Most popular Martial Arts ??

[German Coach]

Dear Martial Artist,

just a quick question:

Which is the most popular and fastest spreading Martial Arts in the USA today ?

MMA / Free Fight Kick-Boxing Capoeira Brazilian Jiu Jitu Vale Tudo Systema Krav Maga

Other styles ?


Thank you for the answers !

 

[bobster_ice]

I would say Tae kwon do as it is an olympic sport, but hey, I may be wrong.

 

[The Kidd]

MMA or BJJ

 

[Shotgun Buddha]

Fastest spreading and most popular are different things.

Most popular however is likely TKD. Simply put- its everywhere.

 

[terryl965]

The most popular Martial Art is the one you train, plain and simple.

 

[bobster_ice]

Well said Terry.

 

[flashlock]

It's a fact that TKD is the most popular MA, in a large part due to its popularity with parents. Very profitable and very structured--good for kids.

 

[ArmorOfGod]

Here in the US, Taekwondo is the most popular in terms of sheer numbers.
MMA is on its way up though. Time will tell if it catches up though.

AoG

 

[searcher]

MMA for sure. It used to be that there was a TKD school on every corner, but now there MMA training schools in every alley now.

 

[German Coach]

Thanks for the information. The reason why I am asking is that everthing from the US will come over to Germany some years later. I visitid the US about 10 times in the nineties. From Inline skating to Tae Bo - some years later we had in Germany. Perhaps I should teach Taekwondo again (I am a 2nd Dan) or open up a MMA school. The problem is I have no idea about grappling wrestling ;-)

 

[tellner]

Come on, Terry. That's a platitude, not an answer to his question.

In terms of number of people practicing it's got to be TKD. A few decades ago I would have said Judo, but it seems to be on the wane. Nothing else even close except generic Karate.

For popularity as a spectator sport and if you look at recent growth it would be MMA. Boxing is withering. You could stretch a point and say that hockey and American football are combat sports, but most people wouldn't count them.

Saying "TKD because it's an Olympic sport" doesn't make sense. Fencing and Pentathlon are martial sports that have been in the Olympics forever. They are not terribly popular. Same with Judo, boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling and archery.

 

[kachi]

The most popular Martial Art is the one you train, plain and simple.

No offence to you Terry, but is that supposed to be a sort of philisophical type response or are you saying that in a literal sense?

 

[Grenadier]

Most numerous? I'd have to say that Shotokan Karate and Tae Kwon Do (of the various flavors) have the most people training in their systems. There are already quite a few strong organizations dedicated to the above systems, especially with groups such as the ATA, etc.

Fastest spreading? For a while, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seemed to take quite a leap, ever since the MMA events were broadcast. If anything, the mixed martial arts competitions have bloomed quite

Krav Maga seems to have grown a good bit amongst the "no frills" crowd.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Vale Tudo?" I thought that "Vale Tudo" was just the name of a no-holds-barred competition, and not a style?

 

[German Coach]

I'm not sure what you mean by "Vale Tudo?" I thought that "Vale Tudo" was just the name of a no-holds-barred competition, and not a style?

Uuhps - I thought Vale Tudo is another Brazilian Style ??

 

[Drac]

Well in the cities I patrol is TKD..There seems to be one or 2 in almost city..

 

[tshadowchaser]

Over all of the usa maybe TKD. In any given area it may be different. when I was in southern calif., many years ago, kenpo was the most seen.
If there are areas where the martial arts has few schools and an instructor promotes his students to the level of teachers and then has them go down the road a ways and open a new school that instructor and his style will soon be the most popular in that area
I agree the MMA is popping up everywhere. I wonder what the next fad in the martial arts will be. (this was said to dish MMA but it has been a trend in the USA that one martial arts takes the eye of the country for a few years then another)

 

[Dave Leverich]

When I started it was Judo, lots of Karate (although many were flying a Karate banner but teaching other arts as the name was better known, some still do), Kung-Fu and a few Taekwondo.

Today, I'd say hands down Taekwondo for the most prolific. But, I've seen quite a bit of the upsurgence of BJJ and other arts, largely due to the popularity of UFC/Pride etc.