osakarob's blog
Do you prefer to wrestle at a hotel or at home?
"Which do you prefer: Meeting up in a hotel for a match, or going to a wrestler's home?"
A number of years ago, I lived in Japan - a country notorious for cramped living quarters and crowded urban cities. But it was also the place where I was first able to connect with other wrestlers.
Naturally, finding suitable places to grapple in privacy was no easy task.
I was fortunate to meet Cobra, the nom de guerre of the owner of Japan's most famous (gay) wrestling video site, WrestleFactory. In those early days, before his video company grew to the success that it is today, he used an extra room in his house outfitted with jigsaw mats. My first matches were there and, looking back, I was really fortunate to have met someone kind, welcoming and accommodating to share their private space at home. Later, Cobra invested in a full-sized ring housed in a garage, but I only wrestled there a couple of times because it was more suited for his video production needs.
During subsequent years in Japan, I took advantage of meet-ups in "love hotels", Japan's version of short-stay hotels used for intimate rendezvous, high-school mat rooms, regular hotels, and the well known rentable ring space in Shibuya. But my most enjoyable match-ups were in the small tatami-style living room of my apartment that I outfitted with mats. The enjoyment of welcoming several wrestlers over at a time for an afternoon of different opponents is probably something I'll never replicate again. It was just one of those "right times in life" when everything came together: Japan is an incredibly safe country and as a single guy at the time it was easy to even welcome strangers into my home after setting up a wrestling date online. (Like the ancient image from the archives included in this post) What a huge evolution it is now to have a sight like MeetFighters with verifiable members and dossiers of confirmed opponents!
I repatriated myself back to the USA some years ago and eventually settled down. These days, I've been more selective about matches, opponents, and venues. My wrestling preferences have also changed over the years and now after a couple of submission style tries, I prefer to end with oil matches on a tarp. Naturally, hotels are easier for that than hosting at my home. But as with everything in life....there are tradeoffs: cost and availability being the most significant. But also, safety and comfort - establishing enough trust and "relational capital" with a prospective opponent to meet at a hotel feels different than it did back when I was younger. Maybe older and wiser just means more cautious.
All of these thoughts got me to thinking:
"Given that everyone has individual circumstances, generally speaking which do you prefer - meeting up in a hotel for a match or going to a wrestler's home?"
I'd be quite interested to hear why members of this site have the preferences that they do!
JasonFL (23)
4/24/2017 8:50 AMPragmatically, whatever works to a get the match is best.
Hotels seem to offer the best way to match up, but as you mention, cost can be prohibitive. Also, there is usually a space issue with hotels unless you are adept at disassembling bed frames. And then if one does create space, there is always the question of wrestling on the mattresses or just the floor.
Home matches work well especially if mats are available.
turnbuckl (38)
4/24/2017 6:34 PM(In reply to this)
Love doing it in a sleazy motel- adds to the primitive, secretive nature of a hot match...but gotta beware of bed bugs and funky stuff on the mattresses...lol
wrestle46 (8)
4/29/2017 12:48 AM(In reply to this)
I love motels too. You can both own it as your own space during the match.
hardonthemat (63)
4/24/2017 9:32 PMI have mats in a spare bedroom - so I prefer to wrestle at home. No added cost - and enough open space to roll with the opponent.
Spruceman (55 )
4/25/2017 3:30 PMI have never liked the hotel-room or other bed-mattress scene. I like space for my wrestling–Even a king-size hotel room bed is smaller than the 10 x 10 mat space in the house–and beds are not firm enough (unless you like wrestling on marshmallows); and you risk going off the mattress on a too-hard of a surface–the floor.. If the wrestling is more aggressive, even the mat space indoors is not enough; and I prefer outdoors, where there is lots more space (264 sq ft of mat space here, with 100 more coming). Much better for judo or mma – infinitely impossible on a bed.
NJWoodbridge (141)
4/25/2017 4:50 PMI would be surprised to hear from anyone who PREFERS to wrestle in a hotel. Wrestling at a home with plenty of space, in my mind, is always optimal. Therein lies the rub. Very few of us have the space for wrestling. While wrestling in a motel with all of the limitations mentioned by previous posters is far from ideal, beggars cannot be choosers, i.e., if you want to wrestle more than once in a blue moon, you have to grin and bear the motels.
Spruceman (55 )
4/25/2017 4:58 PM(In reply to this)
So, so true WRT 'beggars can't be choosers' Shame that there aren't rings and mat space for rent by the hour, as I keep reading are available in London or elsewhere in the U.K. Even having my own space, though, it can be hard, damn hard at times, finding guys to wrestle in this area. Ever get my way, I'll wrestle you.
