NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman.

It is now 100 years since the passing of Frank Gotch of Humboldt, Iowa, who was the professional wrestling heavyweight champion of the world from 1908 to 1913, at a time when pro wrestling was largely a real sport. His style was known as catch-as-catch-can wrestling, or simply catch wrestling, where matches were won by pin or submission. But along with his death, real professional wrestling died soon after.

We spoke with Mike Chapman by phone Tuesday.

"He died December 16, 1917, just a few weeks shy of his fortieth birthday, so he was 39 years old," he said. "And it marked a monumental turning point, I think, in Iowa history and in wrestling, because Frank Gotch was gone. In his place came Joe Stecher and Earl Caddock and Ed 'Strangler' Lewis and people like that. And the sport changed.

"I maintain it was largely a true athletic contest in his era. Not 100 percent, there were some worked matches. But I maintain Frank didn't work matches, and I can spend an hour explaining why I firmly believe that.

"But after he passed away, the regional territories developed and wrestling just went a completely different direction. So his passing, December 16, 1917, marked a huge changing in wrestling in America."

We discussed why Gotch's death was a "seminal moment in wrestling history"; why Gotch was "the father of wrestling in America"; the circumstances of his death and the context of what was the average life expectancy in his era; modern attempts at rebuilding catch wrestling; his latest book entitled "A Journey: Reflections on 50 Years of Writing, Wrestling, Weightlifting and Heroes"; why Mike's first sporting love was baseball; and much more.

(Photo of Mike Chapman wearing Frank Gotch's favorite derby hat by Brad Wilder.)

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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.

Labels: catch, catch-as-catch-can, centenary, Eddie Goldman, Frank Gotch, Iowa, Mike Chapman, No Holds Barred, pro, wrestling

Let me break this down once again since some people are having a hard time grasping this, whether from disbelief, not reading the law or listening to Jim Genia and me on No Holds Barred, poor reading comprehension, or just pure laziness and ignorance. As of last Thursday, September 1, ALL combat sports in New York, professional or amateur, except pro boxing and MMA which are sanctioned separately, have to be run by a sanctioning body which has been approved by the New York State Athletic Commission. These explicitly include: kickboxing, muay Thai, wrestling/grappling (presumably including all kinds such as jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, sambo, etc.), judo, tae kwon do, karate, kempo, and amateur MMA. The non-refundable application fee for a sanctioning body of one or more of these is $1,000. Plus, bonds of $10,000 and $20,000 must be secured as well. A long questionnaire must be filled out, plus detailed recordkeeping are also required. Then the NYSAC will decide if they will bother to approve the application or not.

Without all of this:
Kickboxing is illegal in New York.
Muay Thai is illegal in New York.
Wrestling/grappling (presumably including all kinds such as jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, sambo, etc.) is illegal in New York.
Judo is illegal in New York.
Tae kwon do is illegal in New York.
Karate is illegal in New York.
Kempo is illegal in New York.
Amateur MMA is illegal in New York.

That application form can be seen here.

The "regulations implementing and governing combative sports in New York State" can be seen here.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

Labels: BJJ, catch, combative sports, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Jim Genia, jiu-jitsu, judo, law, MMA, New York State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, sambo, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with MMA journalist Jim Genia.

While much attention has been given to the recent re-legalization of MMA in New York, the rules and regulations issued Thursday, September 1, by the New York State Athletic Commission to implement this new law contained some disastrous surprises for the various styles of grappling and wrestling.

Now, as of September 1, organizations wishing to sanction events in professional and even amateur grappling, wrestling, judo, and other disciplines must apply for licensing from the New York commission. (The staged pro "wrestling" is in a separate category and defined as not a real sport.)

New York's General Business Law defines combative sports in § 1000, section 3:

"'Combative sport' means any unarmed bout, contest, competition, match, or exhibition undertaken to entertain an audience, wherein the participants primarily grapple or wrestle, or deliver blows of any kind to, or use force in any way to manipulate, the body of another participant, and wherein the outcome and score depend entirely on such activities."

