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Legendary take on all comers carnival wrestler and our good friend Billy "Pops" Wicks recently pointed something out to us. Mr Wicks states "Interesting bit of history here that seldom gets heard.   Gracie Jiu-Jitsu had its roots in the circus and  on AT (athletic shows) shows as they were known here in the U.S.  Gastao is the grandfather of Rickson Gracie .Often you will hear that Gastao was a business man but not that he was actually partners in a circus  and handled the business of wrestling matches." Pops was recently discussing this history with our good friend and renowned author of the catch wrestling books Mark Hewitt. Mark points out that :
"Gastao Gracie was a Brazilain of Scottish ancestry.He had five sons: Carlos, Gastao Jr., Oswaldo, Jorge (George), Helio.
Gastao, Sr. was partners in the American Circus along with the Quierolo brothers of Argentina .
Gastao managed wrestlers that toured with circus and took on all comers. They included Alfredi Leconti and Japanese jiu-jitsu experts Mitsuyo "Conde Koma" Maeda and Taro Miyake. It has been reported that Leconti was a boxer but research indicates he was a pro wrestler.
It has also been reported that Gastao's connection with Maeda was in helping with political and Japanese immigration problems.
That may have happened later, but initially Gastao's dealing with Maeda was over circus/professional wrestling. Maeda taught Kodokan judo/jiu-jitsu to Gastao's oldest son Carlos who taught his siblings-the rest is history. Maeda also had experience at catch-as-catch-can wrestling in the USA ."
 
This information once again shows how interconnected styles of grappling around the world are. It also serves as further illustration of how catch wrestling was a forefather of so many other grappling styles. To read in further detail about the history of grappling and the influence that wrestling (cacc,folksyle&freestyle) had and continues to have on BJJ/Gracie Jiu-Jitsu we would encourage you to read Rough and Tumble: The History of American Submission Wrestling. You can order Rough and Tumble here http://erikpaulson.com/book-rough-tumble/

Read more]]> The ACA had a great weekend in Western North Carolina as ACA President Matt Granahan and Kamal Shalorus were guests of Blackeye Fight Promotions for their Concussion Event in Fletcher, NC.  Kamal and Matt began Saturday morning with a visit to the ACA's close friend Billy Wicks at his home in the mountains of Waynesville, NC.  Billy is a wealth of knowledge on catch wrestling and how it relates to mma and we thank him for his continued time and guidance.  From there it was on to the Concussion event and meeting with Brett Kastler of SplitLip MMA, the event's sponsor.  SplitLip is launching a new t-shirt line featuring Kamal.  After that it was a visit with Johnny Husky and John "Bucknasty" Buck to see the new Blackeye Fight Gym, the home of Team Husky.  The team has won an astonishing 24 mma belts over the last 4 years and is the most dominant mma team in the state.  Johnny Husky trained under the great Billy Wicks and used to run his school out of WNC Barbell Club.  The new SplitLip mma gym is a world class training facility with 2 cages, a beautiful spacious lobby , weight training area and a wrestling room upstairs.  We will be posting video and pics with Kamal at the new Blackeye gym this week.  Kamal will also be returning to train and host a seminar through Team Husky at the new SplitLip gym.  The Concussion event itself was thrilling and featured 11 mma fights with Matt Tran from Team Husky winning the main event.

Introducing American Grappler Authentic, a NEW brand of apparel for western combat enthusiats. Finally there exists a brand who's purpose is to honor Catch Wrestling, Bare Knuckle Boxing, and Physical Culture. American Grappler is not another "me too" clothing line. It's different, and it starts f...

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Introducing American Grappler Authentic, a NEW brand of apparel for western combat enthusiats. Finally there exists a brand who's purpose is to honor Catch Wrestling, Bare Knuckle Boxing, and Physical Culture. American Grappler is not another "me too" clothing line. It's different, and it starts from the very core of just why the brand was launched. This brand is American through and through! It's a brand for those who really "get it". Those who love America's heritage, and who respect it's great fighting history and tradtions.

Unlike Tap Out, Affliction, Silver Star, and so many others, American Grappler is more interested in appealing to those individuals who actually spend time on the mat and in the cage or ring. "It's about more than just popularity and money" says company founder & president (Shane Cline). "We felt it was time that a quality apparel line was created to honor America's Combative roots. One that honored Catch Wrestling in style with dignity. So American Grappler Authentic was born!"

The brand was conceived in rural western New York state about two hours south of Buffalo. That's right, right in small town America. You don't get much more American that than barns, farm fields, and small townships. The company's goal is to build a successful and influential brand built on sound American business principles. Principles, like honesty, quality, and great customer service. So if you're looking for a clothing line you can get behind, trust, and feel thoroughly proud to wear, then American Grappler is the brand for you.

