A Catch Wrestler's thoughts on Brazillian Jiu Jitsu - Part 2

I's been a little while since I posted my video on starting Brazillian Jiu Jitsu. Here is a follow up.
Plus a look at my new custom Gi.

[@vcajiao]

I practice BJJ and Judo. I have been watching youtube instructionals of catch wrestling and I have been incorporating some of the concepts and techniques into my ground game (particularly top game). Great results....all of a sudden I started tapping out people with chest compressions. I am a smaller guy 5.8 / 145lbs. BJJ taught me how to pass guard and reach control positions, Judo taught me how to hold an almost unbreakable pin down (Kesa Gatame) and Catch Wrestling videos taught me 5 simple yet effective finishes from Kesa Gatame. In line with your comments....cross training is making me a better grappler.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Vasco Cajiao In my club we refer to kesa gatame as "the happy place" because whenever you are upset or in trouble everything will be OK once you go to your happy place!

[@rodrigomontero8258]

Vasco Cajiao Jajajaja, mirá al Vasquinho! Yo leyendo y la vara y en eso veo el nombre! Cuándo rolamos? Oss!

[@michaelcorcoran3942]

Hey guys...I love catch style and I love just grappling. But BEWARE the chest compression where you hook the leg like Bas Rutten. Mine was lose, on a Brown belt my size and he kicked out and tore my pec. 70% off the bone. Perfect all the rest. I just think its really not worth doing it if thats an option. The one Josh used on lister seems infinitely safer.

[@paddygreen3266]

Will my nogi bjj improve by cross training in judo?

[@jimmyalderson1639]

my youtubeaccount i think it will. If you could take wrestling that'd probably be a faster way to improve your standup, but i know judo's given me a good understanding of not just throws, but the whole stand up game. A guy who trains at the same BJJ place as me also does some judo, he asked my instructors 'are there are any throws that will work without the gi as well?' My instructor paused for a few seconds and gave the same response i would have 'all of them'. Judo's gained a bad reputation that it doesn't deserve. It teaches balance and movement along with many other things, and all its techniques are applicable to nogi - they just need a bit of adaptation. For example in BJJ atm we started drilling harai goshi, but harai goshi was already my favourite technique and i only had to change one very small aspect of it to make it work in no gi. It'll take dedication. Unlike BjJ which will instantly up your newaza in judo; or wrestling which will very quickly improve your standup - judo isn't the kind of wrt you can just do on the side, it won't be such a dramatic increase in that case. It requires dedication as though it were your main art - though i hink that's the way you should train all your complimentary systems

[@arcaliasgiants9813]

"I wasn't getting beaten, so I wasn't getting better." ...Wisdom!

[@kdb560]

so true about bjj practitioners giving you their feet. That is one reason I find CACC wrestling so fascinating, that is, the ability to recognize these opportunities.

[@bubbagumpshrimpheroin8487]

would love to see some catch techniques uploaded, and some rolling footage

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I'll see what I can do, but don't expect anything for a few weeks. I'm gonna be out of action for a little while.

[@haroldmaddock]

I hope all is OK, and it just the result of a full schedule.

[@haroldmaddock]

My comment was written before the end of the video. Good luck with the procedure.

[@fatguysracing]

i am loving the perspective. as a bjj player that has added catch to his game, i am so happy i did it in my order. i am a purple belt and have done some submission only pro tournaments here in Houston, TX and catch is legal, as is pretty much everything you can think of without eye gouging and punching. the pressure points add so much to BJJ as you progress. my black belt and i only roll with "anything goes" catch jitsu. it has opened our eyes to movements and submissions that are amazing. leaving class always feels like i have been in a car wreck. as big jitsu players, we have 4 purple belts that are 240 plus as well as our black belt, the catch techniques have made us better at our jitsu game. the gi is 1000 handles that you and your opponent have, and as you progress with the gi on, your no gi becomes great. you become aware of everything, as you stated before. good luck and enjoy the ride. remember you are either winning, or learning, and we learn a lot on the matts.

[@KuyVonBraun]

Thanks for your input. I guess as martial artists we need to push ourselves as much as possible. We're so lucky to live in an age where every fighting system on the planet is up for grabs and everything is possible. Add a dummy knife and BJJ changes completely. Add a dummy gun and fighting in general changes completely. Great stuff

[@johnnemo6509]

Quote from a martial arts seminar i attended. Attendee: if art "x" is all that why isn't it in the UFC Instructor: if UFC is all that throw a knife in the ring. I'm sure good BJJ players can deal with a knife, but it does change things especially if it isn't visible at the start of the fight.