In the athletic commission's regulations for implementing and governing combative sports in New York State, under the heading "Application for License", it states:

"Section 214.4. (a) An entity may make an application for a license to supervise and oversee the conduct of matches and exhibitions of one or more of the following authorized combative sports: wrestling, kickboxing (including muay thai), amateur mixed martial arts, and the single discipline martial arts of Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate and Kempo."

Yet the "NYSAC Application for Combative Sport Authorized Sanctioning Entity License" has a different list. Applications to sanction one or more professional combative sport (except boxing and MMA, which are handled separately) can be made in, according to this wording: "Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling/Grappling, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Kempo." Applications to sanction one or more amateur combative sport can be made in, according to this wording: "Mixed Martial Arts, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling/Grappling, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Kempo."

No definition is given as to what is included and what is not in "Wrestling/Grappling", and it is doubtful anyone on this commission even knows what this means.

The non-refundable application fee, which does not guarantee getting licensed, is $1,000.

In addition, the sanctioning bodies are required on this form to file with the New York Department of State bonds of $20,000 and $10,000: "An authorized Sanctioning Entity must execute and file with the Department of State: Bond in the sum of $20,000.00 conditioned for and guaranteeing the payment of purses and the legitimate expenses of printed tickets and all advertising materials and; Bond in the sum of $10,000.00 conditioned for and guaranteeing the faithful performance of the authorized sanctioning entity of the provisions of Article 41 of the General Business Law and the rules and regulations of the Commission".

That application form can be seen here.

The "regulations implementing and governing combative sports in New York State" can be seen here.

These organizations running amateur events must also provide accident insurance for each athlete of a minimum of $1,000, death benefit coverage of $10,000, and file a mountain of paperwork, as well as having to follow more regulations, some of which are unclear in this poorly-written set of commission rules.

Obviously, these onerous fees alone will make it impossible and not affordable for such amateur grappling and wrestling events to take place in New York State.

To discuss this, we spoke with Jim Genia Saturday.

"A number of factors have put us in a position where we are right now," he said. "One of them was that, one of the major talking points in getting mixed martial arts legalized in New York was that there were all these unsanctioned, unregulated events going on in New York.

"Now, you and I, we're savvy about combat sports. We know the difference between an MMA show and a grappling event. But, the people up in Albany, they can't tell the difference.

"So unfortunately, to help curb all these unregulated events, the grappling events were lumped together in the new statute, in the law, and in the athletic commission guidelines, with these unsanctioned MMA shows.

"And now we're stuck."

We also discussed the effect on all this by the ongoing multi-million dollar lawsuit against this commission and others by brain-damaged boxer Magomed Abdusalamov. This suit involved the disgraceful lack of treatment he received after his November 2, 2013, fight at the Theater in Madison Square Garden. After a brutal fight and after he complained of head pain, the commission advised him to take a taxi to Roosevelt Hospital rather than transporting him immediately by an on-site ambulance. This resulted in wasting precious time until he received emergency brain surgery. He was then in a coma for several weeks, still needs 24-hour care, and is unable to stand or speak.

This situation prompted an investigation by the New York State inspector general's office, but the report wasn't released until July 2016, a month after Abdusalamov's attorney sued to have it released. The delay in the release of this report could lead to a federal investigation of an attempted coverup, since the New York investigation began almost three years before the report was finally released.

And we discussed more about these regulations in depth; how we must demand that the two vacancies currently on the New York State Athletic Commission be filled by people who understand MMA, grappling, wrestling, and other martial arts; what action we must take; the new one million dollar insurance requirement for boxing and MMA promoters to get for each fighter on a card to cover the costs of serious head and brain injuries; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: BJJ, catch, combative sports, Eddie Goldman, grappling, Jim Genia, jiu-jitsu, judo, law, MMA, New York State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, sambo, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with catch wrestler and wrestling coach Luis Ojeda.

In 2014, he became the American heavyweight catch wrestling champion.

In his next match, he will be wrestling in the main event of the third show hosted by Legit Pro Wrestling (LPW).

His opponent, in a match which will be for the International Heavyweight Championship, will be Chris Crossan, who holds the LPW British heavyweight title.

