[germinalphrase]

I’ma Brazilian Jiu jitsu player. The sport has a great deal of depth to technique and the physical exertion can be quite intense/rewarding; however, I do believe that the physical touch (and implicit trust therein) are an important aspect as well. It’s aggressive, but neither violent or sexual. Most of my training partners could severely injure me at any time, but I expose myself physically and trust them not to.

[elric]

Long time judoka chiming in. Both BJJ and judo are impossible without constant touch. The only time you're not touching someone during practice/competition is when you're bowing to one another or are doing some solo warmup exercises. I've been doing this since I was 6, so I can safely say that this greatly increases tolerance/comfort for being touched by complete strangers.

When teaching children or adolescents you sometimes get strange looks from parents, because things can look a bit weird in ground holds.

[mr_overalls]

I'm a long-time judoka. I took it up as a very awkward teenager, and it had incalculable benefits for my social comfort and development. And I've seen it do the same for others, beyond what might be expected for an athletic/social hobby.

Part of the effect seems straightforward enough - self-confidence at gaining newfound abilities, exercise, socializing, maintaining emotional self-regulation while engaging in controlled "fighting", etc.

But I think there is also something to the mere act of touching other humans and being touched several times a week. As the article suggests, it's comforting, fulfilling a basic human need. I wonder how this all plays out in the brain - can someone with a neuroscience background comment? Is the sense of touch specifically connected to brain areas of social well-being?

Edit:

"Many neuroscientists and psychologists believe that we have a dedicated system just for the perception of social – affective – touch distinct from the one that we use to touch objects. This system seems to be able to selectively recognise caress-like touch; this is then processed in the insula, a brain area connected to maintaining our sense of self and an awareness of our body. Slow, caress-like touch is not only important for our survival, but also for our cognitive and social development: for example, it can influence the way we learn to identify and recognise other people from early in life."

https://aeon.co/essays/touch-is-a-language-we-cannot-afford-...

[cookingrobot]

This comment reminds me of why it’s fun to dance in a mosh pit, which is probably the most combative thing I’ve done.

[Fnoord]

That really depends on the audience though. There's also different types of moshpits.

[spaetzleesser]

That’s a good point. Even in boxing you do a lot of touching and also the concept of “private space” isn’t valid there either.