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Techniques, Tutorials and Gear for BJJ, MMA and Submission Grappling

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Home » Catch Wrestling

Catch Wrestling

Kesa Gatame in BJJ

December 26, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

Stephan Kesting teaching kesa gatame

Kesa Gatame is the name for a DEADLY position also known as the Scarf Hold or the Head and Arm pin. It's a staple pin in Judo, Sambo and Freestyle Wrestling. All these arts have honed kesa gatame as a pinning position. The only problem is that they don't use or teach very many submissions from here. In those particular sports the submission is redundant - if you pin your opponent for 3 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques Tagged With: Armlocks, Catch Wrestling, Judo, Kathy Hubble, Kesa Gatame, Sambo, Unorthodox Strategies, Video, Wrestling

Catchwrestling: from the Snake Pit in Wigan England, to Pride FC in Japan, to Modern Submission Grappling

February 12, 2024 by Stephan Kesting

Oz Austwick on Catchwrestling

In episode 395 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk to Oz Austwick, who has extensively studied armed and unarmed combat systems in England and Europe. Today we focus on the historical wrestling systems of England... Cornish, Lancashire, Devonshire, Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling and catchwrestling The influence of Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu on English Wrestling The great Billy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Miscellaneous, Podcasts Tagged With: Catch Wrestling, Historical European Martial Arts, History, Oz Austwick, Pro Wrestling, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Training, Video, Wrestling

Countering The Standing Kimura Armlock

November 6, 2023 by Stephan Kesting

Countering Sakura's Standing Kimura

The standing Kimura armlock is now an established and respected submission, but it wasn't always like this.  In fact, when someone showed me this submission in the early 1990's I thought they were kidding and had run out of legitimate material to share. But then in 1999 and 2000, a Japanese pro-wrestler called Kazushi Sakuraba did something that many thought was impossible.  In just over a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Grappling Techniques, Mixed Martial Arts Tagged With: Catch Wrestling, Gracie Brothers, History, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kimura, MMA, Pride FC, Submission, Video

Karl Gotch, the Godfather of Japanese MMA

March 22, 2021 by Stephan Kesting

An episode of The Strenuous Life Podcast about Karl Gotch, the Godfather of Japanese MMA

In this episode I'm joined by pro-wrestler Tad Murphy to talk about the legendary wrestler Karl Gotch. Karl Gotch was a German-Hungarian wrestler born in Belgium who trained at the infamous 'Snake Pit' in Wigan, England, then competed in the United States and then taught several generations of pro-wrestlers in Japan. His influence is the common link between just about every major Japanese … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcasts Tagged With: Catch Wrestling, Conditioning, History, Karl Gotch, MMA, Pro Wrestling, Tad Lincoln Murphy, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Wrestling

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pro Wrestling But Were Afraid to Ask, with Tad Lincoln Murphy

December 9, 2020 by Stephan Kesting

Podcast Episode with Pro Wrestler Tad Murphy

Today I talk with pro-wrestler Tad Lincoln Murphy about catch wrestling in early American circuses, the development of luta livre in Brazil, Shootwrestling in Japan, and how one trains to becomes a pro wrestler in the first place! 00:53 - Training in wrestling 06:01 - Pro wrestling school 09:40 - Distinction between fake and real in pro- wrestling 13:00 - Catch and shoot wrestling 23:59 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Miscellaneous, Podcasts Tagged With: Catch Wrestling, History, Interviews, Luta Livre, Pro Wrestling, Shooto, Tad Lincoln Murphy, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Video

The Road from Judo to BJJ, with Robert Drysdale

November 23, 2020 by Stephan Kesting

Robert Drysdale and Opening Closed Guard, a History of BJJ

Multiple time world champion Robert Drysdale came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to share the discoveries he's made while studying the history of BJJ for his forthcoming documentary 'The Closed Guard' and accompanying book "Opening Closed Guard." There's a TON of good stuff here, including how Judo slowly evolved into BJJ, the role of George Gracie, why the Japanese (including Mitsuyo Maeda) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Miscellaneous, Podcasts Tagged With: BJJ, Catch Wrestling, Helio Gracie, History, Interviews, Japanese Ju-jutsu, Judo, Masahiko Kimura, Mitsuyo Maeda, Robert Drysdale, The Strenuous Life BJJ Podcast with Stephan Kesting, Video

UK Grappling Styles

October 24, 2016 by Stephan Kesting

UK Grappling Styles

by Jeff Meszaros So we've finished the first two legs of your around-the-world adventure to try out all the grappling arts (click here for Asian Grappling Styles and/or click here for European Grappling Styles). While you've been wrestling up a storm I've been beside you the whole way to cheer you on and run up your credit card bill at expensive restaurants. Also, I've done a bit of research … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Catch Wrestling, History, Jeff Meszaros, Takedowns, Throws, United Kingdom, Wrestling

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