LPW 3 will take place Sunday, June 12, at new Middlesbrough Sports Village in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, U.K.

We spoke with Luis Ojeda by phone Thursday.

"It's a really exciting time for me," he said. He had already planned a vacation with his family in the U.K. in June, but decided to include a stop on the mat to compete in Legit Pro Wrestling. He was originally slated to face Chris Crossan two years earlier in Los Angeles, but since that match did not happen then, he now has the opportunity finally to wrestle him.

"I'm going to be in England anyways," he said.

"I contacted Chris Crossan. He's the man over there. I give him a lot of props for being able to put it together, put a match together. He got a venue. I'm honored to be a part of Legit Pro Wrestling."

While this will be a catch wrestling match, the rules, known as the "warrior rules", will be different from those used in other events. This match will have three five-minute rounds. Points will be awarded for pins or submissions, with the wrestler with the most points at the end of the match winning. Pins or submissions will not automatically end the match, but result in it being restarted. Thus, the match will go the full 15 minutes, "no matter what," he said.

We also discussed his coaching wrestling at San Ysidro High School in San Diego, plans to teach a combatives class, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

The Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: catch, Chris Crossan, Eddie Goldman, Legit Pro Wrestling, LPW, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Chris Crossan of Legit Pro Wrestling (LPW).

Our subject in this, the second part of our discussion recorded by Skype this past Thursday, is the upcoming third event for LPW.

LPW 3 will take place Sunday, June 12, at new Middlesbrough Sports Village in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, U.K.

The main event will feature Chris Crossan himself, who holds the LPW British heavyweight title, against Luis Ojeda, who in 2014 became the American heavyweight catch wrestling champion. This match will be contested for the International Heavyweight Championship. More matches on this card will be announced shortly.

"The show's June the 12th, a Sunday. It's going to run for three hours, 4 till 7. So this is all for families. We want it family-oriented. It's going to be a great day out, and I'm really excited that I've got a great opponent for this event," he said.

"I'll be wrestling Luis Ojeda from the U.S. As you know, Luis has won a lot in catch wrestling. He's King of Catch USA Heavyweight Champion. We were scheduled to have a match. It will be almost two years to the day I flew out to America, and I didn't realize I wasn't wrestling him until I got there," he said.

"The day after I was given a different match. But two years later we've managed to get our heads together, and we've arranged it, so we're going to finally get to have a match. I'm really looking forward to it."

We discussed the rules for this match, which will have three five-minute rounds. Points will be awarded for pins or submissions, with the wrestler with the most points winning. These rules are designed to speed up the action on the mat and make it "more of a sprint," he said. If the points are even at the end of the match, it is a draw, as there will be no judges.

Also, we discussed the need to teach catch wrestling to children. Towards this end, on May 2, an eight-week spring course for the Legit Pro Wrestling School has started. More information is here.

We also discussed how his own wrestling skills have improved over the past few years, the need for a democratically-run international federation for catch wrestling, how catch wrestling is "a working class sport", and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

The Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.com.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: catch, Chris Crossan, Eddie Goldman, Legit Pro Wrestling, LPW, Luis Ojeda, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Steve Koepfer, the owner and head coach of New York Combat Sambo.

He will also be serving as the head coach of the 2015 Men's U.S. Combat Wrestling Team, which will be competing at the 2015 Combat Wrestling World Championship. This is the first world championship hosted by the recently formed International Federation of Combat Wrestling (FICW).

This historic event will be held Saturday, August 22, at the Stadion Spartak (Spartak Stadium) in Varna, Bulgaria. Video of it will be recorded for showing at a later date.

We spoke with Steve Koepfer by phone Friday.

Late last year, he was contacted by Ivaylo Ivanov, the founder and president of FICW, about setting up a USA Combat Wrestling organization, and also that there would be a world championship event this year. Now less than a year later, FICW has national federations in at least 17 countries on four continents, with the world championship this coming week.

"It's amazing how far he's come in the last year," he said. "I would say the majority of the work has really been done internationally with Ivaylo leading the charge, and behind him, with full support of [combat wrestling founder] Mr. [Noriaki] Kiguchi, Masa Yoshizawa in Japan, who is the head official for the new FICW. And he'll be also bringing the Japanese team over."

