a game, and fully understand everything that's going on. Not the case for grappling.

I completely disagree with the football comparison. A noob will most certainly not fully understand everything that is going on. If that were the case, pro teams would not be paying millions and millions to quarterbacks and offensive/defensive coordinators, coaches etc. I'm not really a football fan and haven't played it since grade school, but I do understand that it is an immensely technical game and involves more study and strategy than meets the eye.

 

[SLaKKJaW]

I completely disagree with the football comparison. A noob will most certainly not fully understand everything that is going on. If that were the case, pro teams would not be paying millions and millions to quarterbacks and offensive/defensive coordinators, coaches etc. I'm not really a football fan and haven't played it since grade school, but I do understand that it is an immensely technical game and involves more study and strategy than meets the eye.

Yeah.. fans breed more fans. Submissions are relatively new to the world, when it comes down to it. If not for the UFCs opening a lot of eyes, we'd still be believers of Dim Mak and huge fans of Kung Fu flicks. Not much to do with technicality and strategy and more to do with aesthetics and a built-in fan base.

 

[Fedorzilla]

impatience
insecurity
lack of familiarity and appreciation (partly due to misgivings from pro wrestling)
hatred of the singlet

 

[87]

Yeah.. fans breed more fans. Submissions are relatively new to the world, when it comes down to it. If not for the UFCs opening a lot of eyes, we'd still be believers of Dim Mak and huge fans of Kung Fu flicks. Not much to do with technicality and strategy and more to do with aesthetics and a built-in fan base.

Very true. I would like to think that my sport is less popular because everyone else is a pussy and can't handle it because it is the toughest shit ever and i'm one of the few badasses that has the balls to stick with it. Unfortunately that just isn't true. I think it is unpopular because it is still new, and America already has a full plate of sports all year.

 

[DaGenius]

Negative. Chicks might not understand grappling, but the ground game has more uses than just on the mat.

Ha. Its a cool pic/shirt dude but in highschool and college we basketball players had a wholelot more groupies after our practices than the wrestlers did. I respect wrestling and BJJ (especially) but I always choose to roll around with girls not guys.

Sorry to interject some real world reality into the discussion

 

[SLaKKJaW]

Ha. Its a cool pic/shirt dude but in highschool and college we basketball players had a wholelot more groupies after our practices than the wrestlers did. I respect wrestling and BJJ (especially) but I always choose to roll around with girls not guys.

Sorry to interject some real world reality into the discussion

Yep. Fact of life.

Even baseball players get more play than wrestlers, and you can barely even call baseball players athletes. :icon_chee

 

[Darwinist]

Because grappling looks very, very different to after even a handful of training sessions. I remember going back and re-watching a lot of MMA fights after I began training BJJ, and the difference was night and day.

Where most everyone who grapples see the brilliance of a fast-paced exchange of grappling techniques, the give and take, the turning of the tables etc...most people who don't just see two guys tumbling around with no discernible purpose or goal, until someone gets subbed maybe.

This is why so many MMA fights that include great grappling get labelled Laynpray. There is plenty going on that is cool and exciting to watch...but you won't see it unless you know what you are looking for. Most people dont, so they assume that nothing of importance was going on if there isn't a finish.

 

[Cricket]

I'd say price, lack of instant gratification since it's not easy, getting beaten for a while, no chance of a black belt to show off in 2-3 years like many martial arts...and hell, just listen to the average UFC fan, they boo when it goes to the ground.

 

[silvasurfer5253]

This question has been floating around my head for the past few days and I can't come up with a good reason. I love grappling. Passionately. It seems like most grapplers are the same way. I guess I don't understand why so many people are indifferent or uninterested. It's fun to do and learn about, it's fun to watch (dare I say beautiful?), and it's an awesome workout. I don't get it.

Any ideas?

It's still relatively new. It's only going to get more popular. Sooner or later there's going to be a tv channel dedicated to mma, and when that comes a televised submission grappling league should be soon to follow. Call me a dreamer.