WildcatLes (29)
4/25/2017 5:01 PMUsing wrestling mats is better for space and more freedom to wrestle. I rarely travel with my mats, so wrestling on mattresses is good. I traveled for work several years ago and usually wrestled a couple of times each week.
Now that I'm older, it is more difficult to get people to wrestle. I need to get back into better shape to provide better competition, although I'm a big, strong guy.
Wrestling is just great fun and a fantastic workout.
Spruceman (55 )
4/25/2017 5:10 PM(In reply to this)
Getting in better 'life prolonging" shape is good in its own right; but does not necessarily attract a lot of new wrestling mates. Many see that top-side age number, visible without opening a profile to see the text, the pics, or the recommendations. Still have to spend all kinds of time searching, begging, cajoling to find as many matches as one might want upon getting up in years. Sometimes having all my mats and indoor/outdoor space makes me wonder if I'm engaging in a wrestler's version of those immediate-post-WW2 'cargo cults' of some South Pacific islands.
osakarob (81 )
4/25/2017 6:03 PMI think there are a number of reasons why one might choose a hotel over a residence:
1. You are married, co-habitating, or living with someone who either doesn't know or doesn't appreciate your interest in wrestling, a hotel may be simpler venue.
2. You are trying to keep your interest "on the down low" and away from your spouse or partner.
3. You may like the convenience of "little clean up" - letting housekeeping tend to your mess.
4. You are traveling and want to get some action in during your visit to another city.
Those are probably the main reasons why guys meet up in hotels, but I think that there is a corollary to all of them: A hotel frames the encounter to a limited amount of time and makes the encounter "NO STRINGS ATTACHED".
This is important because - for whatever reason - we've all had matches where we just didn't feel it was a good fit. Expectations may have been different, preferred styles strength didn't jibe, your opponent had a different definition of what constitutes hygiene, etc. You leave those kinds of matches thinking "Well, I probably won't be seeing this guy again."
Much like a hookup or a meet up from a mobile dating site, the ability to say goodbye and walk off into the sunset with no obligations is valuable.....and worth paying for in the form of a hotel daily rate.
(There's probably room to discuss tactics for avoiding "bad fit" in potential matches in another post. Suffice to say, hotels matches can be worth the money spent.)
Spruceman (55 )
10/21/2017 3:39 PM(In reply to this)
All valid points. You can avoid an incompatible of the clinging type from knowing where you live and badgering you in real space-time rather than simply on the Internet.
dc5wrestler (3)
10/21/2017 3:30 PMI like both. I like having enough mat space to roll around. But the anticipation of waiting for my opponent to arrive at the hotel is fun too. I leave the door unlocked and wait for him to come in. I'm already stripped down to wrestle so he strips down too. We size each other up and then we tussle.
yonkerswrangler (202)
12/29/2017 7:45 PMstill prefer wrestling at home where i can put down mats avoid rug burn and play safe
Spruceman (55 )
12/29/2017 8:16 PMReckon if you take one look at the pics of both my indoor and outdoor fight spaces, the answer is obvious as far as I am concerned. The only downside is that a potential nutcase gets to know where you live. OTOH, the couple guys who thought they could get away with going dangerously rough with me here at home (not from this site) were such a pleasure to "deal with," that they left me with "post fight highs" outdoing just about all others; and gave me an opportunity to see that, when needed, I can summon up much more aggro than anything in any of the match reports here about me :). As far as I know, they gave up fighting altogether; but these grandsons are welcome to give me another try. [stated with extreme modesty]
redlandguy (195)
3/30/2018 12:33 AMI live in a small NYC apartment, so wrestling at home is not an option. There is no space, not even if you move stuff or you're careful or whatever. So.... Anywhere but home.
Spruceman (55 )
3/30/2018 1:39 AMI will let two guys wrestle on my mats at times PROVIDED both will also wrestle me (one at a time competing, both vs me fun match).
I'm surprised that NYC has no public mat rental space. I know NY isn't London; but one would expect something there.
Was at an open house at a place in Claymont, Delaware last weekend (Philadelphia/Wilmington nearby) where ring and matspace rental is offered. Hope the concept can spread.
yonkerswrangler (202)
3/30/2018 7:36 AMi guess am luckier than most in that am in new york and can put down some interlocking jigsaw mats and cover 15 ft by 15ft which is definitely preferable to wrestling in hotel a matress does not give much room and carpet etc gives you rugburns so am happy too host
Spruceman (55 )
4/28/2018 8:47 PMMy problem at home is head clearance in the basement – making stand-up action less likely with real tall guys (See gallery pics) But from now thru late October average temps are high enuf to enable backyard wrestling on 364 sq ft of mats stored adjacent (couple pcs of the space in gallery) Outdoor action is so nice, as you can toss a guy around much more safely, without walls, furniture, etc to bump into.