What Is Catch Wrestling?

There are hundreds of different martial arts from around the world. In general, they fall into one of two groups. Some focus on strikes like punching and kicking. Examples include boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and karate. Others focus on grappling, which includes throws, trips, sweeps, ground fighting, clinch fighting, and submission holds. Examples include judo, sambo, and of course jiu-jitsu. True, jiu-jitsu was originally conceived of as a complete system that includes both striking and grappling, but it has largely evolved away from striking, and most jiu-jitsu schools now concentrate their attention on grappling. This is especially true in schools that train fighters to compete in jiu-jitsu tournaments.

As Lex Fridman and MMA fighter Josh Barnett explore in the below clips, grappling arts can be divided even further.

Two Philosophies of Grappling

There are two main schools of thought when it comes to grappling. As Lex and Josh articulated on Lex’s podcast, these can be thought of as running parallel to the divide between yin and yang in Chinese philosophy. Yin is traditionally thought of as being more passive and reactive. Yang is traditionally thought of as being more aggressive and assertive.

Within grappling, a fighter who favors the principles of yin is going to develop strategies that rely more on finesse and patience. They wear down their opponents and only use explosivity when the time is right to put their opponent into submission. A fighter who favors the principles of yang is going to develop strategies that rely more on raw power. They seek to overwhelm their opponent with offense.

To be clear, both fighters will use technique, leverage, timing, strength, and stamina to achieve their ends, but their strategies for victory are different. Moreover, no fighter will ever be entirely one or the other.

Catch Wrestling

If jiu-jitsu, especially the kind of jiu-jitsu developed by Hélio Gracie, represents yin, then catch wrestling represents yang. Josh puts it succinctly in the below video: “Think of collegiate wrestling with submissions.” To elaborate, catch wrestling has looser rules than most forms of wrestling practiced in Western countries today, but many of these specific styles are derived from catch.

In catch wrestling, the winner is determined by pinning. More so than simply tapping out or saying, “I give,” the act of pinning demonstrates a greater show of dominance. As Josh points out, being on your back is a vulnerable position to be in, even if there’s not a person on top of you pinning you to the ground. This isn’t just in combat sports, but in actual lethal combat. Being on your back in an actual battle is about as dangerous a place as you could be in because you are less mobile, and your vital organs are exposed.

Fighting Is Violent

For Josh, catch wrestling tournaments are more real and honest than other types of grappling because it is honest about its violence. No fighter walks onto the mat or into the ring hoping to be dominated. Instead, they want to assert their will. For you to win, you need to more forcibly assert your will. There is no peaceful or gentle way to do this.

For Josh, the most straightforward way is to put one’s opponent in excruciating pain so that they do not want to fight any longer. One uses strength and technique to physically dominate another and to put them in a position where continuing becomes unbearable. In the end, they pin themselves because they lose the strength of will.

Lex offers a counterpoint. While this is one way to win a fight, it’s not the only way. There’s a less brutal path that goes back to the difference between yin and yang. Rather than forcing your opponent into a literal pretzel until they can no longer stand it, a fighter can view the fight more as a chess match. Instead of pinning themselves because continuing is not bearable, they pin themselves because you have taken away all options of victory while you make it easier and easier for them to pin themselves. In other words, continuing becomes more and more difficult until it becomes technically impossible.

What’s important to remember is that this is a debate that’s probably as old as martial arts, and that there probably is no right answer. What’s important is that you recognize which strategy works best for you and embrace it. It doesn’t matter if it’s catch wrestling or jiu-jitsu or karate.