08GAIN SepOct99

www.combatwrestling.
com September/October 1999

Vol. 1, No. 8
$7.50 US
Hard-Hitting Interview with
Mark Schultz
Wallid Ismael:
Royce Gracie
is a chicken.
Alexander
Karelin Wins
World Title . . .
Again!!
Alexander
Karelin Wins
World Title
. . . Again!!
Plus tons of other
information:
Plus tons of other
information:
Q & A with Karl Gotch
Combat Conditioning
Boxing: Wrestlings
Sister Art
Maxwell Wins World
Title
G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8 www.combatwrestling.com September/October 1999
1
Publisher & Editor ~ Matt Furey
Graphics & Layout ~ Vincent Lai
Photos Courtesy of:
Steve Brown ~ Alexander Karelin photos
Mark Schultz ~ Mark Schultz photos
Joe Jennings ~ Wallid Ismael photos
Subscription Rates:
Annual subscription: $60.00
Per Issue: $7.50
Order from:
Matt Furey
8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511
Tampa, FL 33647
Matt Furey 1999 All Rights Reserved

Any unauthorized reproduction is
strictly prohibited.
On the cover: Alexander Karelin, Mark Schultz and
Wallid Ismael.
IN THIS ISSUE
Calling All Grapplers ............................................... 1
by Matt Furey
Karelin Wins World Title .... Again!!! ....................... 2
by Matt Furey
Stephen Neal Wins World Freestyle Title ................. 6
by Matt Furey
Ill Fight Any World Heavyweight Boxing Cham-
pion The Mark Schultz Interview ..................... 7
by Matt Furey
Royce Gracie is a Chicken An Interview with
Wallid Ismael ...................................................... 12
by Matt Furey
Road To The Gold .................................................... 14
by Steve Maxwell
Bridging Heals Stubborn Neck Pain ........................ 16
by Steven Maxwell
Excerpts from Lessons in Wrestling & Physical
Culture ................................................................ 17
by Farmer Burns
Boxing: Wrestlings Sister Art .................................. 18
by Nathan Hatton
Gotcha! Q&A with Karl Gotch ............................... 21
Shamrock vs. Ortiz ................................................. 22
by Mike Jones
Calling All Grapplers Calling All Grapplers Calling All Grapplers Calling All Grapplers Calling All Grapplers
by Matt Furey
During my final week of school at Edinboro University of
Pennsylvania in 1986, wrestling fans in the area asked
me what my plans were. Im moving to California, I
said.
California? they snarled. Youre going to hate it there.
I guarantee youll be back within a couple years.
I returned 12 years later, but not to live. I returned be-
cause I was being inducted into the Hall of Fame for my
wrestling accomplishments.
Nearly three years ago, when my wife and I moved from
the beach town of Santa Cruz, California, to the Silicon
Valley city of San Jose, friends told us, Youre going to
hate San Jose. Its a pit. Youll be back before too long.
Three weeks ago my wife, her parents and I loaded a
truck, got in our van and drove to our new home in Tampa,
Florida. Before we left we heard a similar refrain. I guar-
antee youll be back within one year. Youre going to
hate it in Florida.
If my past is an indicator of the future, we wont be
going back to San Jose. Were in a new place and al-
though the bugs drive my wife nuts, were adjusting quite
well.
It hasnt been easy though. Change never is. The first
week we lived without furniture. We slept on the carpet
with a simple bed sheet and a few pillows. I didnt mind,
but my wife did, and within five days I was wondering if
we were going to end up killing each other. The change
forced us out of our comfort zone. It created some ago-
nizing moments. But human beings are remarkably
adaptable. Some people adapt faster than others, but
Travelogue on Vancouver Seminar .......................... 23
by Lee deNevers
When He Kicks - You Go ........................................ 27
by Matt Furey
Johannes Josephsson The Legend of Glima:
Icelandic Wrestling ............................................. 32
by Pete Kautz
Workin the Door .................................................... 35
by Brett Jacques
Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt Matches See Life Again. 36
by Matt Furey
Product Reviews ..................................................... 37
Combat Conditioning.............................................. 39
by Matt Furey
Grapplers Mailbag ................................................. 42
Directory of Resources ............................................ 45
2
all people have the ability to adapt, if they desire to do
so.
The same is true of grappling. Learning how to wrestle is
a continuous adaptation process. When you first started
to learn, you were uncomfortable and you most certainly
got your butt whooped. But with perseverance and dis-
cipline, you got through it. Your skills improved and you
found yourself able to do things that you may not have
ever believed you could do.
Conditioning for wrestling is more of the same. When
you have never done Hindu squats and pushups, bridg-
ing or uphill wind sprints, your entire body rebels. You
curse and swear and wonder what the hell youre doing
this for. But if you take control of the reins inside your
head and direct traffic toward the goals that truly matter
to you, you will improve. Rome cannot be built in a day,
but it CAN be built. The keys to progress are always the
same. Work hard and focus your mind. Do the things
that will make you better, even when these things make
you feel uncomfortable. Realize that you are going to
have trying moments, and know that these moments are
merely transitory. Push through them and the world will
become your oyster.
This issue of G.A.I.N. marks another transition. When I
first began publishing G.A.I.N. last January, it was sup-
posed to be nothing more than a 12 to 16-page monthly
newsletter, but within two months G.A.I.N. had grown to
24 pages, wi th pi ctures, and was cal l ed a
newsmagazine. In the May issue we added a thick stock
cover. That issue was a special on Karl Gotch and was
36 pages. From then on G.A.I.N. has continued to im-
prove .... more pages, more photos, more articles, more
diversity and more information on training. Karl Gotch is
now a regular contributor, writer Steve Maxwell is now a
world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Dr. Brett Jacques
is with us ... and many other people with fabulous writ-
ing skills are jumping on board and contributing in big
ways. Not bad for what began as a simple newsletter!!!
With all of the positive changes, there is one small change
I need to tell you about that I sincerely hope proves ac-
ceptable to all of you. Instead of receiving a new copy
of G.A.I.N. each month, you will now receive it every
two months. Each issue, however, will be double the
size of the monthly issue. This change will make it pos-
sible to include photos taken from around the world by
people such as Steve Brown and Joe Jennings of Pan-
ther Productions, who contributed the photos of
Alexander Karelin and Wallid Ismael, respectively; it will
also enable us to give more in-depth coverage on world-
wide grappling events.
In the future I would like to see G.A.I.N.became a color
magazine that is available in martial arts supply stores
all over North America. Your continued support, no doubt,
can help make this a reality.
This issue of G.A.I.N. is a real humdinger. Youll want to
read it again and again as it is packed with tons of infor-
mation; everything from Greco-Roman to freestyle to
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to boxing to the UFC to Glima to con-
ditioning exercises to grappling techniques to amazing
interviews with Olympian champion wrestler Mark
Schultz and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Wallid Ismael.
I suggest that you hold a pen and have a notepad nearby
as you read because a lot of ideas are going to come to
you as you read, and youll want to take notes. Dont
believe me? Then start reading and find out.
Karelin Wins World Title .... Karelin Wins World Title .... Karelin Wins World Title .... Karelin Wins World Title .... Karelin Wins World Title ....
Again!!! Again!!! Again!!! Again!!! Again!!!
by Matt Furey
Siberian born Alexander Karelin, a three-time Olympic
champion and the flag bearer for the Russian Olympic
team in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, just won his ninth
career World gold medal at super heavyweight in the
Greco-Roman World Championships held in Athens,
Greece. The tournament, which concluded on Septem-
ber 26, marks the 12th-straight year that Karelin has won
a world-level gold medal. He is still undefeated in inter-
national competition.
A couple decades ago, Soviet freestyle wrestling sen-
sation, Alexander Medved, won three Olympic titles and
a total of 10 world-level gold medals. Medved retired
after the 1972 Olympics, whereupon he kissed the mat
and waved good-bye to the crowds. If Karelin wins the
gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games to be held in
Sydney, Australia, he will become the first person to win
four gold medals in wrestling in four-straight modern
Olympiads.
Karelin, aka The Experiment, beat Cubas Hector Milian
3-0 in the finals. Milian, no slouch himself, was the 1992
Olympic champion at 220 pounds.
When people see the amazing size and power of Karelin,
they often wonder if he is on steroids. Those who know
him and have watched him train say he isnt. I am in
agreement. When queried about this subject years ago,
Karelin said, Nobody can completely believe that I am
natural. The most important drug is to train like a
madman...really, like a madman. The people who ac-
cuse me are those who have never trained once in their
lives the way I train every day of my life.
How does Karelin train? He runs through thick drifts of
Siberian snow while carrying heavy logs. Would you like
3
to give that one a try? How about doing it on dry land?
Imagine if you had done this for years. If you had youd
probably look a lot different than the man who simply
runs and wrestles.
After 12-straight undefeated seasons, the question is:
Can anyone stop this man? It doesnt appear too likely,
but everyone is human. At least thats what weve been
told. Maybe Karelin will have a bad day sometime, but
as of right now it doesnt appear too likely.
Retirement is most likely the only chance a Karelin nem-
esis can count on if he wants to ascend the steps and
receive the gold medal next summer . But Karelin doesnt
appear overly eager to
stop competing.
Oh, well.
U.S. Greco Team
Does Poorly in
World
Champioships
The poor showing by
the U.S Greco-Roman
team at the most re-
cent world champion-
ships, demonstrated
once again, that Eu-
rope, where Greco be-
gan, is still the most
dominant continent in
the sport. Greco-Ro-
man is typically the
first style of wrestling
taught to young wres-
tl ers i n Europe.
Freestyle comes sec-
ond. In the U.S. you
l earn col l egi ate
(folkstyle or catch-as-
catch-can) wrestling
first, then freestyle and
maybe, if youre really
interested, you can learn Greco. The problem is that even
if you are learning Greco in the U.S., you probably arent
learning it very well, and you most certainly are not learn-
ing it as well as you would if you studied in Europe.
The U.S. team only had three wrestlers who placed, but
none who claimed a gold, silver or bronze medal. Dremiel
Byers of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the top U.S.
placewinner, taking a sixth at 286 pounds. Byers lost
only one match in the tournament, a 1-1 overtime referees
decision to 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Sergei
Mourieko of Bulgaria. He completed the tournament with
a 3-1 record.
Jason Klohs, who defeated former UFC champion Randy
Couture to win a berth on the squad at 213.75 pounds,
placed seventh. Klohs won his first three matches in the
event, then lost to five-time World Champion Gogui
Koguaschvili of Russia in the quarterfinals.
Quincey Clark of New Brighton, Minnesota, placed ninth
at 187.25 pounds.
In the team standings, Russia won the title with 40 points.
The U.S. tied with Poland for 16th overall.
Listed below are the
final results, including
team scores and indi-
vidual weight classes:
Team Standings
1. Russia, 40
2. Cuba, 38
3. Korea, 32
4. (tie) Kazakhstan
and Turkey, 26
5. Belarus, 24
6. Hungary, 22
7. Germany, 19
8. Sweden, 17
9. (tie) Bulgaria
and Georgia, 16
10. France, 15
11. (tie) Iran and
Ukraine, 14
12. Italy, 12
13. (tie) United
States and
Poland, 11
14. Uzbekistan, 10
15. (tie) Finland,
Greece and
Israel, 9
Individual results
54 kg/119 lbs. - Gold - Lazaro Rivas (Cuba) dec. Tae-
Yeon Ha (Korea), 7-0; Bronze - Alfred Ter-Mkrtchyan (Ger-
many) dec. Ralymzhan Assembekov (Kazakhstan), 3-0,
ot, 7:18; 5th -Boris Amertsomov (Russia); 6th - Gyon
Kang Kong (N. Korea); 7th - Peter Suemla (Czech Rep.);
8th - Alexander Tsertsvadse (Georgia); 9th - Tero Katajisto
(Finland); 10th - Natig Eyvasov(Azerbaijan)
Karelin toppling one of his opponents on his way to the championships. Karelin toppling one of his opponents on his way to the championships. Karelin toppling one of his opponents on his way to the championships. Karelin toppling one of his opponents on his way to the championships. Karelin toppling one of his opponents on his way to the championships.
