Host: Raul Ramirez

What connects a historic double-gold sweep at the World Wrestling Championships to an undefeated turnaround in college football?

In a recent episode of the Catch Wrestling Alliance (CWA) Podcast, host Raul Ramirez unpacks two massive sports milestones: Team USA’s unprecedented dual team titles in men's and women's freestyle wrestling, and head coach Bob Chesney’s cultural revolution with UCLA Football.

Far from being isolated athletic accomplishments, both stories share a single masterclass in sports psychology: mastering micro-standards, weaponizing transition phases, and replacing ego with high-level problem solving.

Here is the complete summary, tactical breakdown, and analysis of what combat athletes and coaches can take away from this episode.

1. Tactical Masterclass: Team USA Conquers the World Championships

The first half of the episode highlights Team USA’s historic run at the World Wrestling Championships, taking home team titles in both men’s and w...

Episode Breakdown & Analysis

1. Live Training Over Theory [01:49]

The Rule of Failed Attempts: Citing Eddie Bravo, the host emphasizes that learning any move requires failing and getting submitted repeatedly in sparring before it becomes usable in competition.

The Billy Robinson Lesson: He reflects on traveling to Arkansas to train directly under catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson, urging practitioners to seek real, in-person training rather than merely watching video instructionals from afar.

2. Athletic Toughness and Psychological Foundations [05:09]

The Operating System Metaphor: Analyzing insights from performance coach Steve Magness and former NFL GM Charlie Casserly, the podcast argues that tactical plays and techniques are just "apps." Culture, psychological safety, and buy-in serve as the "operating system."

The 99% Climb vs. 1% Summit: Athletes burn out when praise only targets the end goal. Coaches must reward consistency and day-to-day work.

Demanding vs. ...

In the latest episode of the Catch Wrestling Alliance Podcast, Coach Raul dives into a hot trend currently making waves in high-level No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: the sudden rediscovery of pins and neck cranks.

While prominent No-Gi coaches and competitors are finally embracing immobilization and spinal pressure, there remains a massive gap between mainstream perception and traditional Catch-as-Catch-Can mechanics.

1. The BJJ “Discovery” of Pins and Neck Cranks

Across high-profile submission grappling circuits and modern instructional camps, grapplers are emphasizing pinning opponents flat to open up submissions [06:49]. While Raul welcomes the shift, he points out the historical irony:

Traditional BJJ rules historically de-emphasized pins and takedowns to deliberately distance itself from Judo [08:18].

Decades of sport-specific rules (such as IBJJF restrictions against twisting neck cranks) caused an entire generation of grapplers to overlook the deep mechanics of pinning pressu...

By Jon Strickland

A proper CACC match back in the day between two equally skilled, sized guys is going to be a more micro match than today's amateur styles. Let me back up, parts of that match will be very micro and to today's collegiate guys, its going to look a lot more like stalling.

The two combatants will determine the match overall than a ref or rule book. It's more of a grappling on the mat in tight spaces match than on the feet. If a man locks hands on bottom its going to be up to the other wrestler to change this if he doesn't like it. The takedown was only important back then if it lead to submission or pin. In fact it's very unlikely the match will be won on the feet. Rather it's going to look more like Jiu Jitsu on the mat than the limited very limited mat wrestling we see today.

Techniques were developed for the early moments but also, if not more, the long game match. Meaning some moves will work better later in a match where the athletes are not near as fresh. No...

By Google Bard AI

Catch wrestling is an exciting sport for several reasons, including:

 

1. Dynamic and unpredictable nature: Catch wrestling is a very dynamic and unpredictable sport, as there are a wide variety of submissions and pins that can be used to win a match. This means that there is always the potential for a sudden and dramatic finish, which keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
   
    
2. Combination of pins and submissions: Pins and submissions are both fundamental parts of catch wrestling, and they each add a different kind of excitement to the sport. Pins create a sense of urgency and explosiveness, while submissions provide a more technical and strategic element. The combination of these two win conditions makes catch wrestling a very well-rounded and exciting sport.
   
    
3. Open and adaptable nature: Catch wrestling is an open and adaptable sport, which means that there is no one single "correct" way to wrestle. This allows wrestlers to be creative and develop their own uniqu...