Read more]]> Thank you for allowing me to write a blog for your ACA site.  First of all I read your Rough and Tumble Book with Erik Paulson.  I liked the book but there is something important that I think should have been included.  I have attended Erik's seminars and I met you here at our school in Florida.  I liked the book but one thing that you didn't point out is how catch wrestling was amateur wrestling in America until Hugo Otapalik used his power and influence to change the rules of catch as catch can and create what became high school and collegiate wrestling.  Mike Chapman, president of the Dan Gable Museum and the American amateur wrestling hall of fame, is also the most respected writers in American amateur wrestling.  In Chapman's book on the History of wrestling in Iowa he writes about Otapalik and explains how amateur wrestling moved from catch as catch can to folkstyle.  Hugo Otapalik was the coach of the 1932 US olympic freestyle team, five time chairman of the AAU wrestling committee and organizer of the 1948 and 1952 US olympic trials.  Hugo Otapalik is most known as the author of "Modern Wrestling for High School and College" which he authored in 1930 laying out the changes he had made in American amateur wrestling.  Otapalik writes in this book "Six Years ago catch-as-catch-can wrestling was an entirely different sort of affair.  The men would mix a choke hold with a hook-scissors around the body that would put one of them out for a matter of hours or even days...the sport was too brutal and we needed a tranisition.  All strangle holds were barred and such bone breaking holds as the full nelson, toe-holds, and twisting arm locks met their doom.  The AAU soon took a hand in seeing that more rules were set up.  The National Collegiate Athletic Association stepped up and revised and modernized the rules of the game to such an extent that there is now practically no danger to the growing boy in wrestling......."
 
Mike Chapman and others feel that Hugo Otapalik was great for the sport but what Hugo Otapalik did in watering down amateur wrestling in America is unforgiveable in my opinion.  I could have understood not allowing submissions for grade school, middle school and even early high school but think of how different things would be today if the rules of pinfall AND submission were still in place in high school varsity and college.  Wrestlers are already dominating mixed martial arts at the highest levels but think of how dominant they would be if they had drilled submissions with their wrestling from an early age.  Think of Dan Severn against Royce Gracie in the early UFCs and how the outcome of fights in the early days could have been different.  It is even doubtful that a jiu-jitsu movement in America would have existed at all had the rules not changed. It is great that there is jiu-jitsu but think of how much better it would have been for wrestlers going into mma had the rules not changed. I didn't know all of this until I was training for mma after wrestling in high school and college.  It isn't a tough transition but it would have been much easier if the original rules of American wrestling had remained in place.

Sport Based Jiu-Jitsu:
As the popularity of Jiu-Jitsu grew in Brazil, so did the competitive nature of practitioners developing the art. Challenge matches, both between different martial arts in Brazil and between different Jiu-Jitsu styles provided an important catalyst for the development of the technique over the course of the 20th century.  Different styles eventually evolved out of the sportive elements which Sport Jiu-Jitsu would provide.

Sports based Jiu-Jitsu, like traditional Catch As Catch Can wrestling, is based on a set of rules which typically define the practitioner’s approach to Jiu-Jitsu.  Victory is achieved by finishing the fight by submission, gaining points for position or having more submission attempts.  Contests have a time limit, with penalties given for stalling, ensuring progressive movement. Weight, age and skill limits are in place to ensure fairness among competitors.  Brackets are organized tournament style, with winners being decided through elimination.
 
Because of the limited number of major championships, practitioners keep in top physical condition and compete throughout the year.  Like their wrestling counterparts, competitors cut weight to ensure a strength advantage against their opponents.  Stylistically, practitioners develop an attacking style to finish their opponent within the time limit. The guard, a hallmark of the self-defense style, has become an offensive position, with constant attacks, sweeps and turnovers becoming necessary to victory. To effectively attack competitors who ‘know the ropes’, practitioners require perfect technique, timing and athleticism. Sparring mirrors competition, with live drills and conditioning being central to success.  ‘Putting-it-all-together’ is based upon an athlete developing the art around their own particular body type and personality. No limits are placed on using new techniques or approaches to the style; everything is fair game.
 
Many Gracie family members and their lineages have their roots in the sport style, creating a clear distinction from the original art. Styles, both among the clan and throughout Brazil, are usually based upon the beliefs of the teachers themselves. Sport Jiu-Jitsu is very common across the world today. Different competition teams have formed, to much success, and are rapidly developing new competition techniques every year.   The Sport Jiu-Jitsu style is now typically seen as mutually exclusive from its traditional counterpart, though there are schools who attempt to keep a balance between both styles.

It’s How You Drill
When deciding on a specific style, keep your goals in mind.  Decide if you would like to compete and what type of competition you would like to pursue. Non-competitive practitioners should shape development around their peers, letting their partner know what goals they’d like to pursue before sparring.
 
Naturally, if you’d like to compete in tournament style Jiu-Jitsu, competition Jiu-Jitsu will develop the submission and attack based mentality to fit in that environment. If you’d like practice for a street situation, Self-Defense based Jiu-Jitsu is your best bet.

But, keep in mind, you will react the way you drill in class.  In tournaments, remember that all techniques are open to you. Develop a strategy and try to use techniques which require the least amount of effort to attain dominate position.  If training for MMA, remember to train for a striking opponent.  Drill your strategy and develop your game around this mentality, always remembering to keep your roll in the context of a real fight.

There are obvious benefits to each style, but remember to choose a school which fits your overall goals.