Say Uncle!

Jake Shannon

Description

Catch-as-catch-can, or 'catch wrestling' for short, is the great-grandfather of today's mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, freestyle wrestling and many reality-based self-defence systems. It is a nearly lost form of Western martial art that is rich in history and full of painfully brutal techniques. Say Uncle! traces the background of this unique sport through the US and Japan back to England and Ireland. The book is full of exclusive interviews from legends like Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson, Josh Barnett and more.

Sujets

• Lucha libre profesional
• Martial arts
• Wrestling

Informations

• Publié par: Ecw Press
• Date de parution: 06 septembre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781554909469
• Langue: English

Extrait

SAY UNCLE!
CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN WRESTLING AND THE ROOTS OF ULTIMATE FIGHTING, PRO WRESTLING, & MODERN GRAPPLING
JAKE SHANNON
ECW PRESS


DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the memory of my friend Karl Gotch and to my best teacher in grappling, Mr. Billy Robinson.
GRATITUDE
TEACHERS/COACHES
Billy Robinson, Dick Cardinal, Karl Gotch
ATHLETES
Josh Barnett, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Tom Puckett, Frank Shamrock, Wade Schalles, Mark Schultz, Gene LeBell, Mark Fleming, Frankie Cain, Erik Paulson, Dan Severn, Billy “Pops” Wicks, Harry Smith, Brandon Ruiz, Neil Melanson, Randy Couture, and Sam Kressin
WRITERS AND HISTORIANS
Bob Calhoun, C. Nathan Hatton, Mike Chapman, Mark Hewitt, Mark Jones, Scott Teal, and Liza Joseph. Special thanks to Robert Red-Baer, who helped to translate my interview with Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and to my friend, my training partner, and an all-around grappling genius, Brandon Ruiz for sharing some of his “buddy” weight conditioning ideas with me.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Sondra Shannon, Gil Shannon, Joey Senter, Jesse Marez, Drew Price, David Zorn, Christopher Morsey, Gene and Ted Pelc, Ryan Hanlon, Bill Cogswell, Phil Friedman, Odis Meredith, Brian Yamasaki, Glenn Ortiz, Brandon Kiser, Gerald Harris, Kris Iatskevich, Russ Jensen, Mark “Samohi” Black, John Fabbricatore, and John Fitzgerald