Hi! I’m Cindy and I’ve been taking catch wrestling classes with Coach Raul for about a year now at UCLA and Fight Science. I’ve also trained at several Jiu Jitsu gyms like Pedigo Daisy Fresh, Caio Terra Academy, and now 10th Planet Headquarters. I started with BJJ, then transitioned to catch wrestling (if we’re being honest, it was because of my work schedule) and it has improved my performance in BJJ exponentially! Here are 7 of the most important things I’ve learned from my experience in catch wrestling:

1. Its okay to be vulnerable

In BJJ, I’ve always heard that to give up your back is a sin. Although it is an opportunity for the opponent to gain 4 points (if we’re going by IBJJF rules), it is not the end of the round and it certainly is no reason to throw the match. 

 In catch wrestling, it is rather the opposite: it is a sin to put your back to the mat because it’s a pin. I’ve found this to be applicable in other martial arts too, like MMA. It’s rather disadvantageous to hav...

 Photo: Waino Ketonen

By Mark S. Hewitt

In the late summer of 1911, Waino Ketonen invaded England to challenge the Lancashire wrestlers and further solidify his claim to the welterweight crown. Ketonen was accompanied by Tom Duchesne and their manager Edward Levasseur. Ketonen, though originally from Finland, and Duchesne were leading exponents of the rough-and-ready North American-style professional catch-as-catch-can wrestling. They were bringing their grappling skills to the cradle of catch wrestling-Lancashire County in North West England. On behalf of Ketonen, Levasseur issued an open challenge that the Finn could throw any British welterweight 2x in an hour, or any middleweight in a two-out-of-three falls contest. They were ready to put up wagers to back their boasts.

Duchesne, from Fall River, MA had toured Britian the previous year and brought home first place honors in a Welsh tournament. This time, Ketonen was the star and Duchesne was along mostly as a training pa...

By Bard AI

There are a few reasons why people don't understand Catch Wrestling.

1. Catch Wrestling is a very old style of grappling. It originated in England over 200 years ago. Over time, it has evolved and changed, but it still retains many of its original principles. This can make it difficult for people who are not familiar with the style to understand.
2. Catch Wrestling is a very versatile style. It allows for a wide variety of techniques, including throws, takedowns, pins, and submissions. This can be overwhelming for people who are new to grappling and don't know where to start.
3. Catch Wrestling is not as popular as some other martial arts. Other grappling styles are much more popular, which means that there are more resources available to learn about them. This can make it difficult for people to find information about Catch Wrestling and classes.

Despite these challenges, catch wrestling is a valuable martial art with much to offer. It is effective in self-defense,...

By Bard AI

There are several reasons why I believe that Catch Wrestling will be the source of the next innovation in Nogi grappling. First, Catch Wrestling is a very old and traditional style. This means that it has had a long time to develop and evolve. Over the years, Catch Wrestlers have developed a deep understanding of human anatomy and movement. They have also developed a wide range of techniques that can be used to submit an opponent.

Second, Catch Wrestling is a very versatile style. It can be used in a variety of different situations. For example, Catch Wrestlers can use their techniques to control an opponent on the ground, to take an opponent down, or to escape and counterattack if they get taken down. This versatility makes Catch Wrestling a very effective style for Nogi grappling.

Third, Catch Wrestling is a very competitive style. This competition has led to the development of many new techniques and strategies.

Therefore, I believe that the next innovation in Nogi gr...

By Bard AI 

Wrestling is a sport with a long and storied history, dating back to the ancient Olympic Games. Today, wrestling is still an Olympic sport, but the rules have changed over time. In the early days of the Olympics, wrestling was a catch-as-catch-can style, meaning that a wider variety of Wrestling holds were allowed, and there was no point system. However, over time, the rules were changed, several Wrestling holds were banned, a point system was added and a short time limit was imposed. This new style of wrestling became known as Freestyle Wrestling.

Freestyle Wrestling is still the official Olympic wrestling style, but there are several reasons why Catch Wrestling would be a better Olympic wrestling style than freestyle wrestling.

First, catch wrestling is more realistic. In the real world, if you are fighting someone, you are not going to be limited to one ruleset that does not allow for continuous Wrestling. You are going to want to be able to use submissions to c...