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Catch wrestling is a style of submission grappling with a heavy emphasis on wrestling. Many have heard of catch wrestling but don’t know precisely what all the grappling art entails.
In this article, we discuss everything that you need to know about catch wrestling. We will look at several aspects, from how this style of submission wrestling was developed to how it has affected modern-day martial arts.
The History of Catch Wrestling
While the exact origin of catch wrestling isn’t known, we do know where the modern version was developed. Below is an overview of the history of modern catch wrestling.
Catch-As-Catch-Can
Today, what we know as modern catch wrestling is based on the catch-as-catch-can style developed by John Graham Chambers. Chambers was a Welsh sportsman famous for being a rower, devising the Queensbury boxing rules, and developing catch-as-catch-can wrestling.
In catch-as-catch-can, wrestlers started on the ground on all fours and competed for dominant positions. They used various tactics to pin opponents by holding their legs and twisting their arms.
In old Lancashire English, the term catch-as-catch-can translates to “catch me if you can.”
Lancashire Wrestling
Catch wrestling started to develop within the Lancashire area of northwest England. Many residents of this area were tough miners who practiced their own wrestling style and were called hookers.
They liked the catch-as-catch-can wrestling style and began implementing their style within it. This included brutal submission holds that could break limbs in multiple places.
Catch Wrestling’s Continued Development
Many catch-as-catch-can practitioners were also members of the British Navy. During their travels around the world, they would pick up different grappling techniques and bring them back to England. This sharing of knowledge would help further continue the development of catch wrestling.
Catch Wrestlers in Carnivals
Like greco-roman-style wrestling, catch wrestlers also worked in traveling carnivals, taking on all challenging spectators in sideshow events.
Since money was on the line and there were few rules, the catch wrestlers had to be well prepared. They practiced many different pins and submissions to finish the fights quickly and stayed in peak condition.
These catch wrestlers had to ensure that no challengers stood a chance against them.
Billy Riley & The Snake Pit
The most influential person in the development of catch wrestling was champion wrestler Billy Riley. Billy was a native of Wigan, Lancashire, and a lifelong wrestler.
He was one of the best “hookers” in an area known for producing the toughest English wrestlers. Riley’s wrestling career lasted for decades, and he would win numerous wrestling titles during this time.
After his competitive career was over, Riley decided to teach catch wrestling back in his home of Wigan. There, he would open the world-famous Snake Pit Catch Wrestling School.
The Snake Pit would produce countless champion wrestlers that would spread catch wrestling across the world. Everyone from Karl Gotch, Bert Assirati, Billy Robinson, and Jack Dempsey.
These catch wrestling champions would pass on what they learned from Billy Riley to the next generation of wrestlers.
Catch Wrestling Today
Today, catch wrestling is still proving that it is one of the most effective grappling styles in the world. This is thanks to the success of modern catch wrestlers like Erik Paulson, Tony Cecchine, and Josh Barnett, who are the style’s top ambassadors.
Catch Wrestling vs Other Styles
Catch wrestling is one of the most influential modern martial arts that matches up well against other fighting styles. Below we discuss how catch wrestling matches up to some of the most practiced martial arts styles globally.
Catch Wrestling vs Judo
Catch wrestlers have competed with judokas for over a century. Both martial arts styles are around the same age, and practitioners of both disciplines tested their skills against one another.
They also teach similar techniques within each grappling style but have vastly different approaches to fighting. An excellent example of this is the Ude Garami (judo) or double wrist lock (catch wrestling). The submission is taught within both, but the way it’s performed is vastly different between the two grappling styles.
Hip tosses and trips are also taught in both martial arts but differently. The most apparent difference is using the Gi/kimono in judo to set up these techniques. Catch wrestling is more like No-Gi jiu-jitsu in this instance, where these techniques are set up from clinches.
Catch Wrestling vs Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
When you compare bjj to catch wrestling, the two match up, similar to how catch matches up with judo. Both martial arts teach similar techniques but have vastly different philosophies and teaching methods.
The most significant difference is that bjj implements the use of the guard and teaches attacks from this position. All attacks in catch wrestling are from the top position, and using the guard goes against the style’s philosophy.
The other significant difference between catch wrestling and bjj is that leg locks were more widely used in catch. For years, leg locks were avoided in bjj and only started to get used as they became more used in No-Gi jiu-jitsu.
Catch Wrestling vs Striking Martial Arts
Catch wrestling has the same advantage over traditional striking martial arts as bjj and judo. Once a fight hits the ground, the abilities of a striker are always canceled out by a grappler.
Catch Wrestling vs Other Wrestling Styles
When comparing catch wrestling to the other styles of wrestling, you can see the similarities and differences between them. Below we look at how catch wrestling matches up to different styles of wrestling.
Catch Wrestling vs Greco Roman Wrestling
Greco Roman and catch wrestling have the least similarities between them compared to the other major wrestling styles. The only thing they have in common is they both include body lock takedowns from the waist up.
But catch wrestling is more like freestyle and folkstyle wrestling, where all takedowns are allowed from the feet and up. Also, submissions are allowed in catch wrestling and obviously not in greco roman wrestling.
Catch Wrestling vs Freestyle/Folkstyle Wrestling
Catch wrestling shares more similarities with freestyle and folkstyle wrestling than greco roman. This is an obvious observation because you’re allowed to do more types of takedowns in these styles of wrestling.
Catch wrestling is closest to folkstyle because the rulesets are similar to one another. Folkstyle and catch wrestling both have overtime penalties to break a tie, which isn’t done within freestyle wrestling.
Catch wrestling differs from freestyle and folkstyle wrestling because submissions are allowed in catch wrestling.
