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I've taken to just watching pure BJJ for that reason. Much more intricate, still violent, but, because there's no striking you don't see that many head injuries

• sieste 2y ago
  Do you practice BJJ yourself? As a non practitioner I find BJJ extremely boring to watch, but maybe it's different when you practice it. Otherwise, did you educate yourself in some way to appreciate the sport more?
  • lolmisfortune 2y ago
    Have you tried watching wrestling, judo, or no-gi BJJ? Wrestling/no-gi BJJ doesn't have a gi, so players can't lock down their opponents as much and there's a lot more movement in neutral. And Judo has a gi, but the way you win is via high-amplitude throws, which is a much more spectacular win condition. I think they're both much more exciting to watch than regular gi BJJ, especially for non-practitioners. I think BJJ's main spectator-unfriendly flaws are that it has a gi and doesn't reward high-amplitude movements. So, unsurprisingly, the metagame has evolved around locking down your opponents. (Background: I did Judo as a kid, and do BJJ now.)
  • jtriangle 2y ago
    I'm not currently practicing, I simply don't have the time at the moment. I have, and I hope to get back into it. What really makes me appreciate it isn't knowing how to do it, it's more that the buddy who got me into it was very, very talented, and had retired into coaching at a gym, and before I ever stepped foot in a gym, we'd hang out, have some beers, and watch footage as he explained what was going on. At the professional level, it's quite nuanced and complex, like a chess match.