[@KungFuJoeMarino]

If you ever take a trip across the pond and find yourself in the New York City/New Jersey region, I'd be more than happy to roll with you. I'm one of the instructors at Kurt Pellegrino MMA, and given the strong wrestling backgrounds of Kurt and some of our other instructors, we do love to work from our feet.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you, I've never been to NYC, but I'd love to. And if I do I'll definitely take you up on that offer.

[@theodorewurz8424]

Joe Marino, do you guys ever cross train with the Snake Pit USA guys? They are in Jersey. I believe they are in South Jersey though, not all that close to the city.

[@KungFuJoeMarino]

I haven't had the opportunity. My school is in central Jersey, on the shore. It's about an hour's train ride from NYC. I'm only about a half an hour away from Modern Martial Arts, which is Snake Pit USA's headquarters, but unfortunately I tend to have a pretty tight schedule. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to make time to get out there.

[@travishenry3449]

This is likely something you already know at this point, but BJJ is divided into Gi and no Gi and combined schools. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on a No Gi school.

[@100dfrost]

Sir, I actually know very little about any sort of wrestling, but I am glad you are learning, and having fun. Thank-you, Dante.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you, it is indeed fun. A very different feel to striking, but just as enjoyable in a struggling to breath kind of way.

[@shellfaith8432]

When BJJ players use knee shield they're begging for a toe lock.

[@SwordTune]

When BJJ pulls guard, CACC says "Nice try. Do it again."

[@maxxb0n3saw]

Yep. I just laugh every time they start there.

[@ethanchaney1139]

Ah yes, because Jiu Jitsu practitioners don’t use leg locks and don’t know how to defend it all all. Yes, they only practice those things in CACC and if you tried to do that to a good Jiu Jitsu person they wouldn’t know how to defend it at all. Not like half of the submissions done at ADCC were leg locks

[@pauloomss]

there are lots of leglock and footlock position entries from bottom half guard/z guard/knee shield as well. the leglock game goes both ways. watch craig jones and you can see lots of leg entries from bottom

[@ddg-fi5bp]

@@ethanchaney1139 Exactly lmao. Grappling is a continuum of offense and defense. If Craig Jones is using knee shield often, that means at a high level leglock game, this "toe lock" is so low percentage that its danger is being ignored.

[@danielruggiero1419]

your open mindess is great

[@-MacCloud-]

If you think you are in a bad position , try living in wales . We have boxing gyms every 20 feet but barely a grappling , wrestling , bjj school in sight . Fortunately my friends dad is/was a greco-roman beast so he trained us as kids but the uk really needs to have a wrestling revival asap.

[@Presence_o_Mind]

Great video. Saw the earlier one. Thanks for posting. Glad you're enjoying the journey.

[@kimchapman9198]

I'm loving your bookshelves by the way, we've read all the same books, lol

[@DUARTE99]

Great channel sir. I first heard of Catch As Catch Can Wrestling since I was a kid due to my love of pro wrestling history. Stories of Thesz, Frank Gotch, Karl Gotch, Ed Lewis and Farmer Burns blew my young mind. I didn’t hear about BJJ until Royce Gracie won UFC 1. Since then I’ve trained heavily in BJJ but over the years thanks to seminars from Erik Paulson and Josh Barnett and even Catch Wrestling instructional videos by Barnett, Tony Cecchine and Neil Melanson have helped my BJJ skill and arsenal by leaps and bounds! So keep learning my friend. And be a complete grappler, not one who is stuck and hindered to just a single, limited style.

[@peterprochilo4555]

I like the holistic approach to grappling...take what's useful, throw out the rest. If someone is just presenting their leg to you like that, then...that's their problem, IMHO. Something to be cognizant of. As a BJJ practitioner, very useful to see the perspective from the other side, especially as if it ever comes to grappling "in real life," you are going to encounter unorthodox fighters or people who do not respond with the "typical BJJ" response. Training against such opponents forces one to revisit the fundamentals of the art, the roots. Keeps you honest.

[@Yeknodathon]

An exploration, wonderful!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thanks!

[@ramonpalmer1300]

Thank you for sharing appreciate your experiences good luck

[@davidash2727]

Catch wrestling I think is similar to old Carnival wrestling we used watch in tents outside of town when I was a kid, some called it farmer wrestling and I think Lincoln did it too.

