Why despite statistically regular spectator sports like Basketball Having far Higher Injury Rates, Are Most People Afraid to Play In Fighting Sports?

[Olde Phart]

I've had students react with horror when I urge them to apply power to a technique, telling them the proper intent is to break bones or cartilage or dislocate or damage soft tissue. They never made the internal mental connection that training martial arts is training to hurt, damage, or kill people. It can be unsettling to absorb that concept on a conscious level. I don't mean in the dojo against training partners, I mean the mental intent when performing techniques. If I kick someone in the groin, in my mind, the intent is to do permanent damage, not jangle their dangles.

Baseball doesn't have that problem.

Yep. Been in that situation many times. We'll have some hyung (form or kata) that is being taught and the "newbies" are having probs learning it. specifically, the actual action they are supposed to be doing. "Look" you say as you move their arm and re-shape the hand into the proper spot relative to their height. "Like THIS" as you explain the movement and tell them they're crushing the opponent's Adam's apple. "Really?" they respond, incredulously. "Really, really!" is my comeback. Our dojang teaches a combination TKD-Hapkido-Judo mix. There are a lot of grappling and takedown scenarios where we actually state that "now, do the elbow break . . . then the twist where you grab the fingers with your hands and snap the wrist . . ." Even with the younger ones, I'm not really sure they get that what they are learning are REAL damage. Maybe they can repeat the info, but I don't think they understand the words they are saying.

 

[jayoliver00]

Do people actually fear training in combat sports? Maybe they simply are not interested. If soccer, football, rugby, or basketball are what they love to do, perhaps they simply have no interest in combat sports.

It might be that the way the issue is being characterized by the OP is fundamentally inaccurate.

Fear is real though. Soccer & basketball is nowhere as rough as fighting; they can get seriously hurt by tearing up their knees, etc. but there's no guaranteed of impact at full force like combat sports. Football & rugby, then those have resemblances to fighting and/or worse crashing impact at times.

 

[Buka]

Fear is real though. Soccer & basketball is nowhere as rough as fighting; they can get seriously hurt by tearing up their knees, etc. but there's no guaranteed of impact at full force like combat sports. Football & rugby, then those have resemblances to fighting and/or worse crashing impact at times.

Years ago I was fighting on a team competing in Africa. We lost.

Waiting for the bus to go to the airport, we met a bunch of guys, a U.S Rugby team, who were also waiting for the bus. They were great guys, who won their competition, but looked like they had been in multiple car accidents, just torn up. They were laughing and we all shared stories and the bus ride.

To me, Rugby, at least International Rugby, is way rougher than Martial Arts.