Catch-as-Catch-Can

Last updated: July 10, 2026

What is catch-as-catch-can wrestling?

Catch-as-catch-can, usually shortened to catch wrestling, is the rougher ancestor of most grappling seen in combat sports today. It grew out of English folk wrestling, mainly the Lancashire style, and its defining feature was freedom. It allowed leg holds and joint locks that stricter styles banned, and it imposed no mandatory grips, according to Wikipedia’s summary of the style. That openness is where the name comes from. A wrestler caught whatever hold he could, wherever he could get it.

The style sits between older folk wrestling and modern submission grappling. Two things can win a match: a pin or a submission. That dual goal separated catch from the point-scoring systems that came later and gave the style its aggressive, finish-first character. Practitioners called their submissions “hooks,” and a skilled catch wrestler was known as a “hooker,” with “shooter” reserved for the most dangerous of them.

For an MMA audience, the short version is this: when people talk about the wrestling roots of the cage, they are usually pointing back here. Freestyle wrestling, folkstyle, shoot wrestling, and much of modern submission grappling all trace a line to catch.

How catch wrestling works

The logic of catch wrestling is control leading to a finish. A wrestler looks to get on top, ride the opponent using body weight and pressure, and then either flatten the shoulders for a pin or apply a hook to force a tap.

Top position matters more here than in some grappling arts. Being flat on your back in catch meant being close to a pin, so catch wrestlers historically avoided their backs and scrambled hard to stay on top or return to their feet. That habit is one reason the style reads as so modern when you watch old footage.

Submissions in classic catch were often used to force movement rather than to score a clean finish. Britannica notes the aim was to force both of an opponent’s shoulders to the mat at once. That shaped how holds were applied. A leglock or neck crank that was hard to finish outright could still make an opponent roll, and rolling exposed the pin. Frank Gotch famously used the threat of his toehold to make opponents turn over onto their backs.

Catch wrestling versus freestyle, Greco-Roman, and BJJ

Most people arrive at catch wrestling confused about how it relates to the wrestling and grappling they already know. The differences come down to what each style allows and how you win.

Style	Leg attacks	Submissions	How you win	Relationship to catch
Catch-as-catch-can	Yes	Yes	Pin or submission	The original
Freestyle wrestling	Yes	No	Points and pins	Codified from catch by FILA in 1921
Greco-Roman	No (waist up only)	No	Points and pins	Separate European lineage
Brazilian jiu-jitsu	Yes	Yes	Submission (points in sport BJJ)	Shares submissions, different philosophy

Freestyle wrestling is the closest relative. It was built directly from catch. When wrestling returned to the 1904 Olympic Games under catch-as-catch-can rules, the dangerous material, including all submission holds, was stripped out. FILA later codified the safer version and named it freestyle. Strip the submissions from catch, and you are most of the way to freestyle.

Greco-Roman is the outlier. It bans holds below the waist entirely, so the leg attacks and takedowns central to catch are simply illegal in it.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the comparison MMA fans ask about most. Both arts submit opponents, but the priorities differ. BJJ is often summarised as “position before submission,” rewarding guard play and patient positional passing. Catch tends to reverse that, using pressure and pain to force the position, and it treats fighting off your back as a losing habit rather than a skill. Catch practitioner and former UFC champion Josh Barnett argued in 2025 that modern MMA has drifted toward the catch approach, with fighters constantly wrestling back to their feet rather than settling into guard.

Where catch wrestling came from

Catch wrestling was shaped in the mining and mill towns of northern England, where working men wrestled for recreation and side bets after long shifts. The Lancashire style formed its backbone, with influences from other British folk styles and from Indian pehlwani wrestlers who competed against British champions in the late 1800s.

The style turned professional on the fairground circuit. Travelling carnival wrestlers took on all comers, offering prize money to any local who could pin or submit them. Money on the line meant the carnival wrestlers had to finish fights fast and safely for themselves, which sharpened the hooking game into something dangerous.

From there, the story splits in two. One branch became sport: after the 1904 through 1936 Olympic run under catch rules, the amateur version was rebuilt into freestyle wrestling. The other branch became spectacle. The original World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship was created in 1905 to crown the best catch-as-catch-can wrestler alive, but by the 1920s, promoters were scripting matches for entertainment, and legitimate catch faded into what became modern professional wrestling. In France and Germany, “catch” is still the everyday word for pro wrestling.

Catch never fully disappeared. Billy Riley’s gym in Wigan, the Snake Pit, kept the art alive and produced coaches such as Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, who carried it to Japan in the second half of the 20th century. Their students seeded the Japanese shoot-wrestling scene that fed directly into early MMA.

Common catch wrestling terms

A few pieces of catch vocabulary still turn up in grappling and MMA commentary. Recognising them makes the style easier to follow.

Term	What it means
Hook	A hold that twists or compresses a joint or limb to force a submission
Hooker	A catch wrestler skilled at applying hooks
Shooter	An especially dangerous hooker
Ride	Controlling an opponent from the top using weight and pressure
Double wrist lock	A shoulder lock, known in MMA and BJJ as the Kimura
Toe hold	A foot-and-ankle lock, a catch staple long before modern no-gi grappling
Neck crank	A hold that pressures the neck and spine to force movement or a tap

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “catch as catch can” mean?

It means “catch a hold anywhere you can.” The phrase reflects the style’s original openness, where almost any grip or hold was fair game.

Is catch wrestling the same as pro wrestling?

No. Modern professional wrestling grew out of catch, but its outcomes are scripted. A real catch match is a competition won only by pinning or submitting the opponent, with nothing predetermined.

Is catch wrestling still practised today?

Yes, though it is far less common than BJJ or freestyle. It survives through dedicated schools and a steady seminar circuit, and its techniques live on across MMA and submission grappling.

Who are the best-known catch wrestlers?

Historical names include Frank Gotch, the coach Billy Riley, and his Wigan successors Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson. In MMA, Kazushi Sakuraba and Josh Barnett are the style’s most famous modern advocates.

---

Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Catch wrestling.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_wrestling
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Catch-as-catch-can wrestling.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.britannica.com/sports/catch-as-catch-can-wrestling
3. Collins English Dictionary. “Catch-as-catch-can.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/catch-as-catch-can
4. The Snake Pit, Wigan. “Catch as catch can wrestling.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.snakepitwigan.com/catch-as-catch-can-wrestling/
5. Evolve MMA. “The Forgotten Martial Art: The Resurgence of Catch Wrestling.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/the-forgotten-martial-art-the-resurgence-of-catch-wrestling/
6. BJJEE. “Josh Barnett: Catch Wrestling Is More Effective Than BJJ In Modern MMA.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.bjjee.com/bjj-news/josh-barnett-catch-wrestling-is-more-effective-than-bjj-in-modern-mma/

Related MMA Terms