The 2015 Men's U.S. Combat Wrestling Team, which is composed of the winners in each weight at the U.S. Combat Wrestling Team Trial which was held April 11 in Lowell, Arkansas, includes:

100kg - Kevin Sniff. Westside MMA, Little Rock, Arkansas
90kg - Anthony Sansonetti. Team Renegade, Levittown, New York
82kg - Morgan Bracken. Criqui BJJ, Topeka, Kansas
74kg - Roli Delgado. Westside MMA, Little Rock, Arkansas
68kg - Denny Lenormand. NOLA BJJ/Rdojo, New Orleans, Louisiana

The rules of combat wrestling allow for victory by points scored by takedowns, throws, pins, and superior positions, as well as victory by submissions. The wrestling takes place on a wrestling mat and is overseen by a referee and officials.

Combat wrestling, first popularized in the 1990s in Japan by Noriaki Kiguchi, differs from other types of wrestling and grappling in that it is not a style, but "a set of rules," Steve Koepfer said. Because of that, it has attracted many athletes from various styles of wrestling, sambo, jiu-jitsu, judo, and MMA.

"Combat wrestling has no cultural ownership over it," he said. Thus, athletes from so many different parts of the world have joined together in it, and federations have been formed, in such a relatively short period. Also avoided are the "turf wars" which have infamously plagued so many martial arts and combat sports, he added.

We discussed the activity of this new federation, which will have its first congress the day before the world championship, as well as an officials' certification. One key issue the congress will presumably address is the direction and governance of the federation, including whether or not to seek to become part of the Olympic movement, which is more and more engulfed in scandals and corruption, and facing popular resistance from Rio to Boston to Oslo and elsewhere.

In addition, we discussed some of the problems facing the catch wrestling movement, how there was a very small turnout at the catch wrestling North American championship in Montreal in July, plans for developing a combat wrestling circuit in the U.S., and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

Labels: BJJ, Bulgaria, catch, combat wrestling, Eddie Goldman, FICW, International Federation, Ivaylo Ivanov, No Holds Barred, Noriaki Kiguchi, sambo, Steve Koepfer, Varna, World Championship

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Wade Schalles.

Besides being a two-time NCAA wrestling champion, a master pinner, and a 1991 inductee in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Wade Schalles is also presently training people in catch wrestling by serving as coach of Scientific Wrestling.

A lot of his attention of late has been aimed at chronicling the many problems facing the sport of wrestling in his multi-part series called "How Wrestling Wins", and offering solutions.

On the occasion of a major event such as the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which just took place March 19-21 in St. Louis, Missouri, it is important to find out his take on what it reveals about the state of wrestling today.

We spoke with Wade Schalles by phone Wednesday.

Speaking about the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, he said, "It's another wonderful event. It's our flagship event. I could either take this interview and make it all positive, which people tend to do in wrestling. I think it's smart to do the positive, talk about the greatness of the sport, and where we're headed, and the things it does for children."

He cautioned, however, "But I'm afraid we have very little time left to be positive."

The wrestling community, he said, "has to awaken to the problems we have. We only have maybe two-three years at most before bad things are going to happen to a lot of the non-revenue sports, not only wrestling."

Here he is referring to the effects of the O'Bannon decision, which mandates that colleges directly compensate many athletes in "revenue" sports like football and basketball, and where they will find the money to do so.

What must be done is, "Basically we have to get our costs in line. We have to increase our revenue potential. We have to spend wiser," he said.

"Every major institution in wrestling loses money."

