Josh Barnett Interview Part 3

This is part 3 of the interview I recently did with Josh Barnett "The Warmaster", probably the best-known proponent of Catch Wrestling in the world.
In this one Josh asks me a bunch of questions about what I'm doing for catch, and we discuss how people can help promote an art that is genuinely at risk of dying out.
Here is the GoFundMe for Josh's team to be able to come compete in the UK: gofund.me/59a47b4e

[@Irrational_Pie]

I’ll gladly listen to Josh Barnett anytime. Thanks for interviewing him!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

It was a genuine pleasure!

[@lastmanstanding5423]

Amazing interview. And I'm so happy and proud to be a part of the "Reviving Catch Wrestling" project (in my small way at least). I will do my best to learn and honor the tradition. Fight Team!!!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

FIGHT TEEEEEAM!

[@mgunnermusic]

What a friendly, earnest, thoughtful and terrifying man! As someone who still hasn't really wrestled, it hadn't occurred to me to consider someone not wanting to have their face kneeled on as being "soft". I have now been educated!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

It's just a thing that happens sometimes. 😬

[@flamezombie1]

This whole interview is gold. I teach Catch as part of the HEMA club at Oklahoma State University even though I’m not a great wrestler. But I felt like no one was teaching the wrestling from the treatises, no one was keeping European wrestling techniques alive. And we have a phenomenal base of collegiate and highschool wrestlers. I would love if more people would get into it, even if they don’t have a school near them. Just like HEMA, you may just have to learn by doing and looking at the resources online.

[@flamezombie1]

Oh, and Fight Team!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Keep your eyes peeled, I may hopefully be able to help with that!

[@flamezombie1]

@@EnglishMartialArts consider me intrigued!

[@batjutsu]

Thanks for the last part of this great chat. 🤩

[@towardstar]

Nobody practicing jiu jitsu back in the day could've imagined all the refinements and adjustments its been through as it grew. Imagine what kind of sophistication catch is concealing.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Very true.

[@insidethevelvetglove3919]

I love catch. I am from the North of England and I think it embodies everything a Northern working class man was. Tough, honest, down to earth. Shake hands, do your best to fuck the other man up. Then shake hands afterwards and down the pub for a nice pint.

[@johnstuartkeller5244]

"Let's change the world." - Fight Team

[@EnglishMartialArts]

We have to now, Josh said so...

[@rudai123]

Great discussion. The Catch community infighting has to stop. We can't afford the destructive rivalries that BJJ has. We are too small.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yes, agreed.

[@Hewrin88]

I hope his Warmaster nickname is a Warhammer 40k reference

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I have a feeling it was given to him by Boltthrower. Before that he was The Baby Faced Assassin.

[@robertnewell4054]

JB is surprising with the vector of his social critique & the intersection of pop culture & athletics.

[@granitebones6956]

This channel represents a style of fighter that has become endangered in the West; he who seeks combat for the sake of. There's plenty of guys who wanna win, a bunch of guys who don't wanna lose, a few guys with something to prove, but almost none that just want to fight with the outcome be damned!!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

I like that!

[@adrianojordao4634]

Magnific interview. About the subject cross face, neck crank, etc... i always assume that is part of what bjj cals "presure". Its very important. Its jiujitsu too. The exlclusion of "i want to save my life" heel hooks, and head slams, i agree too becouse it takes time and money from the matt. And i am 45 with kids. But disconfort... i can tap if is too much, the fast stuff is the problem. Anything with control in training is ok. And train your jiujitsu with punches too, from time to time. Is a diferent jiujitsu.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Agreed.

[@dhalav]

that was a very pleasant listening. If you have the opportunity please make a video with Josh about bare knuckle boxing as he suggested, that would be great.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

We definitely will.

[@Hobbofett]

I'm a old guy who took up BJJ , I've always wanted to wrestle catch , stuck in Leicester there's nothing . Theses series of videos are superb , its time to change what I've wanted to try , so post sorting my knackered shoulder Im gonna find a place to train (a old fat guy ha who just loves the art ).

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Leicester Shootfighters hosted Billy several times when he first came back to the UK. Assuming that isn't where you do BJJ already I'd go see them and have a chat.

[@Hobbofett]

@@EnglishMartialArts I'll keep a eye on shootfighters and see if they have a any seminars ,will also have a word see if they are teaching some catch it just no gi. Had much joy last night applying a real cross face and neck crank sub in gi class while rolling that got a sub . Then the guy moaned to the coach 🙄.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

@@Hobbofett I take someone complaining to the coach as like a little bonus win.