[@colinbell6461]

Cool library by the way.

[@Warriordad808]

Anywhere down South you would recommend for Catch Wrestling training? Thinking of going up to Wigan but a 4.5 drive each way is not appealing! 😬

[@Papasquatch73]

I will be training in Florida with Scientific Wrestling in April. Wade will be there. I have an amateur wrestling background for about 30 years and been interested in catch since 2007. I have been doing BJJ for about a year. I get more frustrated than happy. I am told I need to stop wrestling and do more bjj. I am a white belt but can submit most purple belts and some brown belts with a gi on. I find the rules of bjj hard to adjust to but I have a hard time doing amateur wrestling as well. I do enjoy chokes as much as neck cranks. A submission is a submission to me. I have been told being able to beat purple and brown belts doesn't mean I am a purple or brown belt. Honestly I could care less about a belt color but they say as a white belt I need to limit myself to white belt subs. Maybe one day I will feel like a bjj player but I still feel like a wrestler in a jacket.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Gene Williams I haven't really come across the concept that what I do doesn't count as bjj, but that could simply be because I try very hard not to be competitive on the mats. it does mean I spend a lot of time tapping, and I struggle very much with keeping my desire just to do what I already can do. I hope I learn more that way. You'll have a great time on the Scientific Wrestling camp, say hi to Wade and Jake from me. Is Josh going to be at that one?

[@Papasquatch73]

Not this one. Neil Melanson is instead.

[@Papasquatch73]

Training was great. I have been also training with SnakePit USA. They are students of Billy Robinson as well.

[@Tobby4063]

Classic. A submission's a submission in my book. I bet you are a beast. With 30 years wrestling they should have given you a blue belt at least.

[@rye-bread5236]

Sounds like a shit school with a traditional elitist mentality, is it expensive? Trust me pure gi sport bjj is trash. If you are a wrestler pick up mma style bjj, no gi. way better for you man. I was in the same boat. HS wrestling then tried aikido. It was not for me. Got into bjj and loved it. The gi was weird but like winter clothes. But the sport mentality and "Fighting" off your knees is not what I want. MMA grappling we start standing up and have a judo guy helping class.

[@Schoolhousefilms121]

can you do some videos on catch wrestling please?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

What sort of thing would you like to see?

[@Schoolhousefilms121]

I would like to see some videos about basic techniques and how they work, a brief history of Catch As Catch Can, and maybe some videos on famous wrestlers. I want to know more about it because I am interested on learning it however I don't know anyone who knows it near me so I would love to learn about it more. if you can do that then that would be fantastic, if not then I totally understand

[@chamcham123]

Schoolhousefilms121 Look at Snake Pit USA's KZbin channel. They have many catch wrestling tutorial videos.

[@seanwinter4784]

I keep getting distracted by trying to work out what all the novels are and whether I have read them myself

[@thenoseplays2488]

As an aging Folkstyle wrestler looking for a chance to get on the mats again and improve my health, I encountered many of the same things you did in my first bjj experience. Perticularly the ability to use my weight to make people miserable being a natural instinct...but from there having no tools or idea what to do. Unfortunately rather than give me instruction and tools...they gave me a more experienced and larger training partner, who proceeded to demonstrated his many aquired techniques on me in a painful fashion. It will probably be my last bjj experience.

[@zugzwang5310]

wow. Bravo!

[@bensigl3766]

I honestly had no idea there are Catch systems that ban chokes. Whether or not there's a logic to it, that just seems to defeat what I think to be the benefit and even the purpose of Catch.

[@marvinmuslim]

I think the two are a perfect combination.

[@Momsspaghetti777]

BJJ is great but it causes habits that may not be the best for gi-less training like catch wrestling. Without the gi it’s constant aggression and you might get stacked easily if you go back for example Try going to no gi open mats to help your muscle memory out of the gi! I’m glad you like your new style

[@brotherandythesage]

Do you find grappling makes you a better swordsman? Like you're able to close with a better opponent and take them to the ground and beat them with your grappling?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

To some degree yes. I find I am a lot more comfortable in the close fight than a lot of people. But on the converse it does tend to lead to me closing when I probably shouldn't every now and again.

[@zedek_]

I can understand being confused when you are on _your_ back. I absolutely do not understand being confused when you are on top, and they are on their back. Well, at least it's a problem that is easily fixed; I'm sure you have it by now.

