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...

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...

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...

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...

By Jon Strickland, head coach of American Hook Wrestling

“It’s not the style it’s the practitioner.” That’s just not true.

They’re styles that are clearly better head to head.

Why do you think MMA was forced to make major rule changes in the 2000s?

Why do refs help people out of positions and situations?

How many times have you heard “let him up.”

I think it’s better to say it like this…

There are styles that are close enough in functional techniques that match up better and it comes down to the person not the style. That I could agree with the other is bs and we all know it.