4
58 kg/127.75 lbs. -
Gold - Kim In-Sub (Ko-
rea) won by ref. dec.
over Yuri Melnitchenko
(Kazakhstan), 2-0, ot,
9:00; 3rd - Armen
Nazari an (Bul gari a)
dec. Igor Piatrenko
(Belarus), 6-0; 5th -
Constantin Borascu
(Romania); 6th - Sheng
Zetian (China); 7th -
Ivan Majoros (Hun-
gary); 8th - Dilshod
Aripov (Uzbekistan);
9th - Al i Ashkani -
Agheolach (Iran); 10th -
E v s t a t h i o s
T h e o d o s s i a d i s
(Greece)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. -
Gold Medal - Mkkhtar Manoukyan (Kazakhstan) dec.
Seref Eroglu (Turkey), 4-0; Bronze Medal - Michial Beilin
(Israel) dec. Bachodyr Kurbanov (Uzbekistan), 4-2; 5th -
Eduard Aplevitch (Belarus); 6th - Ricardo Magni (Italy);
7th - Grygoriy Komyshenko (Ukraine); 8th - Park Young-
Sin (Korea); 9th - Wlodzimierz Zadwadzki (Poland); 10th
- Peter Ronai (Hungary)
69 kg/152 lbs. - Gold - Son Sang-Pil (Korea) dec.
Alexander Tretiakov (Russia), 4-0; Bronze - Vladimir
Kapytav (Belarus) won by ref. dec. over Csaba Hirbik
(Hungary), 4-4, ot, 9:00; 5th - Ghani Yalouz (France); 6th
- Liubal Colas (Cuba); 7th - Parviz Zaidvand (Iran); 8th -
Rustem Adji (Ukraine); 9th - Adam Juretzko (Germany);
10th - Vagar Aslanov (Azerbaijan)
76 kg/167.5 lbs. - Gold - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey) won by
tech. fall over Yvon Riemer (France), 10-0, 2:41; Bronze -
Dimitrios Avramis (Greece) dec. Tariel Melelashvili (Geor-
gia), 5-0; 5th - Tamas
Barzicza (Hungary); 6th
- Murat Kardanov
(Russi a); 7th - Ara
Abrahamian (Sweden);
8th - Levon Geganyan
(Armeni a); 9th -
Filiberto Azcuy (Cuba);
10th - Marko Yl i -
Hannuksela (Finland)
85 kg/187.25 lbs. -
Gold - Luis Mendez
(Cuba) dec. Thomas
Zander (Germany), 5-
1; Bronze - Behrooz
Jamshidi (Iran) dec.
Raatbek Sanatbayev
(Kyrgyzstan), 3-1; 5th -
Marko Asell (Finland);
6th - Martin Lidberg
(Sweden); 7th -
Toomas Proovel (Esto-
nia); 8th - Valeri Tsvlente (Belarus); 9th - Quincey Clark
(United States); 10th - Aleksan Sardaryan (Ukraine)
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Gold - Gogui Koguaschvili (Russia)
dec. Andrzej Wronski (Poland), 4-0; Bronze - Mikael
Ljungberg (Sweden) dec. Hakki Basar (Turkey), 4-2; 5th
- Genadi Chkhaidze (Georgia); 6th - Urs Burgler (Switzer-
land); 7th - Jason Klohs (USA); 8th - Marek Svec (Czech
Republic); 9th - Reynaldo Pena (Cuba); 10th - Pajo
Ivosevic (Yugoslavia)
130 kg/286 lbs. - Gold - Alexander Karelin (Russia) dec.
Hector Milian (Cuba), 3-0; Bronze - Sergei Moureyko (Bul-
garia) dec. Giuseppe Giunta (Italy), 3-0; 5th - Grigoriy
Saldadze (Ukraine); 6th - Dremiel Byers (USA); 7th - Mihaly
Deak Bardos (Hungary); 8th - Haikaz Galstyan (Arme-
nia); 9th - Zhao Hailin (China); 10th - Yuri Yavseitchik
(Israel)
Karelin strides up to shake his opponents hand after the match. Karelin strides up to shake his opponents hand after the match. Karelin strides up to shake his opponents hand after the match. Karelin strides up to shake his opponents hand after the match. Karelin strides up to shake his opponents hand after the match.
5
The winner . . . Karelin, of course. The winner . . . Karelin, of course. The winner . . . Karelin, of course. The winner . . . Karelin, of course. The winner . . . Karelin, of course.
Alexander Karelin pummeling for position. Alexander Karelin pummeling for position. Alexander Karelin pummeling for position. Alexander Karelin pummeling for position. Alexander Karelin pummeling for position.
Alexander
Karelin
12-Time World
Champion
Karelins confident stride. Karelins confident stride. Karelins confident stride. Karelins confident stride. Karelins confident stride.
6
Stephen Neal Wins World Stephen Neal Wins World Stephen Neal Wins World Stephen Neal Wins World Stephen Neal Wins World
Freestyle Title Freestyle Title Freestyle Title Freestyle Title Freestyle Title
by Matt Furey
Stephen Neal of the U.S. did the unthinkable, and he
did it all within one year. After whooping the field en
route to his second straight NCAA title at heavyweight
(going undefeated) this past March, Neal went on to win
the U.S. national freestyle title; then he earned a spot on
the U.S. World team by winning the team trials at 286
pounds; after this he won his first Pan American gold
medal. The only thing remaining for Neal to accomplish
this year was the winning of a world title in freestyle.
This years most difficult test of wrestling manhood
would take place in Ankara, Turkey, from October 7-10.
Winning a world title during the same year that you win
an NCAA title is not unprecedented. But it doesnt hap-
pen very often. Lee Kemp, who won three NCAA titles
for the University of Wisconsin and three world freestyle
titles, accomplished the feat in 1978. Kemp was 21
years, 8 months old win
he won his first world
ti tl e; the youngest
wrestler to win a world
title in U.S. history. Six-
time world champion
(two were in the Olym-
pics) John Smith won
world freestyle gold af-
ter winning the NCAA
title as a junior at Okla-
homa State. Smith then went on to win his second-
straight NCAA title while putting together a consecutive
victory streak of 90 matches.
And so, when all is said and done, your jaw should drop
in amazement anytime you hear of a collegiate wrestler
winning the gold during the same year that he captures
a national collegiate title. The feat is not impossible, but
it is unbelievably hard.
Most collegiate wrestling champions need a few years
of experience in the international school of hard knocks
before theyre ready to win a world title. Most national
champions are never ready. Stephen Neal was definitely
ready. Wherever the man goes - he leaves footprints.
Neal defeated Recep Ashabeliyev of Azerbaijan, 7-2, in
the semi-finals on Sunday morning. In the gold medal
match, Neal fell behind three-time World medallist Andrei
Shumilin of Russia, 2-0, then stormed back to win the
title, 4-3. Neal won five straight matches during the tour-
nament.
Shumilin is well-known in the U.S. for one thing. In the
opening round of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he de-
feated Bruce Baumgartner, preventing the big guy from
winning his third Olympic gold. Baumgartner was given
a chance to avenge his loss to Shumilin, however, when
they met later in the tournament, this time for the bronze
medal. Baumgartner won the bout in overtime which made
him the first American wrestler to win a medal in four
Olympics.
In an article that appeared in W.I.N. (Wrestling Interna-
tional Newsmagazine) in July of this year, Neal talked
about the possibility of moving on to a career in profes-
sional football, but not until after the 2000 Olympics. Im
sure if he doesnt opt for football, there are plenty of
promoters who would love to steer him into fighting no-
holds-barred.
How about Alexander Karelin versus Stephen Neal? Now
thats a fight that would sell tickets.
U.S. Places 2nd Overall
Other than Neals sensational gold medal performance,
Team U.S.A. had much to be thankful for as they im-
proved upon last years
placing, taking second
to Russia in the final
team standings. Rus-
sia finished with 48
points and the U.S. and
Turkey finished with 45
each. The tie-breaking
procedure for team
scoring went in favor of
the U.S. as they had more medallists.
Besides the points generated from Neals gold medal,
the U.S. was led by Lincoln McIlravy and Les Gutches.
McIIravy, who won a silver medal at 152 pounds, cap-
tured his second world medal. In the quarterfinals he
defeated three-time world champion Araik Gevokyan of
Armenia, 3-0. In the semi-finals he beat Yuksel Sanli of
Turkey, 3-0. In the finals he was upset by Daniel Igali of
Canada, 3-2. In their three previous meetings, McIIravy
had beaten Igali. A year ago McIIravy beat him to win
the bronze. McIIravy is a three-time NCAA champion for
Iowa, and one of the fiercest Gable trained wrestlers to
ever lace on a pair of shoes.
Gutches, a world champion in 1997, won the bronze
medal at 187.25 pounds. He won his quarterfinal bout
with 1993 World silver medallist Rasul Katinovosov of
Russia, 5-2. In the semis he lost to 1996 Olympic cham-
pion Khajimurad Magomedov of Russia, 2-0 in overtime,
then he bounced back to beat Ali Ozen of Turkey, 4-2, to
win the bronze. Gutches was on the 1996 Olympic team
and was a two-time NCAA champion for Oregon State.
One of the most technically sound wrestlers I have ever
Winning a world title during the Winning a world title during the Winning a world title during the Winning a world title during the Winning a world title during the
same year that you win an NCAA same year that you win an NCAA same year that you win an NCAA same year that you win an NCAA same year that you win an NCAA
title is not unprecedented. But it title is not unprecedented. But it title is not unprecedented. But it title is not unprecedented. But it title is not unprecedented. But it
doesnt happen very often. doesnt happen very often. doesnt happen very often. doesnt happen very often. doesnt happen very often.
7
seen, Gutches is also incredibly strong and agile.
Listed below are the final results, including team scores
and individual weight classes:
Top 10 teams:
1. Russia, 48
2. United States, 45
3. Turkey, 45
4. Iran, 34
5. Uzbekistan, 30
6. Korea, 28
7. Ukraine, 24
8. Cuba, 20
9. Bulgaria, 18
10. Germany, 17
Individual Results
119 lbs./54 kg - Gold - Kim Woo Young (Korea); Silver -
Adem Achilov (Uzbekistan); Bronze - Oleksander Zakuruk
(Ukrai ne); 4th - Evan Tzonov (Bul gari a); 5th -
Tumendembegel Zuunbayan (Mongolia); 6th - Leonid
Tchuthonov (Russia); 7th - Maulen Mamyrov (Kazakhstan);
8th - Gholam Reza Mohammadi (Iran); 9th - Vassili Zeihev
(Germany); 10th - A. Kartonov (Greece)
127.75 lbs./58 kg - Gold - Harun Dogan (Turkey); Silver -
Ali Reza Dabier (Iran); Bronze - D. Zakhardinov
(Uzbekistan); 4th - Martin Berberyan (Armenia); 5th -
Cuciuc Octavian (Moldova); 6th - Miron Dzadzaev (Rus-
sia); 7th - Eric Guerrero (USA); 8th - Andrej Fasanek
(Slovakia); 9th - Yeondris Albear (Cuba); 10th - Zsolt Baveti
(Hungary)
138.75 lbs./63 kg - Gold - Elbrus Tedeev (Ukraine); Sil-
ver - Jae-Sung Jang (Korea); Bronze - Ramil Islamov
(Uzbekistan); 4th - Cary Kolat (USA); 5th - Serafim
Barzakov (Bulgaria); 6th - Mohammad Talaiee (Iran); 7th
- Kim Kwang Il (North Korea); 8th - Maksai Bobyrbekov
(Kyrgyzstan); 9th - John Melling (Great Britain); 10th -
Elman Eskerof (Azerbaidjan)
152 lbs./69 kg - Gold - Daniel Igali (Canada); Silver -
Lincoln McIlravy (USA); Bronze - Yuksel Sanli (Turkey);
4th - Emrur Bedinwishvili (Georgia); 5th - Araik Gevorkyan
(Armenia); 6th - N. Loizidis (Greece); 7th - Yosmany
Sanchez (Cuba); 8th - Almaz Askarov (Krygyzstan); 9th -
Ivan Diaconu (Moldova); 10th - Hwang Sang-Ho (Korea)
167.5 lbs./76 kg - Gold - Adam Satiev (Russia); Silver -
Alexander Leipold (Germany); Bronze - Adem Bereket
(Turkey); 4th - Joe Williams (USA); 5th - Elsad
Allahverdyev (Azerbaidjan); 6th - Moon Eui-Jae (Korea);
7th - Plamen Paskalev (Bulgaria); 8th - Alik Muzaev
(Ukraine); 9th - Victor Peicov (Moldova); 10th - Arpad
Ritter (Hungary)
187.25 lbs./85 kg - Gold - Yoel Romero (Cuba); Silver -
Khajimurad Magomedov (Russia); Bronze - Les Gutches
(USA); 4th - Ali Ozen (Turkey); 5th - Tatsuo Kawaii (Ja-
pan); 6th - Rasul Katinovosov (Uzbekistan); 7th -
Magomed Kurguliev (Kazakhstan); 8th - Yang Hyun-Mo
(Korea); 9th - Vincent Aka (Ivory Coast); 10th - Plamen
Penev (Bulgaria)
213.75 lbs./97 kg - Gold - Saguid Murtazaliev (Russia);
Silver - Ali Reza Heidari (Iran); Bronze - Marek
Garmulewicz (Poland); 4th - A. Xanthopoylos (Greece);
5th - Kasif Sakiroglu (Turkey); 6th - Eldar Kurtanidze (Geor-
gia); 7th - Wilfredo Morales (Cuba); 8th - Davud
Muhmmedof (Azerbaidjan); 9th - B. Gantogtokh
(Mongolia); 10th - Heiko Balz (Germany)
286 lbs./130 kg - Gold - Stephen Neal (USA); Silver -
Andrei Shumilin (Russia); Bronze - Abbas Jadidi (Iran);
4th - Recep Ashabeliyev (Azerbaijan); 5th - Aydin Polatci
(Turkey); 6th - Sven Thiele (Germany); 7th - Alexander
Kovalevsky (Kyrgyzstan); 8th - Mirab Valiev (Ukraine);
9th - Zsolt Gombos (Hungary); 10th - Symeonidis (Greece)
Ill Fight Any World Ill Fight Any World Ill Fight Any World Ill Fight Any World Ill Fight Any World
Heavyweight Boxing Heavyweight Boxing Heavyweight Boxing Heavyweight Boxing Heavyweight Boxing
Champion Champion Champion Champion Champion
The Mark Schultz Inter The Mark Schultz Inter The Mark Schultz Inter The Mark Schultz Inter The Mark Schultz Interview view view view view
by Matt Furey
When you talk about the greatest wrestlers this country
has ever produced, the name Schultz is close at hand.