[@kneebarstar724]

I have seen three of your videos so far. This one, part 1, and the problem with Catch Wrestling. I've enjoyed all three. You seem to be a pretty good guy. I noticed your comment on having to figure out how to escape the guard. As you know by now there are a few different ways. I have a particular escape that is very difficult to stop with no Gi but I don't know how it works with a Gi so I was thinking maybe you might want to try it and see how it works with a Gi. I call it "ofsetting the guard." Put one knee directly in the middle of his buttocks and the other set off to the side. Then when he throws his leg over for an arm bar, triangle, or whatever you turn your thumb down toward his chest and spin around toward his head the direction your trapped arm is and step over his body to side mount. With no Gi that works out really well.

[@middlehearth6723]

Hi Oz, where is English ma based now? Are you still running classes?

[@theodorewurz8424]

Do you find that you are able to catch your training partners with holds that they are unfamiliar with? I think the biggest differences between BJJ and CACC are the emphasis of the respective arts. But the principles are always the same. Pressure, leverage, control etc. So if you had two experts, they wouldn't feel like the arts were so different. Sure the BJJ guy would have an extremely developed guard, but a real hooker (catch expert), wouldn't be lost dealing with it. But its really, really great to cross train. Catch guys can learn to use their art against BJJ and vice versa. At the beginner levels though, the bread and butter holds of a catch wrestler will be foreign to a white or blue belt. By black belt, however, there will be little that a catch wrestler would do that isn't done in BJJ. The difference is in how they are done. For example, the step over toe hold/calf crush. In BJJ this is usually done from the bottom, often in a chain from a heel hook and then a sweep. In cacc, it is done that way, but also often from the top and from a toe hold chain. The end result is the same, but the ways of getting there tend to be different. It's interesting, catch guys rarely go for armbars because they give up position, BJJ guys use them all the time. Catch guys would not use the triangle from guard, but are often great at getting it from a scramble. In my opinion, it doesn't matter what style you do, but it is imperative that 1) you find the right style for your body type and abilities; and 2) you learn to implement your style against every other grappling style there is. That's why, when you get to the black belt level, you are no longer thinking about techniques, you are thinking about "feel". The "invisible jiu jitsu" as Rickson Gracie calls it. I think its great for cacc and for BJJ that there are guys like you cross training. It helps both arts. Your training partners get more from rolling with you than they would rolling with people who have the exact same background that they do.

[@ulrichenry4881]

You are the same as me when it comes to wrestling. I started at 21 but a learned enough to be decent

[@s216674]

I've enjoyed both of these videos. Thanks for uploading them. I get tired of the ridiculous back and forth between Catch and Jiu-jitsu that seems to be all the rage right now, and am heartened to see someone like yourself who simply decided to find out for himself.

[@28nihilist]

Cope

[@ulrichenry4881]

Could you possibly in the future do a video on stanilaus zbyszko and Gama the Great aka Ghulam mohammad Baksh, both really good wrestlers from the 1890s,1900s and 1910s. Their styles where catch as catch can and Indian pehlwani kushti

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Gama is already on the list!

[@ulrichenry4881]

@@EnglishMartialArts I look forward to that video. You make amazing content

[@EnglishMartialArts]

@@ulrichenry4881 Thank you!

[@teogriffin9600]

Please come to Baltimore and teach catch wrestling it ant to many school

[@simonpc123]

I had similar problems with grips all over the place but my coach Coach Chris Paines said to me "play you no-gi game and remember there are more grips".

[@simonpc123]

Oh and being bigger really doesn't mean that much in BJJ, technique wins over weight for sure. I've tapped out 109kgs players and been tapped out by 61kg players and the girls at our Class are technically vicious

[@simonpc123]

We do a lot of takedown drills which when our team goes to competition really shines through.

[@timothyhayes2726]

Are you still doing BJJ? How about another video on why or why not. I know you injured your knee but I would be interested in what grappling you are doing.

[@benjaminrogers1798]

for real though, that gi is awesome

[@jimimi23]

Hi new to the channel here. I'm a blue belt in bjj, been doing it for 4 years, and i agree with you. I have also noticed while grappling with wrestlers who come to our club, that my feet are often in danger because they are so quick to go after them. Same thing with the guillotine. As soon they see a chance to wrap my head in they usually go for it. I could google this but i thought i should end this on a question. What are the differneces in catch wrestling and regular wrestling? (greco-roman wrestling?) They seem like the same.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Hi, sorry I missed this earlier. The main difference between Catch and other forms of wrestling is the fact that submissions are allowed. In Olympic wrestlign you can win by Pin, or by points. In Catch it is pin or submit. Historically many wrestlers used pain holds to force their opponent into a pin, these developed into winning strategies off their own back.

