Techniques of catch-as-catch-can in modern day pro wrestling

Speaking of pro wrestling in the original and truest meaning of the word it is undeniable that the art is based on an ancient style known as catch-as-catch-can. With the experience I’ve had so far I’ve come to the conclusion that seeking those roots is the best way to both develop my own strategy and help people understand pro wrestling as a sport rather than just a form of entertainment. Let me introduce some of the techniques I’ve found useful and that have worked as keys to my success in many situations in the ring.

The idea in catch-as-catch-can is to make the techniques as firm and tight as possible, so that countering them might become as difficult as possible. The focus of the tactical part of it is really on being straight-forward and aggressive in a match, active one might say, so here are a few examples that I'd presume can give a spectator a clue about this concept.

Modified sleeper hold

A chokehold commonly known as sleeper certainly is, even when executed in the usual way, a very fast and efficient technique, but just to make it precise we’ll take a look at some weaknesses that can be used in order to break free of the hold.

1. When the wrestler has hooked the opponent’s neck with one arm and tries to use his other arm to tighten the hold, it is possible for the opponent to catch this second arm and create a counter-hold reminding overhand wristlock. This might not just allow the opponent to break free from the sleeper but also enable him to hook the arm of the wrestler and go for submission.

2. Instead of trying to break free of the hold the opponent can throw the whole weight of his body backwards, pushing into the wrestler’s face strongly with the back of his head. The pressure of this counter-move is thus driven to the sensitive parts around the wrestler’s neck and mouth, so it may work quite efficiently when executed in a sudden manner.

3. It is possible for the opponent to, adapting to what’s happening, try to affect the balance of the wrestler and move towards the ropes while the sleeper’s being taken. If the ropes actaully are reached before the pressure of the hold takes its toll, the wrestler will have to let go of his opponent (that would only be the case in a match and not in self-defence kind of situation of course).

On the other hand, one variation of the sleeper hold is taken – with the idea of catch-as-catch-can – in a way described here: the wrestler gets the control from the side and not from behind, the opponent’s inner arm in trapped below his chin and the wrestler links his own arms near the back of the opponent’s neck, bringing his free hand to cover the opponent’s face. The nose and the chin here work as a handle by using which the wrestler is able to lock his arms to create a hold most tightly, and the hand placed upon the opponent’s mouth/nostrils may also increase the feeling of suffocation. This is not breaking the rules of pro wrestling as long as there’s no fish hooking or clawing. 

A typical counter-attack would be much more difficult with this sort of sleeper hold, the wrestler being on the side and away from the opponent’s free arm. Yet there’s only one hand the opponent could use while reaching for the ropes, the trapped arm making his efforts to move very uncomfortable. In addition there’s also the psychological effect to remember: the feeling of helplessness caused by the constriction and the panic emerging from the fear of being suffocated.

Half hatch

With the opponent’s head trapped in the style of front face lock and one of his arms hooked under, it would be almost like the wrestler having those parts inside the curves of the letter S. Such hold is known as half hatch, and due to the leverage it does offer many possibilities to take the situation further – controlling the opponent from this point on actually becomes very natural thanks to biomechanics. The wrestler can

a)    bring the opponent to the mat by just turning to the side; to the opponent’s side actually, with the movement happening in a tiny space it becomes force directed downwards

b)    take the opponent down as he lunges forward, basically meaning that the wrestler only needs to land on his side in order to let the momentum guide the opponent to where he wouldn’t want to go

c)    throw the opponent, which needs to happen to the “empty” direction in a 45 degree angle – trying to make it straight only helps the opponent to block the move by lowering the weight of his body, or if the wrestler tries to pull him over to the side, with the reactions and balance required, the opponent can just keep shifting himself around very much like a boxer does when facing a disadvantageous situation.

No matter which option the wrestler chooses he is always to remember to not let go of the hold even after having landed to the mat. That way he’ll still have the opponent’s head and arm under control with possibilities of neck cranks and wrist locks, not to mention the fact that being placed on the opponent the wrestler can simply try to pin him, even for numerous times should that seem right at the moment.

Heel hook

It is not an uncommon thing to see an ankle lock in pro wrestling; this would most often be a toe hold with the foot being used to get the leverage. I personally find heel hook even better a technique, for while doing the latter the wrestler is trapping his opponent’s foot in the armpit instead of just manipulating it with the grip of his hands. This once more makes the hold tighter and stronger. Although this technique might not lead to an instant submission, it does offer chances to quickly end the match with the opponent’s leg under such control that it is very easy to move him to another position which allows the wrestler to go for holds more devastating which can be attained. In pro wrestling one is not to forget the many possibilities offered by the striking techniques known as “drops” either.

Some people lacking experience may think that it is anatomically difficult to hook a person’s heel and therefore the technique itself must be not so useful in a match. They are wrong. All one needs to di is to use the whole body as a unit following the very idea of catch-as-catch-can and, that being so, why not the true spirit of every martial art. With this perception the change to take place in one-on-one situation will be so radical that there’s no exaggeration in using the metaphor of a well-oiled machine replacing a rusty one.

Nelson holds

Never underestimate the power of the Nelson when there is proper technique of catch-as-catch-can and right kind of understanding of the purpose. The excellence lies in the direction that is optimal, forcing the opponent to move to where the wrestler wants to have him moved. With his arm grapevined into a hold that combines the strength of underhooking and neck cranking, the wrestler only needs to direct his own weight, creating momentum that really has nothing to do with the raw power of arm muscles. One of pro wrestling’s most essential qualities is the art being so sophisticated, and just partly because the Nelson-holds have become rather rare in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling today, the audience doesn’t seem to notice the connection to catch-as-catch-can. So let it be mentioned here that the number of techniques traditionally bearing the name of Nelson in catch-wrestling is 5 not 2, announcing by the same token that they all do come from the same source the differences mainly having to do with positioning.

Underlying principles

Martial arts are not about force but about concentrating force, said Hirokazu Kanazawa. This if anything is not to be ignored in catch-as-catch-can, because back in the day the matches sometimes lasted incredible amounts of time and then again the wrestlers would occasionally run into situations that needed to be ended instantly. The directions I’ve mentioned are a good example of the laws behind single techniques, and by knowing these and using the technique from the basis of this knowledge the economy of force which makes the difference between strategy and fury will be in our reach without a doubt. In a game of chess both players do have the same resources, still success doesn’t come from moving towards the enemy single-mindedly but the level of skill of turning any situation into an outcome advantageous enough. Be it one fight among many, there may be a lot having to do with chance, but only in the art of war the concept of being a master can truly reach its value.

It is known that catch-as-catch-can as a method was being updated all the time in order to gather as much know-how of close combat as possible. It is not wrong to bring in things that are useful, but once we start reforming what was to be kept original and at the same time try to tell that it’s still what it used to be, the ground gets unstable. Pro wrestling should be a part of keeping the tradition alive, and more than that giving the audience what they paid for, so in my opinion the best way to accomplish this is to dig deep into the hard core. There’s a reason to regard doing so as wrestling professionally, not just in the sense that used to be but also from the perspective of what is required in modern day thinking and in analyzing those thoughts.