David and Mark Schultz are two wrestlers that made the
world their stage in the 70s and 80s.
David was the first Schultz brother I met. It was at an
Olympic wrestling camp in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the
summer of 1980. The camp was supposed to have the
entire freestyle Olympic team there, training and teach-
ing right alongside the high school kids who were so
desperate to learn. But, as President Carter decided to
boycott the 1980 Olympics due to the Soviet Unions
invasion of Afghanistan, only a handful of top notch wres-
tlers were present.
I didnt know what to think of Dave when he first began
teaching us. I had heard nothing about him and from his
looks alone, he wasnt impressive. All he wore while
teaching was a reversible blue and red singlet. His flesh
was soft and flabby in some places. He had no muscle
definition, and most importantly, he was an Okie. Being
a fan of the Iowa teams coached by Dan Gable, this
was one strike against him. But when he taught us his
techniques it was obvious that he was more than a few
steps ahead of everyone else.
8
Imagine my surprise, several months after the camp,
when I turned on the television to watch the dual meet
between Iowa and Oklahoma. Wrestling at 158-pounds
was the same David Schultz who was at the camp. The
announcers began to tell of his great record and even
though every cell in my body wanted to reject him be-
cause he was on the other team, I couldnt help but
like him. He ended up trouncing the Iowa 158-pounder.
Then his brother Mark took the mat to face Iowa sensa-
tion Mike DeAnna. Mark was built like Hercules and was
hard-nosed as could be, but DeAnna had his way with
hi m that
day, beating
him 14-8.
As Mark
w o u l d
p r o v e
throughout
his career,
you mi ght
beat hi m
once, but it
wont hap-
pen again.
S e v e r a l
weeks later,
in the finals
of the NCAA
tournament,
M a r k
wh o o pe d
DeAnna like
a step-
c h i l d .
St r angel y
e n o u g h ,
Dave lost in
the finals to
Okl ahoma
S t a t e s
R i c k y
Stewart, whom he had beaten during the regular season
every time they met.
One year later when I was a member of Dan Gables
team at the University of Iowa, I read a book published
by then assistant coach Chuck Yagla, who was a two-
time NCAA champion and member of the 1980 Olympic
team that was denied the honor of competing. In the
book Yagla talked about being pinned in the finals of the
Great Plains Open by a senior in high school named
Dave Schultz. I couldnt believe what I was reading. A
two-time NCAA champion getting pinned by a high school
kid? Naaah, couldnt be. But it was in fact true. And
more importantly, Dave was not only the elder brother of
Mark, but was in many ways the man who taught Mark
how to wrestle.
Ironically, it was Mark who won the majority of collegiate
titles, as freestyle was more to Daves liking. Mark won
three NCAA titles while Dave only grabbed one. Both
Mark and Dave won Olympic gold in 1984 in Los Ange-
les, and both won world titles as well; Dave won once in
1983 and Mark won twice, in 1985 and 1987. Mark and
Daves success is unique as they are the only brothers
in U.S. history to win both Olympic and world titles.
From time to time in the 80s, both Dave and Mark would
be in Iowa
City, where
they were
training for
the Worl d
champion-
shi ps or
some other
hi gh-l evel
tournament.
One day,
during their
stay, Gable
cal l ed me
on the
phone and
s a i d ,
F u r e y ,
D a v e
S c h u l t z
n e e d s
someone to
work out
wi th. Can
you come
over?
Sure, I
said. What
time?
One oclock, Gable replied.
Ill be there, I said.
I was in the wrestling room stretching out when Dave
came in with an over-sized bag of gear. Smiling and
happy-go-lucky, he looked over, shook my hand and
said, Mr. Furey. Thanks for coming in to work out with
me today.
I nodded.
A few minutes later Dave re-emerged and began bounc-
ing around to warm up. Man, Im really sore today. I
worked out hard yesterday. We started to drill and as I
shot in on his right leg he stopped me and said, Take it
Schultz crotch lifts his opponent. Schultz crotch lifts his opponent. Schultz crotch lifts his opponent. Schultz crotch lifts his opponent. Schultz crotch lifts his opponent.
9
easy on this leg. My knee isnt so good on this side.
A half-hour later, when we were wrestling hard, I grabbed
the same leg in desperation, hoping to get at least one
takedown on him. As I held the single leg, he reached
between my jaw and throat, stuck three fingers on my
carotid artery and made me gag. I let go of the leg and
almost passed out.
Later that day, when I was in the wrestling office recov-
ering, Gable came in and said, Hey, Fure-cat. Schultz
said you gave him a good workout. He had a lot of nice
things to say about you.
Right, I said.
The next day Mark and
Dave showed up to
train together. I lifted
weights as they ran
around the room listen-
ing to some crazy type
of jungle beat that I
didnt relate to. Mark
and Dave were com-
pletely different per-
sonalities. Mark didnt
say hi, talk or shake
hands. He didnt show
any interest in anything
except wrestling. If you
stayed out of Marks
way that seemed to suit
him fine.
I saw Mark and Dave
compete and win the
world and Olympic tri-
als right there in Iowa
City, and after that, my only contact with them was via a
remote control, where I watched video footage of their
matches.
In 1996, two weeks after my first book The Martial Art
of Wrestling and a set of three videos were produced,
I was at a wrestling tournament in Gilroy, California. Dur-
ing the first day of this two-day tournament, some kids
came up to my table and exclaimed, Did you hear the
news? Dave Schultz just got shot and killed.
I couldnt believe what I was hearing. My mind drifted
back to the first time I saw him at the camp and the time
I trained with him. It couldnt be true - but it was. Wres-
tling had lost a five-star general.
When you publish an article about Mark Schultz, you
cannot do so without mentioning Dave and the positive
effect he had on others. You cannot overlook the enor-
mous impact that Dave had upon Marks life, not to
mention the entire world of wrestling. The U.S. doesnt
know how lucky they have been to have had these men
represent our country in the Olympics. Additionally, fans
of mixed martial arts dont know how lucky they were to
see Mark clobber Canadian Gary Goodridge in a UFC
match back in 1996.
Now, Mark is bringing his knowledge to the masses. He
recently opened a grappling school at the MIdvale Ath-
letic Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he teaches
his unique blend of submission wrestling. He is far more
friendlier today than he was 15 years ago and because
of this, G.A.I.N. is not only fortunate to have this rare
interview with him, but
in future issues, he
may contribute some of
his winning techniques
for all to see. With no
further fanfare, I
present an interview
with Mark Schultz:
Furey: How old were
you when you began
wrestling?
Schultz: When I was a
junior in high school.
Furey: What caused
you to take up this
sport?
Schultz: I was a gym-
nast until I was 16 and
won the North Califor-
nia 15-16 age group all-
around championship. Even though I was a pretty good
acrobat, I lacked confidence so I took up Tang Soo Do
(its a Chuck Norris Style) in Medford, Oregon, under Bob
Barrow and Chip Wright. Then, thinking I was ready to
show my brother Dave how superior I had become from
my four months of training, I got in a fight with him on the
front lawn of our house in Ashland, Oregon. I took a swing,
he ducked and shot in for a takedown. He got the mount
and pounded my face into bloody submission. I was
humiliated and slept in the car that night. The next day I
quit Tang Soo Do and went out for the wrestling team.
Furey: Unlike most wrestlers, you found success rather
quickly, winning a state title in California. What do you
attribute your initial success to?
Schultz: My gymnastics background gave me tremen-
dous athletic abilities. I wouldnt have got that playing
. . . thinking I was ready to show . . . thinking I was ready to show . . . thinking I was ready to show . . . thinking I was ready to show . . . thinking I was ready to show
my brother Dave how superior I had my brother Dave how superior I had my brother Dave how superior I had my brother Dave how superior I had my brother Dave how superior I had
become from my four months of become from my four months of become from my four months of become from my four months of become from my four months of
training, I got in a fight with him on training, I got in a fight with him on training, I got in a fight with him on training, I got in a fight with him on training, I got in a fight with him on
the front lawn of our house in the front lawn of our house in the front lawn of our house in the front lawn of our house in the front lawn of our house in
Ashland, Oregon. I took a swing, he Ashland, Oregon. I took a swing, he Ashland, Oregon. I took a swing, he Ashland, Oregon. I took a swing, he Ashland, Oregon. I took a swing, he
ducked and shot in for a takedown. ducked and shot in for a takedown. ducked and shot in for a takedown. ducked and shot in for a takedown. ducked and shot in for a takedown.
He got the mount and pounded my He got the mount and pounded my He got the mount and pounded my He got the mount and pounded my He got the mount and pounded my
face into bloody submission. I was face into bloody submission. I was face into bloody submission. I was face into bloody submission. I was face into bloody submission. I was
humiliated and slept in the car that humiliated and slept in the car that humiliated and slept in the car that humiliated and slept in the car that humiliated and slept in the car that
night. night. night. night. night.
10
any other sports. I also worked out twice and some-
times three times a day. Every day Id go from my high
school practice under Coach Ed Hart to the Stanford
practices and sometimes Id run after that.
Furey: While at the University of Oklahoma, you won
three national titles, all over Dan Gable-trained Iowa wres-
tlers, namely, Mike DeAnna, Ed Banach and Duane
Goldman. Which of these titles meant the most to you?
Why?
Schultz: Each one carried various amounts of signifi-
cance. DeAnna was my first national title so getting that
monkey off my back was huge. Beating Banach was the
best wrestled match for me in the finals. Four NCAA
titles were represented in that weight that year and I
was voted
outstanding
wrestler for
stopping Ba-
nach from be-
comi ng the
first four-time
N C A A
Champ. Mike
C h a p m a n
sai d i t was
the second
best match he
ever saw.
Owings beat-
ing Gable was
fi rst. A si de
note to that
match: Before
the NCAAs,
A m a t e u r
Wrestling News always does a pre-tournament interview
with the top wrestlers and publishes it before the tour-
nament. When they interviewed me and asked me how
I thought Id do, I said I didnt know and thought it would
come down to whoever was ahead at the final buzzer.
Then I read what Banach said: Mark Schultz is a good
athlete but it takes more than being a good athlete to be
a great wrestler, it takes mental toughness and Im men-
tally tougher than Mark Schultz. Needless to say this
pissed me off to no end. Beating Goldman was more a
feeling of relief than of victory. Everyone expected me to
win after being the Outstanding Wrestler the year be-
fore. I entered the tournament with several problems.
My back was hurt the last two months of the season
and I only swam to work out and compete in the duals.