[@sl1oo]

some ones in love with bjj

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Little bit... Lets face it, actually doing bjj beats thinking about, but not doing wrestling.

[@sl1oo]

have fun with it brother

[@matthewjohnson2649]

There is a lot of catch tournaments in the states.

[@deepsquat600]

Great sci fi collection behind you ..is it yours or are you in a book store?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

It's mine. Well actually my wife and I have both been collecting fantasy and sci-fi books for many years. It's how we met...

[@wendellbenedict4793]

@@EnglishMartialArts have you ever read the Matador series by Steve Perry?

[@glenmcinnes4824]

I asked on your last BJJ video if you'd done any other Folk Wrestling, to scroll down on this one and find out you have a little bit of experience through friends. my next question is have you bean exposed to any (Japanese) Shoot Wrestling styles?

[@sampokemppainen3041]

Pretty much every catch wrestler ever: "i don't like jiu jitsu because feminists are allowed to do it."

[@WinBookTime]

If you're in the USA Pacific Northwest, would love to roll & chat. Seatown Grappling.

[@AnonymousPerson488]

BJJ guys who focus on the gi, give their feet all the time. Consider looking at Reily Bodycomb instructionals.

[@owlblocksdavid4955]

I do BJJ (for a few months now, not as consistent as I'd like. I go to a Gracie Barra (my gi looks just like your borrowed one). The teacher there is really great, though I've only been to my local GB. Actually, I discovered BJJ through looking up "What's a grovit?" on KZbin after you mentioned it in a video. The footage was of a grappling channel talking to Billy Robinson, and they had BJJ videos as well.

[@owlblocksdavid4955]

I'm also really intrigued by CACC, especially now that I have more grappling experience. Maybe I can understand those videos now :D

[@EnglishMartialArts]

That's got to be the Damage Control guys right? They have a lot of great videos of Billy.

[@MZITinfo]

What about Nogi?

[@LuffyFanBoy99]

That weird my post did not come Through forgive me if i am posting again and i just cant see it in your opinion what are the thing to look for when joining a Wrestler gym for self defence

[@EnglishMartialArts]

To be honest if you have a choice then you are in a very lucky position. My advice for any form of training is makea judgement on the person instructing. Lineage and Rank are all good, but the most important thing is can they actually teach, and can you learn from them. If they have enthusiastic students, and you think you would enjoy training with them then give it a go. Don't be afraid to walk away if it isn't working out. Sometimes you have to try a few places before you find the one that is right for you.

[@RandallLeague]

Wouldn't you enjoy no-gi bjj more than traditional bjj? Seems like you could incorporate your catch wrestling more.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Undoubtedly, but any grappling at all is pretty hard to come by around here.

[@RandallLeague]

I know how you feel. I live in Japan, I just lucked out and happen to live in the same city as Megumi Fuji and her champion fighter husband.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Randall League Wow, she's a hero of mine. Have you managed to get to train with her? Who is her husband?

[@RandallLeague]

If you like Josh Barnett you usually like Megumi Fuji right? I've trained with them for 3-4 years now. Her husband is Shinji Sasaki a great grappling MMA fighter. He was the Shooto champion and this Dec 10 he fighting for the Road FC championship. They're great people. If you're ever in Japan stop by.

[@adnanmaruf4734]

I told you so!

[@ulrichenry4881]

Bjj is awesome

[@Davlavi]

done any Cornish wrestling?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I've had a play with some techniques, but never seriously learned it. Done a bit more Scottish Backhold which is s lot of fun.

[@Davlavi]

know any good channels that talk about either?

[@xlstaticpandalx]

It's really interesting to see your perspective. If you know of any catch wrestlers in Los Angeles it'd be awesome if you could refer me to them. It's cool to see you branch out as well.

[@theodorewurz8424]

Raul Ramirez's Catch Wrestling Alliance is based out of Los Angeles. CSW is in Fullerton and I believe that Josh Barnett teaches there. LA is a bit of a hotbed for catch, as much as there is any hotbed out there. Outside of the North of England, LA is probably the best place to be to learn catch.

[@xlstaticpandalx]

Thanks for telling me about this. I haven't ever looked into it much but will definitely look into it now. LA has a surprising amount of grappling arts around so I'll try to get to it.

