NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Raul Ramirez of the Catch Wrestling Alliance.

We focused on the plans for catch wrestling for 2018. We spoke with Raul Ramirez by phone Thursday.

This year, a key part of the plan is for "a lot more outreach, but then also trying to get more youth involved, but not exactly in pure catch-as-catch can with all the really painful submission holds," he said.

"Traditionally it was always seen as something a little bit too dangerous for children. But so we want to try to bring back what we call amateur catch-as-catch-can. We want to really try to get kids into that."

This amateur catch wrestling would have no submissions or points. Matches would have time limits, with victory either by pin, or if there is no pin, by judges determining the winner by who controlled the match and went for the pin the most.

We discussed plans to hold the first of these amateur tournaments in April; plans to appear at the 2018 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships and WIN Memorabilia Show in March in Cleveland; plans for a third annual Frank Gotch Tournament in the summer in a new location; training in Singapore along with the Kapap Academy; the close connections and historical links between catch wrestling, grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and judo; why catch wrestling is "most ideal" for self-defense; why Chinese kickboxing (sanda) is also important both for sport and self-defense; and much more.

(Photo by Phil Monson, courtesy of Catch Wrestling Alliance.)

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No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Trans Boxing, organizing boxing training for transgender and gender non-conforming people, for fitness and self-defense. For more information, go to TransBoxing.org.

Labels: catch wrestling, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman, Frank Gotch, No Holds Barred, Raul Ramirez, tournament