We discussed why the current decision-makers in wrestling have not been making the "tough calls"; why the TV ratings for the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were not really impressive; how there is "no one in charge" of the sport of wrestling as a whole; why the college wrestling season should be moved to the spring so as not to conflict with the widely televised NCAA basketball tournament; why everything in wrestling must become "spectator-centric"; why he is planning on leaving wrestling; the potential for the re-emerging sport of catch wrestling to be "spectator-based" and exciting; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Labels: catch, college, crisis, Eddie Goldman, How Wrestling Wins, NCAA, No Holds Barred, scientific, Wade Schalles

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman, who is celebrating his birthday on Sunday, March 22, offers some thoughts and observations on the state of sports in general and the combat sports in particular. Discussed are the growing concern with head trauma and concussions; why retirement is not an option for him; the many problems facing wrestling and grappling events; the need to understand the world as a whole in order to understand the sports world; and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: birthday, boxing, catch, combat, concussions, Eddie Goldman, grappling, MMA, No Holds Barred, sports, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Steve Koepfer, the owner and head coach of New York Combat Sambo.

Our main topic was a new and important event, the 2015 U.S. Combat Wrestling World Team Trials.

This event takes place Saturday, April 11, at the TK Martial Arts Academy, 223 East Monroe Avenue, Lowell, Arkansas 72745.

Combat wrestling, originally developed in Japan over 20 years ago by wrestling legend Noriaki Kiguchi, is being revived internationally. It is a style of submission wrestling which includes winning by submission or points, with points being awarded for attaining takedowns, superior positions, pins, and more.

The U.S. Combat Wrestling World Team Trials is a qualifying event for the first-ever Combat Wrestling World Championships held by the International Federation of Combat Wrestling (FICW), which will take place August 22, 2015, in Varna, Bulgaria.

A crowdfunding page to help support the U.S. combat wrestling team has been set up here.

We spoke with Steve Koepfer Monday at the headquarters of New York Combat Sambo.

"The end of last year, I was contacted by Ivaylo Ivanov," the founder and president of the FICW, he said.

"He had been working with Kiguchi-san from Japan on really getting this world federation together for combat wrestling."

As for the sport of combat wrestling, "It's been around a long time. This is pre-Abu Dhabi submission wrestling sport. It kind of declined in Japan for a bit, like MMA and everything else, but I think the rise and popularity of no-jacket submission wrestling-type events has really brought it back."

With plans being made for the first combat wrestling world championships in August, "Ivaylo had reached out to me to help through the American Sambo Association organize the first U.S. team trials and put the team together."

We discussed the rules of combat wrestling, how the U.S. Combat Wrestling World Team Trials are being organized in a professional manner, the rapid growth around the world of combat wrestling and its international federation in just one year, some of the other important events coming up in sambo and catch wrestling, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch, Combat Wrestling World Team Trials, Eddie Goldman, FICW, Ivaylo Ivanov, No Holds Barred, Noriaki Kiguchi, sambo, Steve Koepfer

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman.

He has recently written a book on undefeated college wrestler, 1920 Olympic silver medalist wrestler, pro catch wrestler and shooter, and Hollywood actor Nat Pendleton.

We spoke with Mike Chapman by phone Saturday.

While wrestling for Columbia, which had the first college wrestling program in the U.S., "He was an exceptional college wrestler, never lost a match," he said.

"This is before the days of the NCAA tournament, of course. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wresting Association title twice, which is a really tough tournament," in 1914 and 1915, he said.

"He won the AAU Nationals twice," in 1916 and 1920, he said, in what was then called amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestling, and today is known as freestyle wrestling.

Also in amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestling, in 1920, he said, "He won a silver medal in the Olympics." Many observers of that match have argued that Pendleton was robbed of the gold medal, "which happens a lot in international competition."

Pendleton's next stop was pro wrestling, which had not completely devolved into the spectacle we have today.

This was "at a time when pro wrestling was starting to evolve from a pure athletic contest -- well, actually it was already well into the evolution into show business and theatrics."

As to how Nat Pendleton reacted to this change in pro wrestling, he said, "I maintain from my research through the last ten years, and what I've known about Nat, that Nat really felt that he was a catch wrestler extraordinaire. He loved catch wrestling. He cared deeply about it. And he resisted the movement into theatrics."

Of course, to theatrics it was for pro wrestling, so after a few years, he decided to go where people were upfront about their theatrics -- Hollywood, where he had a career appearing in almost 100 films.

We also discussed a legendary pro catch wrestling match which Nat Pendleton had in 1923 with the great John Pesek, which is one of the last real, or shoot, matches in pro wrestling. Held in Boston with heavy newspaper coverage, Pesek was able to defeat Pendleton by submission in two straight falls.

