Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting or simply grappling, is a competitive martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates elements of various grappling arts, mostly Brazilian jiu-jitsu but also Judo, Sambo, and wrestling. Submission wrestling is practiced both as a competitive sport and as a training method for self-defence and mixed martial arts (MMA).
Background
In ancient Greece, Pankration emerged as a popular combat sport around the 7th century BCE. Pankration combined striking and grappling techniques, including joint locks and chokes, and was even included in the Olympic Games.[1][2] In Japan, Jujutsu became prominent in the 17th century. Jujutsu focused on using an opponent's energy against them and included techniques like joint locks, throws, and pins.[2]
Jigoro Kano later developed Judo in the late 19th century, incorporating many grappling techniques from Jujutsu, Judo influenced the development of various grappling styles around the world in particular Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Other styles of submission grappling also emerged, such as freestyle wrestling and Sambo in Russia, which blended elements of Judo and traditional wrestling. All of these grappling arts contributed to the development of submission wrestling.[2]
Generic term
Mixed martial arts schools and fighters may use the term submission wrestling to refer to their grappling methods while avoiding association with any one art. The label is sometimes also used to describe the tactic in mixed martial arts competition of relying primarily upon submission wrestling skills to defeat an opponent.[3]
The term No-Gi usually refers to a form of competition and training that does not use the Gi, the "combat kimono" worn in traditional martial arts. No-Gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the most well-known subset of submission wrestling, with the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship considered its most prestigious tournament.
Objective
In submission wrestling, the primary objective is to force an opponent to submit through the application of joint locks, chokes, or other submission holds. Unlike traditional wrestling, which often involves pinning an opponent's shoulders to the ground for victory, submission wrestling emphasises techniques that can lead to a submission such as tapping out or verbally submitting.[4]
Submission wrestling competitions, often referred to as No-Gi, grappling tournaments or submission-only events, can vary in rulesets. Some competitions allow competitors to use strikes, while others focus solely on grappling techniques. Points may be awarded for takedowns, dominant positions, and near-submissions. However, the ultimate goal is to secure a submission, which ends the match.[3]
Styles
Catch wrestling: Also called "catch-as-catch-can", the style of grappling (without the gi) originated in Lancashire, Northern England and later became the dominant wrestling style in America during the 19th century, has experienced a resurgence during recent years due to MMA popularity. Early professional wrestling was once competitive catch wrestling before the sport slowly transitioned to sportive entertainment during the mid-1920s, with amateur catch wrestling becoming Olympic freestyle and collegiate wrestling.
Judo: A Japanese martial art focusing on high-impact throws, pins, joint locks, and chokes. It is also an Olympic sport, practiced wearing the judogi, but has been adapted to submission wrestling purposes.
Japanese jiu-jitsu or jujutsu: An ancient art of Japanese wrestling/grappling that places a heavy emphasis on joint locks, chokes, and throws. Uses a gi traditionally, but training without one is not uncommon.
Sport sambo: A Soviet (Russian) style of grappling that typically uses a jacket, but without gi pants. Sambo uses leglocks, but most styles do not permit chokes.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu: An increasingly popular style with great emphasis on ground grappling. It involves training with and without a gi.
Luta livre esportiva (pt): A Brazilian form of submission wrestling adapted from catch wrestling, trained without a gi.
Malla-yuddha: One of the oldest practiced forms of submission/combat wrestling, originating in pre-partition India, malla-yuddha is divided into four parent techniques, each named after particular Hindu gods and legendary fighters: Hanumanti concentrates on technical and positional superiority, Jambuvanti uses locks and holds to force the opponent into submission, Jarasandhi concentrates on breaking the limbs and joints and applying tracheal chokes while Bhimaseni focuses on sheer strength.
Pehlwani: The premier wrestling style of South Asia. It is descended from Malla-yuddha and the Persian varzesh-e bastani.
Pankration: Originating from ancient Greece, it combines elements that today are found mainly in the punches of boxing (pygmachia) and in the kicking of many martial arts (laktisma) with moves from the also Greece-originating wrestling (pale) and joint locks, thus creating a broad fighting sport similar to today's mixed martial arts.
