FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A comprehensive survey of 3,800 Brazilian jiu-jitsu students across North America has found that 96% of white belts believe their academy should dedicate “significantly more time” to standup grappling and takedown instruction.
A parallel finding in the same study revealed that the average Tuesday 7 AM wrestling class — offered at 74% of gyms surveyed — draws 2.4 attendees per session.
Both are brown belts.
The study, published this week by the International Grappling Education Institute, represents the largest dataset ever compiled on what researchers are calling “the standup paradox” — a phenomenon in which demand for a service remains permanently and enthusiastically high despite the service being permanently and conspicuously available.
“The correlation was remarkable,” said Dr. Lena Park, the study’s lead author. “Not because it existed, but because nobody involved seemed aware of it.”
When asked why they don’t attend the wrestling class already listed on their gym’s schedule, 81% of respondents said they “didn’t know it existed.” Researchers noted the class appears on the same printed schedule that 91% of those respondents have photographed at least once to send to a friend who was thinking about signing up but never did.
An additional 12% said they “prefer to work on guard.”
The remaining 7% left the question blank, which researchers classified as “guard pulling from the survey itself.”
Follow-up interviews produced more specific findings. Of white belts who ranked takedowns as their single highest curriculum priority:
— 94% had never attended a dedicated wrestling or judo class at their own gym
— 68% said “7 AM is too early”
— When asked what time would work, the most popular answer was “noon on Saturday,” which 83% of those gyms already designate as open mat
— 100% of open mat attendees surveyed confirmed they use that time exclusively to work on guard
Gym owners reported similar patterns. One academy in Colorado added 15 minutes of mandatory takedown instruction to every fundamentals class after receiving 40 separate student feedback forms requesting “more standup.” Enrollment dropped 11% within six weeks. Exit surveys cited “too much wrestling.”
Marcus Bell, who has taught the 7 AM wrestling class at a surveyed Virginia academy for three consecutive years, said the findings did not surprise him.
“I know every student by name,” Bell said. “There are two of them. Three if you count the guy who shows up the first Tuesday of every month, hits a bad double leg, and says he’s getting back into it.”
Both regular attendees were interviewed separately. Neither expressed complaints about the class. “The parking is excellent,” said one. “And Marcus gives us his full attention.”
IGEI researchers plan to publish the full dataset in fall 2026. A follow-up survey is scheduled for early 2027.
When informed the wrestling class had been on the schedule at their gym for four consecutive years, 88% of original respondents said they would “definitely start attending next month.” IGEI noted this was the identical percentage that gave the identical answer when surveyed the previous year.
The institute anticipates identical results.