Submission Wrestling

Summary

Submission Wrestling is a form of martial arts that focuses on grappling and using submission holds. The purpose of submission wrestling is to get the opponent to submit. Unlike other combat sports, there is no established uniform or ranking system in their clothing. Submission wrestlers usually wear various short garments to prevent ripping or tearing during combat. Bringing together styles such as Sambo, Folk Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Freestyle Wrestling (among others), submission wrestling is a true hybrid form of wrestling combat.

History / Origins

ETYMOLOGY

The term “submission wrestling” is a compound word that describes the act of wrestling in order to attain submission from an opponent. It is composed of a Latin word:

• Submission – Lowering or sinking.

And an old English term:

• Wrestling – Sport of grappling or throwing.

Many Mixed Martial Arts styles use the term to specifically refer to the grappling techniques they teach, as the term implies a separation from one set style. Submission wrestling can be thought of as its own entity or as part of a larger form of combat due to the popularity of its practice.

BEGINNINGS

Due to the fact that wrestling itself is a part of every culture’s history and that submission wrestling is marked by its combination of techniques from different forms of combat, submission wrestling can be seen in some of the earliest styles of fighting. One of the earliest people to develop what is known today as “submission wrestling” was Erik Paulson, who studied a variety of martial arts in the mid to late 1970s. Many of the styles he studied during this time would later be infused into the combat he taught, which would become known as submission wrestling. These styles included Judo, Freestyle Wrestling, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Shoot Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Shoot Wrestling in particular influenced Paulson. Like submission wrestling, Shoot Wrestling placed an emphasis on blending different wrestling techniques. This style was introduced to him by Yorinaga Nakamura, a Japanese instructor. At the time, many schools in Japan were teaching a hybrid of styles, which also influenced the first wave of submission wrestling.

PRESENT DAY

Submission wrestling is currently taught globally. Though each school teaches submission wrestling in a different way, the emphasis of combining techniques to get an opponent to submit in the most varied, effective way remains the same as it was when the style first emerged in the late 1970s. Since submission wrestling combines various styles into its teachings, most, if not all, Mixed Martial Arts institutions that emphasize holds and grappling practice it on some level. One of the largest organizations practicing submission wrestling today is the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) Submission Wrestling World Championship. Only top athletes with a number of styles under their belt and a proficiency in submission wrestling are capable of entering. The impact that the ADCC has had on submission wrestling is inescapable. Thousands of world-wide competitions use the same models and rules that the ADCC has established in their matches. The North American Grappling Association (NAGA), which was founded in 1995, is also a large organization that uses submission wrestling in its competitions in both Europe and North America.

FOLKLORE

It is rumored that many of the United States’ historical presidents were expert grapplers, practicing a mixed form of western wrestling techniques that would loosely be considered submission wrestling by today’s standards. Submission wrestling’s earliest pioneer, Erik Paulson, was the first American to World Light-Heavy Weight Shooto title. Previously, this had primarily been won by native Japanese contestants, marking his victory as a particularly historic event in the sport.