I actually missed one of the duals and man was Coach
Stan Abel pissed. I wasnt getting along with Abel too
well either at that point and my brother Dave graduated
the year before so I felt pretty isolated the whole year. I
also entered the tournament with a throat infection and
barely won each match during the tournament, but thank
God I won anyway.
Furey: In 1984 you won Olympic freestyle gold at 180.5
pounds, afterward you won the world freestyle title two
times. Which of these three golds was the hardest?
Why?
Schultz: 1984 was the most pressure-packed. I knew a
lot of guys were going to take home the gold because of
the boycott but some weights were still packed with
talent. My weight had the #1 ranked guy in the World
from Turkey. We met first match and I broke his arm first
move of the match with a double-wrist lock. I was later
disqualified from that match for excessive brutality and
an extra judge was assigned to watch Dave and myself
for the rest of
the tourna-
ment. My
match wi th
Ri nke from
Canada was
e x t r e me l y
cl ose and I
was fortunate
to win. 1985
was the best I
ever wrestled.
All the coun-
tries that boy-
cotted the 84
O l y m p i c s
were there
and no one re-
ally scored on
me unl ess I
was just trying
to kill time. The 1987 title was perhaps my most miracu-
lous since I had to shut out, pin or caution out the de-
fending world champion and four-time Tblisi champion
just to get to the finals. I shut him out.
Furey: Whenever you won a major title, such as the
NCAAs or the world championships, you punctuated the
victory with a standing back flip. Why did you trade-
mark your victories this way?
Schultz: I guess it was my way of celebrating and pay-
ing homage to my gymnastics background.
Furey: Your brother Dave played a major role in the de-
velopment of your wrestling skills. As you probably
know, many brothers who wrestle each other, such as
Tom and Terry Brands, Ed and Lou Banach, and others,
dont get along so well. When you and Dave trained to-
gether, what was it like?
Mark Schultz and 16-time national champion Wayne Baughman. Mark Schultz and 16-time national champion Wayne Baughman. Mark Schultz and 16-time national champion Wayne Baughman. Mark Schultz and 16-time national champion Wayne Baughman. Mark Schultz and 16-time national champion Wayne Baughman.
11
Schultz: They dont get along so well because they know
they can get away with it. Brothers know that no matter
what they do to each other they will always be brothers.
We definitely worked out with each other more than any-
one else. Sometimes wed get pretty brutal but we al-
ways knew how far to go. He was my best friend and I
was his. We understood so we could go pretty far. Just
like most brothers, we were enemies in the room but
allies against everyone and anyone else.
Furey: During the early part of 1996, a crazed lunatic,
John E. du Pont, shot and killed Dave, preventing him
from making the Olympic team once more. When I heard
the news I couldnt believe what I was hearing. What
went through your mind when you heard the news?
Schultz: First let me define crazed lunatic. It does not
mean legally insane. Legal insanity is a condition which
deprives an individual from determining the difference
between right and wrong. du Pont pleaded not guilty
by reason of insanity. The jury rejected his claim of
insanity but ruled him mentally ill at the time of the mur-
der. He was committed to a mental institution for three
months prior to the trial until he was ruled competent to
stand trial. He was subsequently convicted of 3rd de-
gree murder but mentally ill. He now resides in the gen-
eral population in an 8x10 foot cell in Cresson State Peni-
tentiary serving a 13-30 year sentence. In Pennsylvania
you are mandated to serve your minimum. There are no
words to describe my feelings when I heard the news.
Furey: Youve been training in the submission grappling
arts for several years now. Your brother Dave was noto-
rious for choking people out with his front headlock and
putting the hurt on opponents with a wide variety of
moves. He knew how to make people scream and many
people think he would have been a great submission
wrestler, simply because, in a certain sense, he was
already using excruciating holds. Did Dave ever show
an interest in the submission holds you were learning?
Schultz: Dave and I worked out in submission the last
time I saw him and I arm locked him. I told him to make
sure he tapped but I dont think he realized he was in
trouble. I cranked it a little too hard because I thought I
was losing the hold, his elbow popped and we had to
get him an x-ray. It sucked. I felt terrible. He got real
interested after that though. Unfortunately he wasnt alive
much longer.
Furey: You have three wonderful children. Do any of them
show an interest in wrestling?
Schultz: Yeah, Im teaching my son Mark some sub-
mission holds to get him ready for school. Hes six now.
I started showing him chokes and submissions prior to
kindergarten.
Furey: Why do you like submission training so much?
Schultz: I got into wrestling because I thought it was
the ultimate martial art but after some submission expe-
rience I realized how limiting the rules were compared to
real fighting. However, wrestling is a great foundation to
learning submission. Wrestlers already know how to learn
grappling techniques so learning a choke is just like learn-
ing a switch or a stand up. Its just another move.
Furey: Do you enjoy submission grappling more than
collegiate, freestyle or Greco-Roman? Why or why not?
Schultz: Yeah, because its more applicable to the real
world.
Furey: After the 1999 collegiate wrestling season, BYU,
where you were the head coach, decided to drop the
program. Instead of looking to coach at another univer-
sity, youre bringing your skills to the general public via
your own school. When does your school open and what
will you focus on in your teaching?
Schultz: Im planning on the Grand Opening being on
Monday Sept. 27 at 7 pm. Im going to combine the
takedowns, escapes and reversals of wrestling with the
submission holds of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Shootfighting,
Sambo, Judo and anything else that works. Ill have
classes for Kids (4-11) and Adults (12-over). Ill prob-
ably have to change the groups or schedule depending
on the skill and number of people in each group.
Furey: Youve kept yourself in fantastic shape, even
though you have not competed on a regular basis since
the latter part of 1980. In fact, in 1996, you accepted a
UFC fight with Gary Goodridge (whom you soundly de-
feated) on a one-day notice. How do you stay in such
great shape?
Schultz: Actually, I didnt think I was in that great of
shape then but Ive always been the kind of coach that
believes in learning by doing and the best way for my
upper weights to improve was to work out with me so I
maintained a certain amount of condition.
Furey: In terms of strength, many people consider you
to be one of the strongest wrestlers to ever take the
mat. How did you develop your strength? Was it weight
training or some other method?
Schultz: Gymnastics helped a lot. Part of it is genetics.
The rest is just wrestling and training for wrestling. Wres-
tling is weightlifting only using human weight. I did a lot
of lifting but I probably did more long distance running
than anything else besides wrestling since I felt that aero-
bic conditioning was one area I needed to be at my best.
Whatever I hated to do the most, thats what I did the
12
Ismael applying a rear naked choke. Ismael applying a rear naked choke. Ismael applying a rear naked choke. Ismael applying a rear naked choke. Ismael applying a rear naked choke.
most. Actually, I never considered myself as strong as
most people perceived me to be. I wasnt weak but if
you look at some of the rock climbers that do seven
one-pinky pullups in a row, thats strong.
Furey: Would you like to fight in the UFC or another mixed
martial arts competition again?
Schultz: Maybe. It depends on a lot of things. Im hav-
ing trouble with my lower back and its limiting my abil-
ity to condition and like you said, its your best move.
Im 39 now and I dont know if my body will allow me to
train the way I once did.
Furey: Are you interested in any submission grappling
competitions?
Schultz: Actually, Id like to start my own grappling com-
petition with rules similar to the Abu Dhabi but a little
different.
Furey: Who is the toughest submission grappler you
have ever worked out with?
Schultz: If youre asking me to pick only one, I think Id
have to say Walt Bayless because of his size, condi-
tioning and technique. Rickson Gracie was extremely
tough also but I worked out with him only once and it
was my first submission experience so its hard to com-
pare him to Walt.
Furey: If you were to compete again, is there anyone
youd like to go head-to-head with? If so, whom?
Schultz: Any world heavyweight boxing champion for a
tremendous purse.
Furey: What lies in store for you in the future?
Schultz: If I can make a go of this school Im opening,
Id like to do that. Other than that, Ive recently applied
for an athletic director position at Allan Hancock College
in Santa Maria, California. They should be reviewing the
applications today and will get back to me soon. If Im
offered the job, my decision to take it will probably be
based on the health of my back and how successful I
think my club can be here in Utah. Plus I can have a
grappling club anywhere I go.
[Marks school is located inside the Midvale Athletic Club
in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mark is also available for semi-
nars as well as private lessons. His website on the
Internet is http://www.markschultz.com. Those who wish
to contact Mark can email him at schultz@redrock.net.]
Royce Gracie is a Chicken Royce Gracie is a Chicken Royce Gracie is a Chicken Royce Gracie is a Chicken Royce Gracie is a Chicken
An Inter An Inter An Inter An Inter An Interview with W view with W view with W view with W view with Wallid allid allid allid allid
Ismael Ismael Ismael Ismael Ismael
by Matt Furey
On December 17, 1998, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match took
place between three-time UFC champion Royce Gracie
and Wallid Ismail. The rules for this match were straight-
forward: It was a grappling only sport jiu-jitsu bout with
no points and no time limits. Traditional gis were worn
and the only way to win was by submission. To the
surprise of most fight fans, Wallid emerged victorious,
winning by a clock-choke in five minutes.
To date, Wallid has defeated three Gracies. Other than
his victory over Royce, he defeated Ralph on points in
1991 in a 10-minute Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match. And in
1995 he defeated Renzo. Once again it was a Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu match which he won on points.
After his victory over Royce in December, Wallid showed
13
respect for him. In a story printed in Volume One - Issue
One of G.A.I.N., Wallid said, Now a lot of people
speak bullshit. Everybody forgets that Royce beat ev-
erybody. Then added, It is stupid to talk that Royce is
not a good fighter ... everybody who talks bad about
Royce is a coward ... Because he won (three UFC titles),
everyone respected him. Now that Royce lost this one
match, everyone dont respect him no more ...every-
one needs to continue to respect Royce.
A rematch was already in the works in early January,
but the time, place, and rules had not been determined.
Whatever Royce wants, Wallid told no-holds-barred
writer, Eddie Goldman. Im totally focused on giving
the rematch to Royce, and it may be in the USA or Ja-
pan ... I intend to fight in no-holds-barred, but only
after this rematch.
In Wallids September 10, 1999, telephone interview for
G.A.I.N., he is no longer polite in regard to his feelings
about Royce Gracie and other members of the Gracie
family.
Furey: Recently the Antonio Inoki group tried to set up a
rematch between you and Royce Gracie, whom you de-
feated on December 17 of last year. Did you agree to
this rematch? Did Royce?
Ismael: Yes, Antonio Inoki tried to setup the rematch
and he is still trying. I agreed to fight but Royce is run-
ning away. I am embarrassed because Royce will not
agree to a rematch. Hes acting like a chicken.
Furey: Why do you think that Royce doesnt want a
rematch with you?
Ismael: Because Royce knows how hard I train and he
knows I dont like to lose. And because hes a chicken.
Hes avoiding me. Hes afraid of me. Hes so afraid that
hes preparing to do a fake fight with Takada in Japan.
Hed rather do a fake fight with Takada than fight me for
real. Its 100% fear. Royce tells his students that he is
waiting for a rematch with me, but he is lying to his stu-
dents. I wonder what he is going to say to his students
now when he looks into their eyes.
Furey: Why do you want a rematch with Royce if you
have already proven you can beat him?
Ismael: Because after the first fight, the next day, Rorion
called me and asked for a rematch. But now, when we
can do it, they are running away. I took care of every-
thing, getting the promotion ready, everything, and now
he has a new excuse. Man this guy lies a lot. He is an
embarrassment to me.
Furey: Recently Royce Gracie signed to fight in a 16-
man tournament in Japan. Why do you think he chose
this event over a rematch with you?
Ismael: Because the other side of the Gracie family is
so afraid of me. I cannot believe that I give him the
rematch and hes so chicken that he says hes going to
fight in the 16-man tournament. I think he should try to
prove that he is the real Royce Gracie and he should
fight me again. But hed rather run away. Now I want to
show that I can beat him again, but he wont fight. No
one will respect him if he doesnt fight me. Everyone
who reads this will know that Rorion called and asked
for a rematch. I agreed. But now Rorion calls me and
says, Royce is not going to fight you. But I want to
prove to him that I wasnt lucky. I want to fight him. I
have everything ready for this fight, money, television
exposure, everything. A lot of people want to see this
rematch, but he wont do it. Chicken! Whos going to
respect a man who says hes the best but wont do a
rematch after he loses. The only person who is the best
is God.
Furey: So far you have defeated three Gracies: Ralph,
Renzo and Royce. Are there any other Gracies you would
like to compete against? If so, whom? In what type of
match?