INTRODUCTION
THIS BOOK IS THE CULMINATION of a decade-long firsthand study of the sport, science, and art of catch-as-catch-can wrestling from tough, dangerous old-timers like Billy Robinson, Karl Gotch, Dick Cardinal, and others. Though I do not claim to be a catch-as-catch-can guru, fans of my website, ScientificWrestling.com, know the care and dedication I’ve poured into sharing what I’ve learned about this amazing sport. In fact, any real contribution I’ve made to catch-as-catch-can lies in my leadership, research, and organizational and pedagogical skills rather than any athletic prowess. My research for this book was shaped by my extensive first-hand experience with top catch-as-catch-can men from yesteryear, as well as with those modern practitioners who trace their training lineage back to the old catch wrestling style. I’ve done my very best to rely on primary, independent sources. This book represents my latest understanding and knowledge of catch-as-catch-can and supersedes everything else I have written on the subject.
For those unfamiliar with the sport, catch-as-catch-can wrestling is, first and foremost, a set of rules for grappling competition: 1) you win with a submission or pin, 2) there is no point system to determine a winner, and 3) the winner is declared after the best two of three falls. As a martial art, catch-as-catch-can is a rich, colorful style in which each practitioner expresses the art uniquely. It is efficient, brutally painful, and seeks to maximize the use of balance, leverage, and metabolic conditioning. Its three fundamental rules make catch-as-catch-can exciting and entertaining for participants and spectators alike. Clarence Eklund explains the rules of catch-as-catch-can thus:
A fall is gained when both shoulders of one wrestler touch the ground together, and very seldom are falls registered from standing throws. This necessitates most contests being completed on the ground or mat. Much of this ground work is admittedly very skillful. No kicking, striking, or other foul activities are permitted, but theoretically every hold is legitimate. Exceptions are made of strangle holds or others designed to cut off an opponent’s breathing, and those grips or forms of attack which cause acute pain or are intended to force the defender to roll on his shoulders to avoid injury by dislocation or fracture. 1
Because of its rules, catch wrestling focuses primarily on ground wrest ling. Although rules existed on paper for professional wrestling matches, referees generally exercised considerable discretion and would allow a liberal amount of “roughing.” There is no “takedown” point system to speak of, and it is impossible to pin someone while standing. It may also be less likely to secure a submission win while standing, though it’s not impossible, so catch wrestlers seek to use gravity as an offensive weapon. As catch wrestling legend Karl Gotch used to say, “bulls get killed on the floor.” The catch-as-catch-can man is confident when taking a fight to the ground, knowing gravity is on his side. When the match goes to the ground, the catch wrestler can deftly change from being as light as necessary, in order to transition from position to position, to being incredibly heavy, thereby making his opponent fully carry his weight as he effectively controls and subdues his opponent. As in modern mixed martial arts (MMA), a catch-as-catch-can man can “tap out” to concede, or he could concede to a submission by rolling onto his back.
For many, catch wrestling has been more than a set of rules; it’s an institution, a lifestyle even. I cannot resist quoting here the words of Sir Thomas Parkyns from The Inn-Play or Cornish Hugg Wrestler :
Some perhaps may object, that Wrestling is no use, but apt to make a Man more Contentious and Quarrelsome, and fit only to break Men’s Bones; to which I answer, that you seldom find a Gamester indeed, but is superlatively passive, and will put up with what another shall call and resent as an affront; neither do you find that a true Gamester does, or receives any Harm, but when highly provoked. Instead of a true Gamester being Contentious and Quarrelsome, he’ll laugh at small Indignities, and as with the Mastiff Dog, rather than bite, lift up his Leg and only piss upon the little wafling yelping Curs in Contempt. 2
In many ways, catch wrestling embodies the cultural values prevalent at the turn of the 20th century, which may explain why its popularity peaked at that time. The sport expressed the values of independence, reason, hard work, and competitiveness in various ways.
INDEPENDENCE Catch wrestling is not a team sport. One man stands alone atop the mountain of beaten and broken competitors to be crowned champion. The catch wrestler understands that he alone is responsible for his successes and his failures.
REASON Catch wrestling is a dangerous game of physical chess. The terms “science” and “scientific” are frequently used in the context of catch wrestling. It’s the smart player who’s rewarded, not necessarily the strongest.
HARD WORK Catch wrestlers didn’t have cushy mats. During the American Civil War they competed on grassy fields. After the war they’d compete on gravel-covered clearings following a full day in coal mines or steel mills. During the height of its popularity, with the likes of Tom Jenkins, George Hackenschmidt, and Frank Gotch, catch wrestlers competed on hard floors covered only in canvas. Wrestling is hard. It takes a special person to show up at the gym, day after day, year after year, and push beyond his physical and mental limits.
COMPETITIVENESS These men were filled with pride and were motivated to prove their skills. They would bring an equal purse to each match and the winner would take all—meaning they literally put their money where their mouths were, and were always game.
The aim of this book is to share the history and strategies of old-time catch wrestlers with today’s grapplers and encourage the evolution and development of the modern sport of catch wrestling. I also hope to awaken fans of fighting sports to the fact that catch-as-catch-can is, arguably, the direct ancestor of today’s mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, and Olympic freestyle wrestling. In fact, the term “no-holds- barred” was coined to promote early 20th century American catch-as-catch-can wrestling matches. If you enjoy the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the WWE, Olympic or collegiate freestyle wrest ling, or high school folkstyle wrestling, you owe an enormous debt of gratitude to catch wrestling.


1 Quoted from Clarence Eklund, Wyoming’s Wrestling Rancher: Life and History of Clarence Eklund, Champion Wrestler (Buffalo, H. H. E. Odegard, 1993 ), 25 .

2 Sir Thomas Parkyns, The Inn-Play or Cornish Hugg Wrestler 1727 (Buffalo: H. H. E. Odegard, 1993 ).


PART 1
A HISTORY OF CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN
THERE HAS BEEN WRESTLING IN some form or another as far back as recorded history goes. The walls of the Egyptian temple tombs of Beni Hasan, near the Nile, are painted with hundreds of wrestling scenes that illustrate a great number of the holds and falls known today. 3 Wrestling was a very important branch of athletics in ancient Greek games. In fact, it formed the chief event of the pentathlon. There were two basic types of Greek wrestling—upright wrestling, which was most common, and lucta volutatoria , which took place after the takedown and continued until one of the contestants conceded to the other. Greek upright wrestling was not unlike modern Greco-Roman wrestling; however, three falls out of five decided the winner of the match. The upright wresting was also employed in pankration , a brutal combination of boxing and wrestling similar to today’s mixed martial arts contests. No holds were barred.
Both the Saxons and the Celts adored grappling, and English literature abounds with references to it. King Henry VIII was known to have been an especially powerful wrestler.
The Americas have a strong wrestling heritage that predates European colonization. Native American tribes had been wrestling for hundreds of years before settlers arrived, in a style somewhat similar to judo. The Native American wrestler won by throwing his opponent, rather than by pinfall, as we see in modern wrestling.
In the fledgling United States, President George Washington was renowned in colonial Virginia for his prowess in the Cumberland-and-Westmoreland wrestling style. Abraham Lincoln was le