The lines between styles are slowly being blurred by the increasing number of practitioners borrowing techniques into their games, but there are still fundamentals that differentiate Catch Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Here are 5 differences between Catch Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu.

Number 5
The Kimono.
Traditionally in Jiu Jitsu you wear a Kimono, in Catch Wrestling you don’t.
What seems like an obvious difference is more than a fashion choice. Most techniques can be executed either way, but there are hundreds of submissions, sweeps and other moves that rely on gripping very specific parts of the kimono. Most of these techniques simply don’t exist in catch wrestling.

Number 4
The Guard

Every time you are on the bottom controlling your opponent with your legs you are using “a guard”. Although this is not a Brazilian invention, it is a huge part of Jiu Jitsu that allows its practitioners to comfortably grapple from the bottom and even deliberately put themselves in that situation. Catch Wrestlers on the other hand often limit the use of their guards to immediate attacks or getting back to their feet.

Number 3
Takedowns

Catch Wrestling is as rich in Takedowns as Jiu Jitsu in Guard Techniques. After all “Catch as Catch Can” is the father of Freestyle Wrestling, which when introduced to the 1904 Olympic games dropped all holds and locks deemed as “dangerous”. Being allowed to win by Submission or Pin makes Catch Wrestlers dynamic grapplers that favor the top possitions and value takedowns. This contributed to their success in early No Hold Barred matches where strikes were allowed.

Number 2
Strength and Conditioning

Nowadays we see more and more Top Jiu Jitsu competitors investing time in getting stronger, however Gracie Jiu Jitsu was born with the concept of “Technique triumphs everything”. In contrast Catch Wrestling takes more of a “Technique within strength” approach, where you don’t wait for your opponent to make a mistake, you push the action with relentless attacks, this of course requires explosive power and lots of fuel. In the words of Karl Gotch… “Conditioning is your best hold”.

Number 1
Submissions
It was said that in Jiu Jitsu: The choke is the King, the Armbar the Queen and the Leglock the Dirty Thief. While times are changing, many competitons and schools forbid and frown upon the use of some techniques that are Catch Wrestling‘s bread and butter like spine locks, neckcranks, leglocks and slams. Most submission are the same across systems, however Catch Wrestling rests on the principle that you don’t necessarily need a position to execute a submission, as long as you have a strong hold you can go for the kill.

Jiu Jitsu is the gentle art, it’s all about flowing and clean submission. Catch Wrestling is the violent art, it embraces pain and it’s unpredictable in its approach. Whether you decide to cross train or stick to one style, there is no denying that knowing how to grapple is indispensable for any fighter.