Ismael: The match I want is Royce. Again, I cant be-
lieve he would run away when he says he wants this
fight so badly. Now people know the real situation. The
match can be no-holds-barred or sport jiu-jitsu. The no-
holds-barred would be even easier for me and I would
prove again that I can beat him.
Furey: Do you think Rickson is as good as so many
people claim?
Ismael: Who is Rickson Gracie? I only have seen him
fight a fake fight. How can I have respect for a guy like
this? He is embarrassing too.
Royce Gracie drops to his guard against Wallid Ismael. Royce Gracie drops to his guard against Wallid Ismael. Royce Gracie drops to his guard against Wallid Ismael. Royce Gracie drops to his guard against Wallid Ismael. Royce Gracie drops to his guard against Wallid Ismael.
14
Furey: Would you like to fight Rickson in sport jiu-jitsu
or in a no-holds-barred contest?
Ismael: Why should I fight Rickson Gracie? Before he
fights me he should have to fight a real fight with some-
one. Im tired of seeing his fake fights. I already beat the
best of the Gracie family, Royce, and I want to beat him
again. But if Rickson has a good proposal, Ill fight him.
Furey: What kind of training are you doing right now?
Ismael: Im very happy right now because Im doing
specific training with Carlson Gracie Sr. here in Los An-
geles. Im also training boxing with Walt Stanke, the first
coach for Oscar De La Hoya. Im also training with the
Pro-Camp at Golds Gym with T.R. and Gilbert. Now Im
much more flexible, much leaner. Im in the best shape
of my life.
Furey: What do you look forward to in the future?
Ismael: Im going to continue to train really hard, keep-
ing my body in shape. I only believe in my success if
Im still training hard. I respect everybody who fights
and doesnt run away from fights.
Furey: In July, at the most recent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World
Championships in Brazil, you were attacked from be-
hind by Ryan Gracie. What do you think of this and why
do you think he did this?
Ismael: First of all because hes a coward. Anyone who
would hit someone from behind is a coward. Because
no one ever beat the Gracies before, theyre jealous of
my success. One of the members of the Gracie family
even threatened me and said he was going to kill me. I
challenge Ryan to a no-holds-barred fight, IVC (Interna-
tional Vale Tudo) rules, and I hope he doesnt make ex-
cuses or try to bring other people to protect him. He
better come prove hes a real fighter. I hope he doesnt
let me down. A fight with Ryan is a personal matter, so I
hope he isnt afraid. I hope he doesnt run away or bring
others in to protect him. If it wasnt for a personal prob-
lem between us, I think Ryan is nothing. In Brazil, he is
considered a coward because he hits people form be-
hind and fights people on the street who dont know
how to fight. Now I give him a chance. I want to break
his face.
Road T Road T Road T Road T Road To The Gold o The Gold o The Gold o The Gold o The Gold
by Steve Maxwell
I found myself in Brazil for the second time in less than
four weeks. You know youre spending too much time
on the road when you begin to recognize airport person-
nel and customs officials. This time, it was for the World
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seniors/ Masters Championships.
It is winter in Brazil during our summer months, so as we
walked with Sergio, our driver, to the van, the weather
was beautiful; cool with low humidity. Team Maxercise
had spent the summer months training like animals in
100 degree heat on the second floor of a brick oven of a
building, in Center City, Philadelphia. Winter in Brazil
would be a snap.
This time around, I had a whole different team. Our Mas-
ters and Seniors team were older and hopefully more
mature. Many of the issues and much of the angst of the
previous competition team (youngsters) didnt phase the
older guys. As coach of the previous team, I found that
keeping the younger guys organized and in line was a
chore - not so, this time. Everyone was well behaved.
The matches took place in an outdoor tennis court, cov-
ered by a roof, at the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club. We
fought under the Relson Gracie flag and once again, his
name was well respected; he is honored as having
reigned undefeated for more than 20 years. There were
four mats instead of six and the field was smaller. This
was the first World championships for the seniors and
masters. After age 30, participation in combat arts drops
significantly. Over age 40, its hard to find a match. A
few competitors in the older age groups collected their
gold without fighting any matches. When I told this to
one twenty year old, he snorted derisively, What, no
match? Geez! I asked him what he thought hed be
Wallid Ismael celebrates as Royce Gracie lies unconscious. Wallid Ismael celebrates as Royce Gracie lies unconscious. Wallid Ismael celebrates as Royce Gracie lies unconscious. Wallid Ismael celebrates as Royce Gracie lies unconscious. Wallid Ismael celebrates as Royce Gracie lies unconscious.
15
doing in 25 or 30 years. Did he think he would have the
time to stay in competitive shape while raising a family,
and working on his career while planning for his retire-
ment? I say that if you train, make weight, enter, travel,
gi-up and have the guts to step out on the mat, and no
one else has the balls or the where-with-all to show,
then you have still earned your title as the best.
The atmosphere of the tournament, especially during the
black belt matches, was intense. There were a number
of heavy hitters participating in the masters division,
which gave this first-ever age group world champion-
ships a lot of credence. Names like Royler Gracie, fresh
from his world win, Amaury Bittetti, Fabio Gurgel and
Carlinhos Gracie. Many of the competitors are popular
teachers and had huge entourages of students giving
support. The noise from the crowd was deafening at
times. When one competitor lost, the winners support-
ers would taunt the losing side with chants, inciting three
major riots. Luckily, I
was in the protected
competitors area, sur-
rounded by heavy net-
ting, safe from flying
chai rs, fi sts and
bottles. Not all of my
team was as fortunate.
Mike Frangides and
Jared Weiner had to
stand back to back, fending off rioters when they got
caught, inadvertently sitting in the wrong place. The Bra-
zilians take grappling quite seriously!
I fought in the senior 3 category (45 - 50 age group) and
had three fights. I came to this tournament in great con-
dition and loaded for bear. Most of the older Brazilians
do not stay in the greatest shape. I submitted all three
opponents. Thanks to Matt Furey and the fact that in
addition to studying his tapes, I had worked with him on
my set ups , my takedowns worked great. I was able to
control each match from the get-go to submission.
I took my first opponent down, a 20 year veteran Judo
black belt, mounted him and choked him out. My sec-
ond victim was a leaner. I adapted the classic Furey
neck crank to jiu-jitsu, holding my kimono instead of his
chin, taking him down with an underhook and inside trip.
Unbelievable how well the stuff Matt taught me works.
None of my matches went over three minutes. These
guys seemed old and slow because they were out of
condition.
If you want to know the secret of the fountain of youth,
its this; Dont stop. Keep your routines and fitness regi-
mens going and never stop. I personally plan to con-
tinue grappling until Im 100. It felt great to win the cham-
pionship and to tell you the truth; I felt that I could have
beaten the guys in the next age group down just as hand-
ily.
There wasnt supposed to have been a womens divi-
sion this year, but two female blue belts showed up,
demanding to fight and were awarded their medals and
titles. Although my wife, DC, admired their courage to
be recognized, she wished she had shown up, also. I
think she would have beaten either one, even though
they were two age groups below her. DC is strong, well
conditioned and extremely technical, and, as only I
should know, she can be one mean broad.
Some of the matches were extremely exciting. Competi-
tors were really going for submissions with all of the skill
and experience of seasoned fighters. The refereeing
was excellent, far above the caliber of that at the recent
worlds. The match that made everyones jaws drop was
Royler Gracies final. Near the end of the match, Royler
had taken hi s
opponents back. As
he raised his hands,
showboating, his op-
ponent escaped the
position and won the
match at the last sec-
ond. This prompted a
near riot, the first of
three major fights. In
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it truly aint over until its over.
As for the Americans, I was impressed with Frank Cucci,
from Virginia Beach. A former Navy Seal, he fought as a
purple belt. He submitted all of his opponents, demon-
strating great technique. His buddy, former Naval Acad-
emy wrestler Tim Szymanski, fought in the senior 1 (35 -
40) division, showing how wrestling can be superior to
Judo and Jiu-Jitsu on the feet. One of my own team
mates and workout partner, Mike Frangides, fought a
great tournament. Having lost a very close match (tie
score, judges decision) in his weight class, he came
back in the open weight class to win the Bronze in the
Blue belt Masters division.
The memories of our participation in the first World Bra-
zilian Jiu-Jitsu Seniors/Masters Championships will last
a lifetime. I would like to list the American place winners
and congratulate our guys for going to the post when it
counts.
Brown Belt Senior 3 Steve Maxwell Middle Weight,
Gold
Open Weight, Gold
Purple Belt Master Frank Cucci Middle Weight,
Gold
. . .his opponent escaped the . . .his opponent escaped the . . .his opponent escaped the . . .his opponent escaped the . . .his opponent escaped the
position and won the match at the position and won the match at the position and won the match at the position and won the match at the position and won the match at the
last second. This prompted a near last second. This prompted a near last second. This prompted a near last second. This prompted a near last second. This prompted a near
riot . . . riot . . . riot . . . riot . . . riot . . .
16
The prognosis was that my wrestling The prognosis was that my wrestling The prognosis was that my wrestling The prognosis was that my wrestling The prognosis was that my wrestling
career was over and that I should career was over and that I should career was over and that I should career was over and that I should career was over and that I should
never engage in contact sports never engage in contact sports never engage in contact sports never engage in contact sports never engage in contact sports
again. I was crushed, but totally again. I was crushed, but totally again. I was crushed, but totally again. I was crushed, but totally again. I was crushed, but totally
determined to wrestle again. determined to wrestle again. determined to wrestle again. determined to wrestle again. determined to wrestle again.
Blue Belt Master Mike Moses Light Weight, Bronze
Mike Frangides Open Weight, Bronze
Senior 1 Tim Szymanski Light Heavy Gold
Open Weight Bronze
Senior 2 John Rozzi Light Weight, Silver
Senior 3 Gary Rendina Feather Weight, Gold
Open Weight, Bronze
Brian Davis Lightweight, Bronze
Open Weight Bronze
Next year, I plan to bring an even bigger team to this
tournament. Meanwhile, Im training like a maniac for
the upcoming Pan Ams, to be held in Florida. Who knows,
maybe next year Ill be competing as a black belt.
Bridging Heals Stubbor Bridging Heals Stubbor Bridging Heals Stubbor Bridging Heals Stubbor Bridging Heals Stubborn Neck n Neck n Neck n Neck n Neck
Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain
by Steven Maxwell
As a young wrestler in the 1960s, I was introduced to
neck bridging as part of an overall conditioning program.
Other neck exercises included partner resistance iso-
metrics and the neck harness. Even as a youngster, I
realized the importance of a strong neck in combat sports
such as wrestling. Our coach had us diligently follow
this regimen three days weekly. Unfortunately the re-
sults of this program
did not prevent a near
fatal tragedy.
In 1967, in my first var-
sity wrestling match as
a sophomore, during a
takedown struggle, my
opponent and I fell from
the mat onto the hard-
wood gym fl oor. I
landed in a semi-bridge
position with my adversary on top. The weight and im-
pact caused my neck to twist violently resulting in the
fracture, dislocation and subluxation of C-3, 4 and 5 ver-
tebrae. I passed out and awoke with coaches and offi-
cials standing over me with the smelling salts. My chin
was locked down and to the right, the pain was ex-
treme. I could not move my head at all.
No one realized the severity of the injury, so I managed
to shower, dress, sit through the rest of the meet and
endure the bus ride home. Then my coach took me to
the emergency room at Carlisle hospital. The technician,
after examining the x-rays, pronounced that I had suf-
fered a stoved neck. He told me to go home and wrap
a rolled towel around my neck as support. I spent a
miserable and sleepless night. The next day, my mother
declared, If I could go to a wrestling match, then I could
certainly get up and go to school! Little did either of us
realize how close I was to spending the rest of my life as
a quadriplegic. That morning, in the middle of first pe-
riod algebra, the principal came to the room with two
ambulance attendants. An orthopedic surgeon, while
routinely reviewing the previous nights emergency room
x-rays, discovered the technicians mistake and imme-
diately dispatched an ambulance to get me. The doctor
told me that one good cough or sneeze could have para-
lyzed me for life!
I was also told that I needed surgery, but my parents
opted for the more conservative traction approach. I had
a long a painful recovery involving six weeks in traction,
several months in a full body cast (these were the days
before the halo, like the one Boom Boom Mancini had),
and then several more months in a neck brace.
The prognosis was that my wrestling career was over
and that I should never engage in contact sports again.