Shoot wrestling: A Japanese martial art (without the gi) based on catch wrestling, freestyle wrestling, and Greco-Roman wrestling, which later incorporated judo, sambo, karate, and Muay Thai. The major sub-disciplines of shoot wrestling are Shooto and shootfighting, along with Combat Wrestling.
Shooto: A Japanese martial art consisting of catch wrestling, judo, jujutsu, sambo, and kickboxing developed by professional wrestler Satoru Sayama.
Shootfighting: A Japanese martial art consisting of Muay Thai and catch wrestling.
Combat wrestling(ja): A style of shoot wrestling founded by elite wrestler and MMA coach Noriaki Kiguchi (ja).
Combat Jiu-Jitsu (CJJ) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu No-Gi / MMA hybrid invented by American BJJ black belt Eddie Bravo in 2013. Following the success of his Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) events, Bravo decided to create a martial art aimed for self-defense that could also be used in competition.[5] Inspired from Pancrase matches as well as from the original Gracie Challenge.[6]
CJJ incorporates No-Gi BJJ techniques while adding open palm strikes allowing competitors to strike each other on the ground to open up the defense, CJJ matches are won by submission within the regulation period, or a winner is determined by EBI overtime rules.[7]
First ran as competitive matches during his invitational events, starting with EBI 11 in 2017, the first Combat Jiu-Jitsu World event took place in 2018.[5] Since then, multiple world champions have been crowned and the first team world championship took place at the end of 2022.[8]
Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW) is a modern form of submission wrestling (and MMA system), without the gi, developed by Erik Paulson, former Shooto light heavyweight champion.
It encompasses more areas, focusing on clinching, submissions, takedowns, grappling and striking.
It is a style that borrows elements and techniques from catch wrestling, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, shoot wrestling, judo and sambo on the grappling aspect.
It also blends techniques of striking taken from Boxing, Kickboxing, Lethwei and Savate.
Some notorious fighters that have come out of CSW are Sean Sherk, Josh Barnett and Ken Shamrock.
Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu is a submission grappling hybrid invented by american BJJ and Judo black belt Dave Camarillo in 2006.
Camarillo comes from a family of Judokas and he was fully emerged in the martial art after training in Japan.
After and injury during stand up, he started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ralph Gracie.
He became a black belt after 6 years he has been teaching his style ever since.
Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu focuses mainly on grappling and it's a mixture of Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
However, it's also considered quite aggressive, with its pratictioner focusing heavily on submissions as much as positions.
Hayastan Freestyle Wrestling
Hayastan Grappling System or Hayastan Freestyle Wrestling
Hayastan Grappling System or Hayastan freestyle wrestling, is a submission grappling style developed by multiple grappling black belts Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell that blends elements of judo, sambo, catch wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.
This system includes all forms of submissions, including leg locks, footlocks, kneebars, heel hooks, shoulder locks, wrist locks, neck cranks, body cranks, chokes and others.
Submission Arts Wrestling (SAW) [サブミッションアーツレスリング] is a modern catch wrestling-based Japanese martial art that incorporates elements from Sumo, Free Style Wretling, Catch as Catch Can Wrestling, Sambo and Judo. Founded in the 1980's by Hidetaka Aso, a student of Karl Gotch, SAW constitutes a Gi and No Gi grappling and striking system that focuses in forcing ones opponent to submit by means of throws, takedowns, chokes, toe locks, finger locks, pressure points and joint locks. As a form of Catch Can Wrestling, SAW is well known for its efficient leg locks repertoire. SAW practitioners are also skilled in the use of strikes such as hand, foot, knee and elbows since Submission Arts Wrestlers compete in all known fighting formats such as Sport Jujitsu, BJJ, MMA, Catch Wrestling and/or any other sanction combat sports.
Submission Arts Wrestling is practiced on a wrestling mat (tatami). Submission Arts Wrestling (SAW) is currently practiced in Japan – Aso Sensei, Australia – Ito Sensei, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico (United States) – Ramos Sensei.
