NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kris Iatskevich of the International Submission Wrestling Alliance (ISWA) about the North American Throwdown catch wrestling event and the prospects for the growth of catch wrestling.

The North American Throwdown was held Saturday, February 25, 2012, in Joliette, Quebec, Canada, near Montreal. It featured both the ASA's Eighth Annual North American Freestyle Sambo Championships and the ISWA's Catch Wrestling Open tournament, also known as the Carpentier Open. Grapplers from all styles and affiliations competed.

We spoke with Kris Iatskevich by Skype Thursday about this historic event. We discussed the percent of victories by pin and by submission at the catch wrestling part of this event, how the rules virtually eliminated stalling, and the need for some improvements in future tournaments. We also discussed the great potential for catch wrestling to emerge as a legitimate and professional spectator sport, how this tournament was a steppingstone in that direction, the need for principled unity and cooperation among those who are part of this catch wrestling revival, the tentative plans for the next event, and much more.

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The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.