I was crushed, but totally determined to wrestle again. I
launched into a vigorous strengthening and conditioning
routine that included a tremendous amount of neck har-
ness work and later the Nautilus 4-way neck machine.
One thing I was always leery about was neck bridging
of any kind because I had been told that it was a dan-
gerous exercise.
I proved the experts
wrong and wrestled a
successful senior year
in high school culmi-
nated by winning 12
straight matches, plac-
ing 2nd in the district
finals. I went on to a
rewardi ng col l ege
wrestling career, post-
ing a 17-2-1 record my
senior year and twice
reaching the finals of
the MAC conference. After graduation, I coached high
school wrestling and competed on the US Army team
becoming the European Armed Services champ. For the
last eight and a half years, I have been involved in Bra-
zilian Jiu-Jitsu, Winning the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Training As-
sociation National Purple belt title, the AAU Sombo Na-
tional Sport and Combat division titles, and the Pan
American Purple belt Senior titles. All this from a guy
who was told that he could never play sports again!
My neck has bothered me, off and on, since that high
school injury. I have tried many treatments, including
nutritional supplements, chiropractic treatments and a
body realigning procedure called Rolfing. I also contin-
17
ued to exercise my neck with weight and manual resis-
tance training. During one of my experimental phases I
started to incorporate Astanga Yoga, commonly known
as Power Yoga, into my routine. One of the positions
resembled a neck bridge, which actually felt good.
One of my hobbies is collecting old books and courses
on grappling and weight training. I came across a copy
of the Farmer Burns Wrestling Course and after study-
ing the old time grappling secrets, I became curious
about the wrestlers bridge. All the old timers put a lot of
stock in neck bridging, but the modern trainers and arm
chair theorists universally condemned it as being dan-
gerous. Hell, my neck was already in pain, why not ex-
periment and see what the old timers were talking about.
I had been doing the bridge for several months, usually
holding for time, when I went out to California to meet
Matt Furey. Matt instructed me in proper bridging tech-
nique, with the nose and forehead to the ground. Of
course, this went against everything I had heard and I
was more than a little frightened by the idea of that kind
of arch. I couldnt do it properly at first, but after practic-
ing three times a week for a few months, I could touch
my nose. Now I can hold it for over a minute with three
minutes being my goal. The thing that amazed me was
how good and pain-free my neck would be afterward. I
believe that the bridge, when properly executed, actu-
ally realigns the vertebrae (just my theory).
My neck has never felt better and the confidence that a
good strong neck bridge gives you when grappling can-
not be overstated. If a 46-year old guy with a bum neck
can do it, so can you. Matt single-handedly did what all
the arm chair training experts, exercise police and other
nay-sayers could not do; get me out of constant pain.
According to one spiritual text on pain as a metaphor, it
is stated that neck pain has to do with stubbornness,
inflexible thinking and failure to see other points of view.
By incorporating bridging, I have finally found the proper
physical and metaphysical outlook on neck training and
conditioning.
Exerpts from Exerpts from Exerpts from Exerpts from Exerpts from Lessons in Lessons in Lessons in Lessons in Lessons in
Wrestling & Wrestling & Wrestling & Wrestling & Wrestling &
Physical Culture Physical Culture Physical Culture Physical Culture Physical Culture
by Farmer Burns
Internal Massage
By INTERNAL MASSAGE, or INTERNAL EXERCISE, I
mean the exercise of the muscles that control the inter-
nal organs. For example, the abdomen of the athlete
must be hard, firm and muscular. The abdomen of the
average person is soft and flabby, and the least blow or
punch causes pain and distress.
This is not the case with a man who is in form. My
own abdominal muscles are soft enough when relaxed,
but when I set them the muscles are as hard and rigid
as the muscles of my arms or legs. In fact you might
strike me with all your force on the stomach with your
clinched fist and not cause the least pain. Many have
done this and suffered more pain from the blow than I,
for my stomach muscles have been trained and de-
veloped just as carefully as all other parts of my body.
I want every one of my students to make good, and to
develop an all-around fine physique, so be sure to take
daily exercises for development of the abdominal
muscles. There is nothing better for this than my meth-
ods of DEEP BREATHING and HOLDING THE BREATH,
and at the same time massaging the muscles with the
hands.
Breathing for Internal Exercise
Stand erect and inhale the breath until the lungs are fully
expanded, and the abdomen drawn in.
With the lungs still full of air, CLOSE THE MOUTH AND
THROAT TIGHTLY, and try to force the breath out, but
RESIST SO THAT NONE ESCAPES. Force hard, and the
muscles of the abdomen will be contracted until they
are tight and rigid. FORCE THE AIR DOWNWARD WITH
ALL THE POWER YOU POSSESS. Clinch the fists-and
exert much strength.
The process consists of trying to exhale the breath, but
you voluntarily hold it in, and by this resistance most
thoroughly exercise the muscles of the abdomen, stom-
ach, and other internal organs.
Hold the breath in this way for two or five seconds, and
then gently allow the breath to escape. Exhale as much
as possible so that you will take in a new full quantity of
fresh air.
This movement also exercises the chest, throat, and
many body muscles, and if practiced energetically for
some time will bring the sweat and make you tired. Keep
it up for several minutes, and increase the time gradu-
ally from day to day.
When performing the breathing exercise, you should also
frequently massage the abdomen with your fingers, while
the muscles are hard and rigid. Rub, squeeze and work
the muscles in all directions with the hands, but cease
when you exhale the breath, and wait until you have
forced the air downward again, then continue the mas-
sage.
18
Another movement of great value consists in raising and
lowering the diaphragm and stomach by rapidly con-
tracting and relaxing the muscles of the abdomen WHILE
YOU ARE HOLDING THE LUNGS FULL OF AIR. Force
the air downward and you can feel the stomach raise
and lower, as the muscles of the abdomen become first
rigid and then soft. Remember that all this internal exer-
cise is taken while holding the breath but at the same
time trying to force it out. A little practice will quickly
show you what I mean.
Some instructors will advise against holding the breath,
as they claim the blood will not be properly purified while
passing through the lungs, but in my opinion this objec-
tion is not worth considering, while on the other hand,
the exercises outlined above are of great value and im-
portance to everyone: men, women and children.
I wish to say further, that I consider this DEEP DIAPHRAG-
MATIC BREATHING the only method of properly exercis-
ing the muscles of the liver, intestines, kidneys and stom-
ach. It causes the blood to flow freely, it cleans the or-
gans, and certainly is a wonderful preventative of indi-
gestion and constipation and many other diseases of
the organs of the abdominal cavity.
If you are constipated TRY THIS EXERCISE REGULARLY
and let me know if it does not help you more than medi-
cine and physics. It is common sense to believe that if
the sluggishness of the stomach, liver and bowels is
removed, and active circulation and muscular action is
brought about, that these organs will perform their func-
tions better, and the likelihood of disease will be greatly
decreased.
Dieting
The question of what to eat is not so important as what
NOT to eat. To overeat and clog the system with too
much food or with food that is harmful, is weakening
and prevents development of strength and health. In fact
overeating invites disease, for the overloaded stomach
and intestines are sluggish, give off poisonous matter to
surrounding tissues, and often results in severe compli-
cations, cause fatty degeneration, and open up a rich
field for disorder and disease.
My system is not based on DIET, yet a sensible diet is
absolutely necessary in order to secure the desired re-
sults. I therefore advise the students to eat plenty of
good plain food, yet not too much, and to keep the bow-
els regular by exercise and internal massage. Among
the things to avoid are: All liquors, very little tea or cof-
fee or better not any, tobacco. highly-seasoned foods,
and all kinds of fried fats and sweets.
Stale bread or toast is better than fresh bread. Eat plenty
of fresh vegetables, and a reasonable quantity of lean
meats, fish or chicken. Fresh ripe fruits are fine food
and should be used liberally. Eggs are especially rec-
ommended, boiled or poached, and nothing is better
than one or two raw eggs a day.
These suggestions are for the student, or for that matter
for any man in health, but when it comes to actual train-
ing for a real match or contest, a TRAINING DIET is im-
perative. This subject will be taken up later in the course.
Boxing for Wrestlers
Boxing is a good exercise, in fact, it is next to wrestling
for teaching one to be quick and active. It develops
SPEED and TIME. Boxing is also one of the best exer-
cises for creating wind and endurance and I think that
it should have a place in the training of any young man
who wishes to become a generally good athlete.
Boxing has its value for the wrestler, as it more highly
develops many of the important functions that are re-
quired in the successful mat artist.
You, of course, need a companion who is about your
equal and you probably have such a companion by this
time. If so I would advise that you get a set of boxing
gloves and plan to meet regularly, say once or twice a
week, and spend 20 or 30 minutes in exercises of this
kind. One danger to avoid in boxing is the liability of
overwork, and then there is some danger of striking too
hard, and this is apt to create bad feeling unless you
have good self-control. Therefore, be very careful and
handle your boxing exercises as a matter of exercise
rather than a physical contest.
Punching the Bag
Many wrestling trainers never think of having their stu-
dents punch the bag, as there does not appear to be
much relation between wrestling and bag punching. It is
generally supposed to be a method of training for pugi-
lists, but I know from long experience that bag punching
is a great exercise for physical culture and for training
for the wrestler.
Not only this, but it is fine for the young man who wishes
to develop a strong and active physical body, and learn
how to walk and handle himself gracefully under all con-
ditions.
Boxing and bag-punching increases your arm speed and
thus enables you to snap your wrestling holds in with
force and quickness.
You can secure a punching bag at a small cost, or you
can invest considerable money for an outfit. For my stu-
19
dents, I would recommend getting an outfit which can
be put up in the basement, attic or even in the barn.
Those who board or room away from home may prob-
ably have to forego this portion of the training, as there
is sometimes serious objection to the noise created when
punching the bag.
If you have never practiced with the bag, you must start
slowly with light, quick strokes and gradually increase
your speed day by day. After you become quite profi-
cient, you can almost play a tune with your hands, alter-
nately hitting the bag and the rebounding board. After
getting the hang of the thing, you should not stand still
while working, but step around, dance the two-step, waltz
and perform many various exercises with the legs and
body, all while rapidly punching the bag. It teaches you
to be graceful, quick and ON TIME. It will also increase
your speed, and speed is very material in not only wres-
tling, but all athletic games.
[ Martin Farmer Burns was a champion wrestler and
the trainer of many great wrestlers, most notably, Frank
Gotch, who won the professional world heavyweight title
in 1908 over George Hackenschmidt. He also helped
train boxers such as Jim Jeffries in his proven condi-
tioning methods. The excerpts published above are from
his 1914 mail-order course, Lessons In Wrestling and
Physical Culture. A new and improved reprint of the en-
tire course is available through my office for $50 plus $5
S&H. Call (813) 994-8267 and order today.]
Boxing: W Boxing: W Boxing: W Boxing: W Boxing: Wr rr rrestling estling estling estling estlings Sister Ar s Sister Ar s Sister Ar s Sister Ar s Sister Art tt tt
by Nathan Hatton
Today, western society looks at the combative sports of
boxing and wrestling as mirror opposites in terms of the
skills that each art develops. Boxing is, and has been
for most of this century, the quintessential Euro-Ameri-
can striking-art in which closed-hand blows are used
to the exclusion of all other techniques. The only grap-
pling modern pugilists engage in is during brief clinches.
Invariably, these tie-ups last only a few seconds before
a referee tells the combatants to fight out or physi-
cally separates the two, allowing the match to continue.
Such was not the case in the early days of the sport
both in England and in North America. Grappling was
just as common place during this time as a well placed
right cross to the jaw.
The first recognized champion of boxing in Britain was
James Figg, who first acquired the title in 1719. An illit-
erate, Figg traveled around the country taking on all com-
ers at country fairs and other large rural gatherings. Using
his earnings, he opened the worlds first school of box-
ing and self-defense on Tottenham Court Road in Lon-
don. There, he taught the art of self-defense to young
members of the nobility. While boxing was certainly a
corner stone of the schools curriculum, use of the cud-
gel, small backsword and quarterstaff were also em-
phasized. Figg went on to promote boxing matches out
of an open air amphitheater on Londons Oxford Road.
Never one to rest on his laurels, Figg continued to go to
the post to defend his championship status until 1734.