[@ethanchaney1139]

Do nogi lmao

[@Tobby4063]

I train BJJ and I love wrestling. Hope you enjoy your BJJ. It's still a good idea not to get flattened out. Have fun!!

[@Tobby4063]

Plus I love what you said about heel hooks. They are everywhere now so guys shouldn't just give you their feet unless they have got your wrists secure.

[@twodogsbob1786]

Nice dressing gown though ;-)

[@robertgalloway3923]

you will find that bjj and the rules of it,especially tournaments, will frustrate you.your takedowns will have to be watered down. Alot of your standard attacks (cranks etc)will be frowned upon.I understand your frustration.I belong to the canadian representation of the wiggan gym and all we have here for grappling competitions is bjj tournaments. and the fact that it is very hard to find grappling partners.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I'm already finding some things frustrating. People complaining about crossfaces for example.

[@robertgalloway3923]

well, dont change your basic game. most of the jitz guys are realizing they need wrestling in their toolbox.Just keep them off your back.I spend most of my time getting hold of their feet when they play guard and entertaining them with rolling toe holds or whatever they give me.it changes their game when they have to hide their feet..

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Lol, sounds lots of fun. I've been training with Wade Schalles a few times over the last few years, gonna start putting some serious time into cradles. I'll let you know how it goes.

[@robertgalloway3923]

you will have lots of them tap to stacked cradles.Problem is some judges will call it a neck crank.

[@truthseeker2733]

??? LOOSING IF YOU GET YOUR SHOULDER IN THE GROUND ??? I TOUGHT CATCH WRESTLING WAS ALL ABOUT SUBMISSIONS FIGHTING UNTIL ONE GUY GIVES UP OR TAPS OUT I THINK THIS GUY MIXING UP CATCH AND GRECO ROMAN WRESTLING TAKE A LOOK AT MATT FURY AND TONY CECCHINE

[@hailhydreigon2700]

Catch Wrestling is Submission or Pin.

[@twodogsbob1786]

Ahhh, so 'English Martial Arts' has evolved into 'international martial arts' then?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Twodogs Bob I've always studied other things since I took up Aikido as a kid. Though as Maeda was a wrestler you can argue English influence in what he taught Helio.

[@joeruiz4010]

EnglishMartialArts: Yup! BJJ has British and Eastern European/Russian Catch Wrestling/Submission grappling influence in it. Catch Wrestling was formally created in The United Kingdom, but, British Wrestlers traveled throughout the world and incorporated the most effective techniques from other styles to formulate the British grappling art known as Catch Wrestling. From my research, British Wrestling Masters found the techniques of Russian Folk Submission Wrestling (the same grappling art that when mixed with Kodokan Judo would form SAMBO) and many elements of CLASSICAL Jujutsu to be the best systems to derive throws, chokes, and submission holds from, adding it all into traditional British Folk Wrestling. Mitsuyo Maeda was indeed fascinated by British Catch Wrestling and had insane respect for the style, but, he had many associates in Japan who traded under Jigoro Kano with Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov, the 2 founders of Russian SAMBO, as well as the fact that Maeda also studied the Eastern European grappling arts. Not only that, Jigoro Kano incorporated many leg locks into Judo that descended from Eastern European Submission Wrestling. Although leg locks are banned in Judo competitions today, the techniques are still there, and Kosen Judo incorporates them a lot . For as much English influence there is in BJJ, there is more Russian and Japanese influence upon it, as Maeda was mostly a Judo/Jujutsu practioner, and British Catch Wrestling has strong roots that tie into Eastern Europe. Its safe to say that Catch Wrestling, Judo, BJJ, Classic Japanese Jiu-jitsu, and SAMBO are "Russo-Japanese" Martial Arts to the core. Practioners of Judo, BJJ, SAMBO, Catch Wrestling etc. etc., should all have respect for one another and appreciate each other's styles and techniques as well, and of course,......CROSS TRAIN as often and as much as possible. I'm a DIEHARD SAMBO practioner who adds Judo to the mix, but I'm very eager to add Catch Wrestling as well! I hope you continue in BJJ and maybe give SAMBO a shot one day! Wish you the best of luck dude!

[@oneDonly]

you think you'er so good cuz you can reed

[@harrisfrankou2368]

The sad truth is the only truly dominant art from the east is Muay Thai. everyone went Martial Arts mad after Bruce Lee thank god the sacred cow is dead ...compare Sukaraba to BJJ. I would choose catch wrestling and Muay Thai anytime before anything else