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: 01 juin 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781554909612
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

SAY UNCLE! CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN WRESTLING

E D T H A N

S O F O T R O

ULTIMATE PRO MODERN + + & FIGHTING WRESTLING GRAPPLING ++++ ++++ K EJ A S H A N N O N

SAY UNCLE!

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

• • • • J A K E S H A N N O N • • • •

ECW

Copyright © Jake Shannon,2011 Published by ECW Press 2120Queen Street East, Suite200, Toronto, Ontario, Canadam4e 1e2 4166943348/ [e-mail]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the copyrightowners and ECW Press. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

library and archives canada cataloguing in publication

Shannon, Jake Say uncle! : catchascatchcan and the roots of mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, and modern grappling / Jake Shannon.

isbn9781550229615 Also issued as9781554909612 (pdf); 9781554909469 (epub)

1. Wrestling—History.2. Mixed martial arts—History. I. Title.

gv1195.S536 2011 796.8’12 c20119008904

Editor for the press: Michael Holmes Cover Design: David Gee Text Design and Typesetting: Marijke Friesen Production: Rachel Ironstone Printing: Courier5 4 3 2 1

printed and bound in the united states

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1

PART 1 A HISTORY OF CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5

THE INFLUENCE OF CATCH-AS-CATCH- CAN UPON MIXED MARTIAL ARTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8

THE INFLUENCE OF CATCH-AS-CATCH- CAN UPON PRO WRESTLING • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 2

THE INFLUENCE OF CATCH-AS-CATCH- CAN UPON FREEST YLE WRESTLING AND MODERN SELF-DEFENSE • • • • • • • • • • 1 7

PART 2 INTERVIEWS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 21

K A R L G O TC H • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 3

B I L LY R O B I N S O N • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 8

DICK CARDINAL • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 4

BILLY WICKS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 5

FRANKIE CAIN • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 2

YOSHIAKI FUJIWARA

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 4

GENE LEBELL • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 90

JOSH BARNET T • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 116

ERIK PAULSON • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 122

MARK FLEMING • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 130

PART 3 TECHNIQUES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 49

ARE GREAT CATCH WRESTLERS BORN OR MADE ? • • • • • • • • • • • • 149

WHAT IS DELIBERATE PRACTICE ? • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 150

PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 152

PRINCIPLE #1: SCIENTIFIC METHOD/GAMENESS • • • • • • • • • • • • • 153

PRINCIPLE #2: BIO -MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 154

PRINCIPLE #3: CONDITIONING AND WEARING OUT YOUR OPPONENT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 157

KARL GOTCH’S RULES FOR MODERN CATCH WRESTLING • • • • • • • • 201

CONCLUSION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 203

CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN LEXICON • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 205

h h h h h h INTRODUCTION

THIS BOOK IS THE CULMINATION firsthand study of tho decadelong f a e sport, science, and art of catchascatchcan wrestling from tough, dan gerous 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 leader ship, 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 super sedes 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, and3) 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

 1