Boxing during Figgs time would be virtually unrecogniz-
able to todays audience. According to boxing historian
John Sugden, When Figg was proclaimed champion in
1719, there were few rules associated with pugilism. In
addition to punching, kicking was tolerated and wres-
tling holds and throws were permitted, as was the prac-
tice [of]... inserting fingers and thumbs into the
opponents eyesockets. Clearly then, to be proclaimed
British Champion in this sport, Figg would have had to
have been as adept in the clinch as he was in the more
traditional boxing range. This is particularly true given
the fact that he often did not know who he would be
facing on any given day. Were he as ignorant of grap-
pling as todays pugilists, he would have easily fallen
prey to a young Cumberland or Lancashire wrestler look-
ing for a quick payoff.
While the Broughton Rules began to bring some sem-
blance of order to boxing in 1743, the art continued to
maintain a strong grappling tradition. Even over a cen-
tury later, this was still the case. One of the great middle-
weight champions of the mid-19th century was a man
named Nat Langham, who held the title between 1843
and 1857. The only loss of his illustrious career came at
the hands of a man who proved to be a better wrestler -
James Figg James Figg James Figg James Figg James Figg
20
Kilrain in the classic boxing pose. Kilrain in the classic boxing pose. Kilrain in the classic boxing pose. Kilrain in the classic boxing pose. Kilrain in the classic boxing pose.
A picture of Mace in the classic boxing pose. A picture of Mace in the classic boxing pose. A picture of Mace in the classic boxing pose. A picture of Mace in the classic boxing pose. A picture of Mace in the classic boxing pose.
Harry Orme. Orme and Langham fought a marathon
battle in which Orme was bloodied and battered by
Langhams powerful blows. In the 11th, Orme managed
to execute a hip toss which left the champion stunned
from the impact. Langham rallied and the fight contin-
ued. The end came when, in the 117th ROUND, Orme
was once again able to seize Langham and send him
flying through the air. This time, the champion was not
able to get up, and Orme was declared the winner. The
Langham-Orme match by no means represents an iso-
lated incident in which grappling was used under the
old London Prize Ring Rules. Neither does it indicate
that it was always the better grappler who prevailed in
these encounters. We need only look at the fight be-
tween Jem Mace and Sam Hurst which occurred 10 years
after the Langham-Orme contest to see that superior
grapplers were not assured of victory every time.
When Hurst challenged for the English Championship in
1861, he came to the bout outweighing Jem Mace by
100 pounds. In addition to this advantage, Hurst had a
reputation as a dangerous wrestler. The larger man came
out aggressively from the start, hoping to end the fight
by clinching and then executing a throw on his oppo-
nent. Gypsy Jem, wise to his opponents strategy,
cleverly avoided the wrestlers onrushes and knocked
him out in the eighth round. Of course, Mace was not a
one-dimensional striker. Six years of fighting under the
London Prize Ring Rules had given him the ability to
deal with nearly any forms of assault, striking or grap-
pling. He HAD to know both if he was to survive. Gem
Mace later went on to defeat contender Tom King with a
throw to the ground in a January 1862 title defense, indi-
cating that he was versed in this aspect of the game as
well.
The last great fight under the London Prize Ring Rules
was the John L. Sullivan-Jake Kilrain bout of 1889.
Fought in New Orleans in the dead of summer, the match
stands today as one of the most historic of all time.
When the fight was signed, Sullivan (who was known as
much for his extravagant lifestyle as skills in the ring),
was a flabby, out of shape 240 lbs. His backers, con-
cerned that their champion would not be able to reach
fighting trim in time, enlisted the help of the greatest
physical culturalist of that time- Greco Roman Wrestling
champion William Muldoon. Muldoon took Sullivan to
his Belfast, New York, ranch and placed him under a
strict regimen of farm work and exercise. Central to
Sullivans training routine was instruction in the finer points
of wrestling. Sullivan preferred to fight under the
Queensbury Rules which forbade any significant grap-
pling, but since this fight was to be conducted under
the London Prize Ring Rules, Muldoon knew his protege
would need to be well prepared for the realities that this
entailed.
The Greco-Roman champions training methodology
21
proved correct, as the Sullivan-Kilrain match of 1889 was
as much a wrestling contest as a boxing match. Fifteen
seconds into the fight, Kilrain executed a headlock throw
on John L. to end the first round. Sullivan returned the
favor in the second. Back and forth it went, both men
clinching, striking and throwing the other as the hot New
Orleans sun beat down on their blistered backs. Even-
tually, Sullivan began to press Kilrain, taunting him with
insults and peppering his face with blows that left his
features grotesque and swollen. In the 76th round,
Kilrains cornermen threw in the sponge, knowing that
their man would not survive if he continued to fight.
The Sullivan-Kilrain match marked the end of the bare-
knuckle era and the beginning of modern boxing as we
know it. It also marked the end of wrestling as an inte-
gral part of prizefighting. After 1889, the Marquis of
Queensbury rules came into prominence, eliminating
grappling from the boxers curriculum. While many great
champions of both boxing and wrestling continued to
train in both striking and grappling, among them Jack
Dempsey the Non-Pariel, Joe Walcott, Frank Gotch and
Farmer Burns. In fact, in 1910, Farmer Burns was hired
as one of the trainers who would help prepare Jim
Jeffries for his bout with Jack Johnson. An argument
arose between former middleweight champion Billy Papke
and Farmer Burns over which way Jeffries should be
trained. It was decided that the argument should be
settled by an all-out streetfight. Papke, many years
younger than Burns, took a few swings at Burns. Farmer
Burns then threw Papke to the ground and submitted
him, making him cry uncle.
The two arts, boxing and wrestling eventually diverged
to the point where there was virtually no overlap what-
soever. Today, boxings grappling legacy is all but lost,
and even the striking legacy of the old-timers is dying
out as well. All we have left are the pictures, the stories,
and in rare cases, the written lessons set down by the
long-gone masters of the prize ring, to remind us of an
era when boxing and wrestling werent all that far apart.
References
John Sugden, Boxing and Society, Manchester:
Manchester University Press, 1996.
Brailsford, D., Bareknuckles, (Cambridge: Lutterworth
Press, 1988).
Chapman, Mike, Frank Gotch: Worlds Greatest Wres-
tler, (William S. Hein & Co, Inc., 1990)
Gorn, Elliott J., The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fight-
ing in America, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press,
1986).
Isenberg, Michael T., John L. Sullivan and His America,
(Chicago; University of Illinois Press, 1988).
Roberts, James B. and Skutt, Alexander G., The Boxing
Register, 2nd Edition, (Ithaca, NY: McBooks Press,
1999).
Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!
Q&A with Karl Gotch Q&A with Karl Gotch Q&A with Karl Gotch Q&A with Karl Gotch Q&A with Karl Gotch
Q: Why do you think that weight lifting is not as good for
wrestling as the calisthenics and gymnastic exercises
you teach?
A: Thats simple. Take a look at animals in the wild.
They are in the best of shape, yet you dont see them
lifting weights. They have built their strength by using
their own body weight. This is the same thing gymnasts
have done. With the exception of lifts like the split snatch
and clean-and-jerk, pushing weights is the easy way
out. People are always looking for the easiest way to get
the job done. They cant do handstand pushups, so they
lie on a bench and push weights in what is called the
bench press. Now, when you lie down, that isnt how
you fight, so what use is that? And you can adjust the
weight anyway you want. If 200 pounds is too heavy
you use 150. If 150 is too heavy you use 100. But when
The Sulkil boxing match The Sulkil boxing match The Sulkil boxing match The Sulkil boxing match The Sulkil boxing match
22
you do a handstand pushup, what are you going to do?
Chop off your legs if you cant do them? No, you work
with what you have and you choose exercises that give
you conditioned strength as well as flexibility. When
you use weights you only move in one direction. But
when youre using your bodyweight, you use it from ev-
ery direction and every angle. In combat sports, your
movements are like a ball. Theyre not in a straight line.
You move from every angle: front, back, up, down, left,
right.
Q: In your beginning level of conditioning, why the em-
phasis on Hindu squats and pushups?
A: If youre going to build a house, where do you start?
You build the foundation first, right? The same is true of
the body of a wrestler. You build the foundation of strength
and then you branch out. And the foundation of a wres-
tler is the legs and chest. Doing the Hindu squats builds
strength in the legs, hips as well as the entire body. The
Hindu pushups build the chest and upper body. Now,
you might wonder why I say that the squats build the
entire body. How is this so if youre only working your
legs? Well, youre not just working your legs. Because
of the deep breathing that takes place while you do the
Hindu squats, strength is built throughout the entire body.
By doing the squats you also work the small of the back
which is the center of strength in the human body.
Q: Speaking of deep breathing, Farmer Burns advocated
deep breathing exercises in his 1914 mail-order course,
Lessons in Wrestling and Physical Culture. Do you be-
lieve in doing deep breathing exercises as well?
A: Yes. There are many ways to practice deep breath-
ing, but the method I have used works like this. You
inhale for six seconds. Then you hold your breath for six
seconds. Then you exhale for six. Then you pause for
six seconds. After that you can inhale and repeat the
entire process. Eventually you can work up to 24 sec-
onds with this breathing exercise. I like to practice this
method when I walk. Normally people only use about
two-thirds of their lungs, even when they breathe deeply.
But with this method you gradually get so that youre
cleaning out your entire lungs. And it will also increase
the size of your chest because your rib cage has ex-
panded.
Q: Ive been using the Hindu squats and pushups rou-
tine with a deck of cards, which your students called
The Karl Gotch Bible. I was wondering if this is the only
routine you followed with the cards.
A: I always say, Adapt and improvise. Think! Use your
brain. A man who doesnt think is of no use. Now, let me
make sure we clarify something. Your legs should be
twice as strong as your arms, so when you do this rou-
tine with the cards, make sure that you always follow a
2-to-1 ratio. If you draw a ten, that means 10 pushups.
But for squats, you should do 20. When you can do this
routine without too much difficulty, you add another deck.
When two decks gets easy, you adapt and improvise
again. When you draw black clubs, you do regular Hindu
squats. When you draw spades, you do jumping squats.
For the red cards, when you draw diamonds you do
regular Hindu pushups, but when you draw hearts you
do alternating pushups while lifting the leg. Now you
have four exercises instead of two. When you finish the
routine with four exercises, you should be able to see
someone walking across the water.
Shamr Shamr Shamr Shamr Shamrock vs. Or ock vs. Or ock vs. Or ock vs. Or ock vs. Ortiz tiz tiz tiz tiz
by Mike Jones
[Editors Note: In this article, Mike Jones presents some
controversial thoughts about UFC XX and the Shamrock-
Ortiz fight. I am not necessarily in agreement with his
final analysis, but his points deserve consideration. One
thing is for certain, Mike Jones is no ones shill.]
Over here in the United Kingdom, where much of mod-
ern day pugilism and wrestling has deep roots, we have
a different way of viewing what Americans call fighting.
Without question the UFC may be interesting at times,
but much of this latest UFC is a charade.
First you have the steroid and human growth hormone
boys, and a bloody lot of them to be certain. Veins pop-
ping out of frontal deltoids is not too common amongst
non-drug using athletes, even those who run like hounds
and lift weights from dawn to dusk. Ive seen a lot of
champion athletes in my fifty-three short years, from
boxers to wrestlers to acrobats - but I dont recall see-
ing the deltoid veins on those boys, and they were in
brilliant shape. How can a parade of vicious looking drug
babies ever win over the American cable system? Maybe
thats why you have to have the card girls in between
rounds. Soften the audience with breasts and buttocks
and maybe theyll forget to watch what is really hap-
pening.
Second you have the lap dog announcers who, show
after show pander to Frank Shamrock. This latest UFC
though, took the cake right out of the oven and smeared
it all over the set. The announcers dont simply probe
Franks backside with their noses, they go a step further
and make certain that his new Mrs. is involved in most
everything. Youd think the lady in red must be wearing
pheromone-laced perfume, and a lot of it, as she worked
her magic upon Jeff Blatnick, Bill Goldberg and the rest
of the crew.
The cameras swoon. Heres Frank in his locker room
23
warming up. Look closer. Theres Angelina in the mirror
with her red dress, putting on makeup. Where I come
from, a mens dressing room is not a place for a lady,
but refined manners and etiquette arent part of the UFC.
Then you have the talk from announcers about Franks
recent marriage and how it has made him meaner. Then
the no disrespect meant to Angelina, comment. Then
you have Frank getting ready to enter the octagon, and
the lady in red leads the way.
Then, thankfully, you have the fight but throughout most
of it, Frank does nothing while Tito Ortiz hammers him.