In addition, we discussed the legacy of Nat Pendleton for college wrestling and his alma mater, Columbia; the lessons of the devolution of catch wrestling last century into a staged spectacle; what the re-emerging catch wrestling movement of today has to learn about good governance of the sport and the battle against corruption from the tragedy of the real sport's demise in the past; and much more.

Mike Chapman's biography of Nat Pendleton is a must-read for all those interested in the history of college, Olympic, catch, and pro wrestling. It provides a rare insight into the life of a remarkable individual who went from the Ivy League halls of Columbia University to the wrestling mats and rings of his era, and then to an acting career during the golden age of Hollywood films. The book is also appropriate for teens and children, who will no doubt learn a lot about life and history in the 20th century.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch, college, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Hollywood, Mike Chapman, Nat Pendleton, No Holds Barred, Olympic, pro, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bob Carson, the host of Carson's Corner.

To mark the ninth anniversary of the No Holds Barred podcast this week, we did not have cake or drink beer, but had a lengthy and wide-ranging discussion on the state of MMA and the combat sports in general.

We spoke with Bob Carson by Skype Wednesday.

Speaking of the state of MMA today, he minced no words.

"What you have is basically a spectacle that I don't think is on a solid foundation anymore," he said.

"I think that this is a sport now unfortunately that is one scandal away, one mishap away from extinction."

We discussed these myriad scandals plaguing MMA and whether or not it could survive in the long-term. We also discussed the lessons and implications of these scandals for re-emerging sports like catch wrestling and combat wrestling, the pathetic role played by virtually all of those who masquerade as the MMA "media", the current revival of boxing, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Bob Carson, boxing, Carson's Corner, catch, combat, Eddie Goldman, grappling, media, MMA, No Holds Barred, sports, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Mike Martelle, the owner and head instructor of the Grizzly Gym.

A martial artist who has mastered numerous disciplines and styles of both grappling and striking, he will be traveling from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, this coming week to Dakar, Senegal, in Africa, to train and compete in the traditional style of wrestling known as Laamb. There he will train with Kairé Deux at the Soumbédioune Training Center (l'écurie Soumbédioune), as well as conduct seminars in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

He is working on this project with the Lion Heart Initiative.

We spoke with Mike Martelle by phone Thursday.

"Ever since I was a little kid when I started martial arts decades ago, it was always my lifelong dream to compete on every continent," he said. "This trip to Africa will complete that goal. This will be the last of the six viable continents that I will be traveling to and competing upon."

He continued, "We'll be competing in a traditional form of wrestling, the national sport of Senegal, called Laamb."

There are two versions of Laamb: amateur and professional.

"Essentially you're looking to win via taking your opponent down, or putting him out-of-bounds. And in the professional version, you can also use closed-fist punches to, shall we say, encourage the takedown," he said.

"So I'm very excited about it. It's going to be fantastic."

We discussed more about the Lion Heart Initiative, the potential for Laamb (also called Senegalese Wrestling) to become a popular sport worldwide, why this is "sport at its purest, at its most primal", upcoming plans for catch wrestling and combat wrestling events this year, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: Africa, catch, combat, Eddie Goldman, Grizzly Gym, Grizzly's Quest, Laamb, Lion Heart Initiative, Mike Martelle, No Holds Barred, Senegal, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Ivaylo Ivanov of the International Federation of Combat Wrestling (FICW).

Just formed this year, this organization is running events in the style of submission wrestling known as combat wrestling, which most recently achieved notoriety in Japan in the 1990s. With representatives joining from around the world, the goal is to hold their first world championship event in Bulgaria in the summer of 2015.

Originally from Bulgaria and having lived in Japan and China, he is now living in Mexico City. He is a black belt in judo, a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a master of sport in sambo. He also is the founder of the combat sports news web site Yagadome.

We spoke with Ivaylo Ivanov by Skype Wednesday.

