If I wasn't familiar with the grappling arts, I decided, I probably would have thought the activity to have odd connotations as well, what with the participants executing things like double leg grapevines from the bottom position. Besides the obvious ground work, the standing techniques could prove to be as much of a turn-off for the uninitiated. Any one studying the grappling arts will have to bypass the initial aversion to close body contact with training partners. For many, it may be an enormous gap to bridge. This is perhaps the most prevalent reason people use for not wanting to grapple.
Martial artists are, by nature, fiercely loyal to their chosen systems.
Of course, a glance at current as well as older fight accounts will reveal that strike-oriented practitioners with no knowledge of throws and holds carry a definite disadvantage when squaring off against their grappling cousins. Tough punchers and kickers have, indeed, fallen by the dozen. Believe me, I know the feeling. I still like my side kick and reverse punch but at least if I go to the ground in a fight, I won't be totally lost.