What's big in the States??

Nick,

This forum tends to be strongly English flavoured.

Was wondering what's big in MA in the States at present and say over the past 3 to 5 years?

Are the various styles of Karate where the numbers are as far as MA training? Is BJJ still flavour of the month? Is Krav Maga now a serious player?

Would be interested to here back from you on this please.

MMA and BJJ are huge just because of the popularization of the UFC and Pride type matches.

Krav seems to be gaining a lot of momentum. My opinion/impression is that this is mostly due to a really good business model. All of the start-up schools answer up to the HQ out in LA and have to turn their for their certifications. I think this is positive in the sense that it allows a lot of instructors the financial ability to start up a school (franchise) but it also means that curriculums are most likely handed down from on high.

there tends to be a new flavour of the month every so often here. I think Krav has come and gone to be honest. They're facing serious challenges from other Israelis popping up offering the same stuff for a tenth the money.

MMA and BJJ are still big amongst the young, tattooed, aggro, crowd who think they're the dogs bollocks but it's a limited market because most people can't do that type of training.

The all out biggest in just amount of schools and students would still have to be TKD hands down.

Nick

Nick Hughes wrote:MMA and BJJ are still big amongst the young, tattooed, aggro, crowd who think they're the dogs bollocks but it's a limited market because most people can't do that type of training.
Nick

A sad refection of the MMA/BJJ market.

I've certainetly encountered my fair share of those!!!!

Nick, can you elaborate on this a bit more:
"there tends to be a new flavour of the month every so often here. I think Krav has come and gone to be honest. They're facing serious challenges from other Israelis popping up offering the same stuff for a tenth the money."

The KMA is in jeopardy or the related systems of Krav?
I know Moni offers acredidation for a one time fee vs on going fees. Is this what you mean by a tenth of the money? Because if you can train for a 1/10th of what I'm paying... I'm all for it! that'd be 12 bucks a month!

What I've seen over the years is that every few months/years a "new" art is discovered and everyone (the hordes of the unwashed) rush off to study the "latest thing"

When I began it was Judo (James Bond's Judo chop and his Judo comments in Goldfinger), then came karate. Bruce Lee exploded on the scene and all of a sudden Kung Fu (didn't matter what style) was all the rage.

FMA popped up on the radar next, then Hapkido, Kempo (order might not be right) then kick boxing.

For a long time things were quiet then voila Steven Seagal pops up and all of a sudden everyone is discovering Aikido, then it's a neck and neck thing between Krav Maga and BJJ after the UFC came on the scene.

Side by side we have military systems such as KM, Haganah, Systema, and so on and sports systems such as BJJ, MMA and their derivitives.

Krav now is on the wane. Levine tried to contain it in the States by copyrighting the name Krav Maga (which is like me trying to copyright the term Hand to Hand combat) but he's lost the battle so other instructors are now surfacing.

When I refer to the money I mean for people who want to teach it. Los Angeles KM was/is hellaciously expensive and they got away with it because they were the only show in town. Now they're not so people are flocking to the other guys because they are so much cheaper. There's also a lot of people leaving the LA set because of issues with them.

For you grasshopper the prices will not drop. The market determines what it costs to run a school and how much students should pay and that will be more or less the same amount across the board, no matter what an instructor has to pay in franchise fees.

Nick

What's big in the States?

Well, if you listen to a yank, everything -

Bri

I was going to put 'Texas' but thought it would be too flippant