"In combat wrestling, you are awarded points for throws, depending on the amplitude of the throw and landing position of your opponent. After that, you get points for pins. That would be pins outside of the guard. And then, of course, you could get submissions," he said, "and go for submissions any time you want. But the most common positions for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for example, like mount and taking the back, are also awarded, with only one point."

We also discussed the founding of this style and ruleset by Mr. Noriaki Kiguchi in Japan, why it is being revived now, how the rules differ from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how the rules and style are very similar to sambo but without the kurtka (jacket), the planned expansion of the federation to 20 countries by the end of 2015, the plans for the 2015 world championships, plans for holding continental championships in 2016 leading to that year's world championships, building the International Federation of Combat Wrestling as a non-profit organization and eventually holding a world congress, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: BJJ, catch, Eddie Goldman, International Federation Combat Wrestling, Ivaylo Ivanov, jiu-jitsu, judo, No Holds Barred, sambo

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling legend Wade Schalles.

Besides serving as the coach at Scientific Wrestling, he has been writing a multi-part series called "How Wrestling Wins".

Mainly focusing on the decline of American wrestling, he goes in-depth to analyze the problems of the sport and offer numerous innovative solutions. Whether or not you agree with everything he writes, people in wrestling and the combat sports will find this series to be a much-needed and refreshing change from the mediocrity and lack of critical analysis which characterizes most discussion about wrestling.

We spoke with Wade Schalles by phone Monday.

This series "covers the greatness of the sport of wrestling, what's unique about it, why I think it's the best sport for young men and young ladies to participate in, certainly at an early age, and the reasons why I believe that way," he said.

"I follow up with where we are struggling, where we are in the world of sports today both domestically and internationally, and why we are where we are, who's at fault, why they're at fault, and how do we go about fixing it."

We discussed the urgent need for wrestling to attract more spectators to live events, how those events have to be much better organized and presented than they are now, the effect on wrestling of the film and book "Foxcatcher", his own experiences with John du Pont, and more.

We also discussed the revival of catch wrestling and his role in that. He explained why this style, where you win by pin or submission, has great potential to grow, why college wrestling should consider adding submissions, the creativeness of catch wrestling, and much more about catch wrestling.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: catch, college, Eddie Goldman, How Wrestling Wins, NCAA, No Holds Barred, scientific, Wade Schalles

(Photo of Dave and Mark Schultz, courtesy of Mark Schultz.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in freestyle wrestling for the U.S., a three-time NCAA Div. I wrestling champion at Oklahoma, and 1-0 MMA fighter, wrestling legend Mark Schultz.

The book of his life story, Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold, written with sportswriter David Thomas, has just been released.

The film Foxcatcher, which is a dramatization based on that book and focuses on the events surrounding the 1996 murder of his brother, fellow Olympic, world, and national champion wrestler Dave Schultz, by the crazed multi-millionaire John du Pont, was released in New York and Los Angeles November 14, and will be released in many more cities around the world in the coming weeks and months.

We spoke with Mark Schultz by Skype Wednesday.

The movie has already been widely mentioned in the film media as a major candidate for numerous Academy Award nominations. In particular, the performances of actors Steve Carell (du Pont), Channing Tatum (Mark Schultz), and Mark Ruffalo (Dave Schultz) have all been singled out as extraordinary, as well as the directing of Bennett Miller. The film is already being recognized as a major work of art, and easily the most important film ever made involving wrestling.

Speaking about the film, he said, "It's like epic. There are so many themes and undertones and metaphors."

He noted, "It's like a Greek tragedy about what happens when everything can be had at a price. And it teaches people, too -- it's about what happens when these worlds collide."

Stressing that the film's story has lessons which go far beyond the particulars of this one tragic tale, he said, "It's a movie for people who like to think."

But the film will also have an effect on the sport of wrestling, since the murder of Dave Schultz took place on du Pont's Foxcatcher estate while Dave was employed there as a wrestling coach.

The film, Mark said, "is going to make wrestling a part of pop culture."

But besides showing the countless benefits of wrestling, such as building character, molding one's body and mind through hard training, etc., the film, along with Mark's book, also demonstrates the weaknesses in the governance of the sport of wrestling. The result has been that wrestling legends like Mark and Dave Schultz, in Mark's own words in his book, "were having to stoop to rely on a lowlife like John du Pont to survive."