[@jameswoodroffe511]

I'm 46 and train nogi bjj no catch in Staffordshire.

[@lenzoid]

Would love to hear you guys talk about bare knuckle boxing aswell.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Oh definitely!

[@MasterPoucksBestMan]

I also transitioned from a HEMA medieval and Renaissance weapons focus to wrestling, though my interest is Backhold, Collar and Elbow, and Cornish, with the weapon interest more towards things that have modern applicability, like bowie knife, dagger, quarterstaff, tomahawk, etc. But the wrestling is the most fun, and has a cheaper entry cost monetarily.

[@romanista77]

Would love to see a Boxing flow-up! Great interview, really enjoyed these!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

We'll definitely make it happen!

[@Wendelvendel]

I would love to hear about bare knuckle with josh! And also anything you guys could say about wrestling in traditional pugilism would be cool too

[@thomascarsonbjj8226]

Awesome thanks 🍻😎

[@lajuanjohnsonbtc9634]

I live in northeast Ohio and every school in the area that mentions wrestling online turns out to be a jujitsu school. I want to learn Catch wrestling

[@nighttimeaudio]

Again great interview . I currently teach Nogi at a BJJ school , been wanting to start a pure Catch class aswell once I get the time. As for BKB since it was mentioned at the end , I want to air a thought I have been having about La Lutte, the senegalese "wrestling", Laamb its called without punches. But they go for knockdown or throw in a way that really reminds me of the London prize ring rules, And I have come to believe LPRR to be its origin... Just a little MA conspiracy theory I came up with at the end there ;) Again great show!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Thank you! That's an interesting theory, certainly deserves a little research.

[@lewisb85]

I forgot to mention at the gym I train at the scarf hold chest compressor is known as "the josh barnett" and doing it to someone is known as "barnetting" them (this is a bjj gym so the impact josh has had on the sport is that).

[@lenzoid]

Amazing.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

You mean me right? Right?? 😀

[@lenzoid]

​@@EnglishMartialArts Yes also 😄 It's so cool that you learned from Billy Robinson. I love to see that the legacy is preserved.

[@corrugatedcavalier5266]

Great interview overall. I'm nearing 40 and have not been wrestling most of my life so I will never be a competitor, but I'd love to learn more. Will keep an eye out for anything in the NYC area!

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Do! You won't regret it.

[@jameswoodroffe511]

I started nogi bjj at the age of 46

[@corrugatedcavalier5266]

Oh yeah I'm just not gonna be going to competitions.

[@FightLab_sambo_and_wrestling]

We’d be interested in competing in interclub level stuff if you get anything organised.. we’re primarily a Sambo club but we train ‘no kurtka’ too

[@NuggetsForBrains5]

Hey can we see rolling/sparring footage? You seem well versed, but I'd like to see how you actually fight

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Ha! I fight badly, I'm 50, crippled, and out of shape. But it's a fair ask. There are some clips on my insta. I'd like to get more up, so watch this space.

[@cahallo5964]

would you beat him on a sword fight tho?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Yep, for sure.

[@aidanhughes2444]

I started to read classical pugilism manuals and now I do Muay Thai I am curious, do you miss looking at silver and all the sword stuff? I know the silver guys can be very argumentative which makes it less fun, but as a system and sport do you miss that side of HEMA?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

A little, but not a huge amount. I get far more joy from the unarmed stuff.

[@mgunnermusic]

Did he say that there's a world championship happening? Is that something watchable online? Also did he say there was a British Championship? Same question?

[@EnglishMartialArts]

The Snakepit in Wigan hosts championships, Josh is bringing a team over. All things being equal I'm hoping to have some of my folk in it next year.

[@mgunnermusic]

@@EnglishMartialArts don't suppose it's broadcast through any medium, is it?

[@Ichigekihissatsu100]

Firstly thank you for all you do and the enthusisam you have for CACC. Its an incredible cultural gift that needs to be kept alive in the UK. I train and teach martial arts in the Birmingham area, but am desperate to develop myself as a grappler and CACC would be my preference. Do you know of anyone in the Birmingham area who teached CACC? Thanks in advance for your time and congrats on a great interview.

[@ThomasKynes-fb8mi]

Get in touch with John hathaway for catch interclub.

[@EnglishMartialArts]

Where's he based?