He also said that the most important thing to him in this whole project of this book and film is "immortalizing my brother." Few will argue that he has not succeeded in doing precisely that.

We also discussed more on what wrestling needs to do in order to become self-sustaining, the appeal of submission wrestling and catch wrestling, his training in jiu-jitsu and his one pro fight in UFC in 1996, his experience seeing his project bloom from a draft of his book into a major motion picture and autobiography, his connecting with the actors in the film and in particular with Channing Tatum, his current activities of doing public speaking and conducting seminars, and much more.

The No Holds Barred recommendation: For Mark's whole story, get the book. It is a must-read, whether or not you know much about wrestling. For a dramatization which will also go down in history, watch the film. It is a must-see.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.

Labels: BJJ, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch, college, Dave, du Pont, Eddie Goldman, film, Foxcatcher, freestyle, Mark Schultz, MMA, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympics, submission, USA, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Steve Koepfer, the owner and head coach of New York Combat Sambo, and the "Brooklyn Monk", Antonio Graceffo.

Right after we recorded an interview on Thursday with Antonio Graceffo for our previous show, we headed over to New York Combat Sambo, where Antonio proceeded to join a class in catch wrestling, headed by Steve Koepfer. Although Steve Koepfer is best known for his work in sambo, New York Combat Sambo also offers regular training in catch wrestling, as well as other styles. Several of his students are expected to be competing at upcoming events, including the 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., on Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, and at the Liberty Bell Classic / East Coast King of Catch Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, August 30, at Primal Gym in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, presented by the North American Catch Wrestling Association.

We spoke with both Steve Koepfer and Antonio Graceffo at New York Combat Sambo right after this catch wrestling class.

About four years ago, Steve Koepfer said that he did a joint seminar in Montreal with Kris Iatskevich, head coach at the ISWA (International Submission Wrestling Alliance). Steve was teaching sambo, and Kris catch wrestling.

"We realized that a lot of what he was teaching and a lot of what I was teaching was similar, and that a lot of the principles between sambo and catch were very similar regarding pins and submissions and takedowns. Obviously in sambo we wear the jacket and in catch there is no jacket. But we found there were more similarities than differences. And then we started training here at the gym with catch rules, which we found much more acceptable for all the techniques that we like to do that are not typically allowed in jiu-jitsu tournaments, for example."

That led them to organizing several joint sambo and catch wrestling tournaments together, with some of them having "upwards of 70 or 80 competitors, especially the ones down in Texas."

For Antonio, this was his first catch wrestling class, and also the first time he has done any wrestling in the United States. He is in the process of completing his Ph.D. at Shanghai University of Sport in Shanghai, China, comparing Chinese traditional wrestling with Western wrestling, and is also a member of the Shuai Jiao traditional wrestling team there. He also trained earlier in the week with a judo class in Long Island, New York, and commented, "In terms of the level, I saw that the level of the catch wrestler was a lot higher than the level of the sport judo guys I trained with this week."

We discussed with both Steve Koepfer and Antonio Graceffo their training together, the future of catch wrestling, what lessons can be learned for catch wrestling from the political battles in other sports like sambo, the various upcoming tournaments in catch wrestling, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

The 2014 Catch Wrestling World Championship, presented by the Snake Pit U.S.A., taking place Sunday, July 27, at the MMA World Expo at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. You can only win by pin or submission. Best two out of three falls. All styles welcome. For more information or to register, go to snakepitusa.com.

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, a catch wrestling promotion that works with the highest level catch wrestlers from around the world with the goal of reviving the great sport of catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance organizes catch wrestling sporting events, and its primary organizer is Dr. Raul Ramirez. For more information, go to catchwrestlingalliance.com.

Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to http://takedownradio.com.

Labels: Antonio Graceffo, Brooklyn Monk, catch, China, Chinese, Eddie Goldman, grappling, New York Combat Sambo, No Holds Barred, Shanghai University Sport, Shuai Jiao, Steve Koepfer, wrestling