Tito takes him down, whacks him and after they get
back to the feet, Tito gets behind and misses a splen-
did chance for a back suplex. Tito doesnt even appear
to know how to do the move. Had he known how, Frank
may have spent the evening in the hospital. Instead,
Tito does a front lift and whacks Frank in the head a few
times. Frank has a cut. Frank spends the rest of the
period lying on his back wrapped around Titos waist.
Yet none of this can detract from Frank in the eyes of
announcer Jeff Blatnick. This round was just too close
to call, he says.
Rounds two and three are more of the same. Frank lies
on his back using fly swatter punches to the back of
Titos head. No damage but it looks good enough for
Blatnick. Frank is bewildered and keeps looking to his
corner for advice. What great fighter looks to his corner
for advice whilst he fights? Yet Blatnick and company
see this as something valiant and heroic. Frank can do
no wrong even when he is doing absolutely nothing right.
As the fighters prepare for round four a shot of Tito shows
no sign of fatigue, but when fighting commences Tito
hangs back and lets Frank hack away. After a while Tito
decides enough already and takes Shamrock down
again. The sleeping hound, Shamrock, is now game for
a brawl. He decides to move a little on the ground. To-
ward the end of the round there is a scramble and Frank
tries for a lousy chokehold. Yet Tito has had enough.
Frank elbows once and uses the fly swatter again, this
time while standing and retreating. Whilst this happens
Tito concedes. Then you have a defeated Tito donning a
Frank Shamrock t-shirt. Strange, me thinks.The air is
mucked up. Could this be a fix? I shun the notion. Cant
be.
Now it is Blatnicks turn again. He questions Frank about
the fight. Any honest announcer would have said, Frank
you escaped this one. You were losing the fight on all
judges cards - then you pulled it out. What was your
strategy going into this fight? How do you rate Tito? Were
you ever worried that you wouldnt be able to win it?
Would you give this man a rematch? Bas Rutten now
wants a piece of you, do you want to fight him? He beat
you twice in Pancrase, dont you feel that beating him
would answer the critics?
Instead, the questions begin with: Frank, do you feel
youre the greatest fighter to ever step into the octa-
gon?
By far, says Shamrock, who then boasts that he has
no challengers, no one who can test him, no one he cant
beat. The lady in red is at his side, her fingernails mas-
saging his neck and shoulders. She cant stay out of the
picture. And the announcers curtsy to her and to Frank
while Frank states that his competition is nothing.
Meanwhile, Frank wipes blood from his open facial gash.
It took Frank 19:50 to beat him. Now he pays homage to
himself, saying hes the greatest, the best by far? How
can that be? Will Frank give Bas a chance to prove
otherwise? No way. Its time to retire from UFC.
Cheers to Frank as he and the lady in red disappear into
the night.
After a spell, strange rumblings circulate. Tito is now
going to be trained by Frank. So odd. Makes the t-shirt
and baby slap victory look dubious.
I never heard of a fighter beating another for nearly 20
minutes and when he loses, donning the oppositions
gear and joining hands. What kind of fighter is this? What
about a rematch? This is a move Don King couldnt have
dreamt.
T TT TTravelogue on V ravelogue on V ravelogue on V ravelogue on V ravelogue on Vancouver ancouver ancouver ancouver ancouver
Seminar Seminar Seminar Seminar Seminar
by Lee deNevers
Nervously waiting in the Vancouver airport for Matts plane
to arrive from San Jose, I talked with Jason Crawford
about how many things had changed over the past
months since Id attended my first and only seminar
with Matt Furey in October, 1998. I had spent the past
six months working hard to improve my skills, as had
the rest of the guys I train with at the Burnaby Combat
Wrestling Club, and was looking forward to learning from
Matt again. I couldnt help but wonder how much Karl
Gotchs influence would show in his techniques. Look-
ing at the clock on the wall every five minutes or so, I
noticed that Jason was becoming increasingly nervous,
pacing up and down the terminal waiting area. It was
then I spotted the unmistakable figure coming out of
Canadian customs, walking towards us, casting a kind
of take-no-shit silhouette against the dispersing crowd.
As Matt picked us out of the crowd, big goofy kid at
Christmas smiles came across our faces and I knew
right then it was going to be a weekend to remember for
a long time.
24
The first seminar I had attended with Matt was in Octo-
ber of 1998 in Dublin, California. My buddy Gus and I
drove the distance from Vancouver (20 hours), and didnt
really know what to expect. All we knew was that some
guy who used to be called The Sarge was running the
show. Sure, we had visited Matts website a fair bit,
tuned into the now extinct (or permanently hibernating)
bulletin board to listen to a bunch of guys discussing
the merits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs. catch wrestling - and
the occasional tirade by some wacko (can anyone say
Clugston?). What really piqued my curiosity, however,
was the amount and variety of information contained on,
and linked to, Matts website. Dinosaur training, the
mysterious Shuai-chiao kung fu, the even more mysteri-
ous world of catch wrestling, and a host of other grap-
pling styles were all woven together to form a compre-
hensive physical fit-
ness and martial art
based wrestling sys-
tem. This concept in-
trigued me, and led to
the 1000 mile journey
south for the one-day
seminar.
That seminar, to state
it modestly, was eye-
opening. I had been
involved with judo for
about a year at that
point, and was con-
vinced that this, along
with Jiu-Jitsu or Bra-
zilian Jiu-Jitsu, were
the ultimate fighting
styles. What I saw
and learned at the
seminar dispelled that
myth, and I returned to
Canada and my judo
school with a host of
new techniques, many of which the other judo students
and the sensei hadnt seen before. The fact that these
holds could be applied without the assistance of a jacket
or gi only served to heighten my resolve that wrestling
was completely underrated in the martial arts commu-
nity. Most people have the perception that wrestling is
what you see in high school, college, the Olympics. It
is, but this is only a portion of the legacy, since the
holds and techniques of amateur wrestling are, in many
cases, toned down versions of those found in profes-
sional catch-as-catch can, and in other cases the moves
are completely different. The amateur rules of wrestling,
like those now present in judo and jiu-jitsu, are for the
athletes protection more than anything else.
There were literally 100 different techniques taught at
the San Jose seminar, with extensive drills in takedowns,
throws, head and face locks, neck cranks, and leg sub-
missions, altogether too many to take in one month of
solid training, let alone one afternoon at a seminar. Matt
seamlessly integrated standard wrestling moves and
painful, old school submissions to form an art the likes
of which Id never seen before. The quality of the in-
struction and the patience Matt exhibited with scrows
like myself made me a believer. Luckily, I also purchased
the seminar videos, which provided two hours plus of in
depth instruction. My friends and I studied the tapes
for months afterward, hoping that one day we might get
the chance to attend another seminar.
At the seminar, I was fortunate enough to have met Ja-
son Crawford, Matts top student from his school in San
Jose. Jason was a
fellow Canadian and a
Japanese j i u-j i tsu
brown belt who was
working for a biotech
firm in the area. He
was also going to be
returning to Vancouver
in the new year to be-
gin a new job. We ex-
changed e-mail ad-
dresses and kept in
touch the next few
months after Id re-
turned home. It was
during this time that
Jason passed hi s
Level One Combat
Wrestling exam, the
first person ever to do
so. This also meant he
was certified to teach
the Level One curricu-
lum to students. I was
very excited about the
possibility of being able to study combat wrestling in
Vancouver, as was Jason about the possibility of teach-
ing. We obtained Matt Fureys permission to open a
school, and proceeded to enlist others, secure a train-
ing facility, and purchase wrestling mats.
Over the next six months, we added new members and
asked Matt if he would be interested in coming up for a
weekend seminar. He enthusiastically agreed.
The seminar was held in the fitting locale of the Pinnacle
Mat warehouse in a suburb of Vancouver, Canada. There
were literally thousands of square feet of wrestling mat,
in various states of repair, laying about the expanses of
the facility. Once the bay and rear exit doors were opened,
Matt Furey and Jason Crawford with some of the boys at the Vancouver Matt Furey and Jason Crawford with some of the boys at the Vancouver Matt Furey and Jason Crawford with some of the boys at the Vancouver Matt Furey and Jason Crawford with some of the boys at the Vancouver Matt Furey and Jason Crawford with some of the boys at the Vancouver
seminar. seminar. seminar. seminar. seminar.
25
enough air flow went through the place to make for per-
fect wrestling conditions. The owner, Norm Spence, had
graciously allowed the two day seminar to occupy his
building for a nominal fee, and was himself excited about
having us there.
The seminar began at 10 a.m. and was supposed to run
till around 4 p.m., an hour for lunch, five hours total.
The newly updated Level One curriculum was to be cov-
ered in its entirety, complete with new conditioning drills
Matt had learned from his recent visits with Karl Gotch.
Much of the curriculum centered around a number of
rarely seen techniques, including devastating ankle and
leg locks, arm bars, chicken wings, toe holds and face
locks.
Seeing how my buddy Gus was used as a demonstra-
tion dummy the previous seminar in San Jose, I felt it
my duty and obligation to do the same this time around.
Gus neck was out anyway, so even though Matt would
have loved to have got-
ten a hold of him, he got
stuck with me instead.
Reflecting back on it, I
dont know what the
hell I was thinking by
volunteering my ser-
vices. Temporary in-
sanity. Pain fetish.
Punishment complex. I
mean, what could be
better than spending a
Saturday getting your
limbs, neck and face
cranked for hours on end? Needless to say, my enthu-
siasm began to wane after the face lock complete with
an eye socket mash made me feel like I got smoked
with a straight right. I used to like the idea of these
ripping techniques, especially after reading Karl Gotch
tell of the old time wrestlers who liked using these tech-
niques on opponents, and who wouldnt complain if
you did it to (them) too. Well, I complained.
Day One
It started with a vigorous warm-up, including Hindu
squats, Hindu pushups, extensive back and neck bridg-
ing, and a host of other body-weight exercises. These
drills, Matt informed us, were the building blocks for
success on the mat. If you didnt have a proper anaero-
bic conditioning base, he reasoned, learning wrestling
techniques was pretty much worthless, kind of like try-
ing to read a book without first understanding the alpha-
bet. I dont know how many guys Ive seen with loads
of talent but no stamina, who eventually go down to the
guy with the better conditioning, Matt said.
The conditioning warm-up lasted about a hour. The guys
were all feeling it, believe me. Next, a full course of
throws. Greco throws highlighted the importance of a
strong back and good bridging skills; hip tosses and
standing headlock throws to name a few. Devastating
Chinese and Mongolian throwing techniques, including
a reverse shoulder throw that literally had me soiling my
shorts. Matt was good enough to stop halfway through,
as I would have surely broken something upon landing.
Matt mentioned that these techniques were used for
centuries in war to maim and kill. We all nodded.
Takedowns followed, single and double-legs, ankle
picks, spin doubles, and a myriad of variations on these.
Tie ups, underhooks, overhooks, duckunders, armdrags,
bearhugs. These basics we drilled a bunch of times,
until Matt was reasonably satisfied. Wed been doing
them in class for six months, but there was still a lot of
room for improvement. Next, takedowns as setups for
fight-ending hooks, followed by counters to all the
takedowns wed just practiced. My head was spinning
trying to keep up. The
other guys were in the
same boat. Finally,
break ti me. At thi s
point, wed been at it
for about three hours,
an hour each of condi-
tioning, throws and
takedowns. Next up,
head and neck submis-
sions. This is were I
should have checked
out of the demo game,
but foolishly chose to
stay in. Matt was kind while demonstrating the basic
guillotine and head chancery, but became downright
mean (hehe) when the facelocks and neck stocks came
around. Id been exposed to some of these techniques
at Matts previous seminar, but now he had added an
entire arsenal to his repertoire. There seemed to be no
end to these moves. An hour of this and my body was
screaming bloody murder. Lunch came none too soon.
After lunch and back at the warehouse (or dungeon de-
pending on who you talked to), we moved into the ground
game. Submissions from the guard and side mount fol-
lowed. Reverse wrist lock, double-wrist lock, jaw locks
and arm bars, body scissors, face locks, toe holds,
chicken wings, and hammerlocks all carried out with le-
thal precision, one move to the next. At this point I raised
the white flag and called for fresh troops. Matt wouldnt
let me up, so I did the only thing I could think of and told
an off coloured joke. He chuckled at first, then finally
began laughing hard enough to get off me and take a
break. Thank god for clutch thinking. I asked Matt how
much more of the Level One course was left. He indi-
cated another page and a half. I thanked him and said,
The fact that these holds could be The fact that these holds could be The fact that these holds could be The fact that these holds could be The fact that these holds could be
applied without the assistance of a applied without the assistance of a applied without the assistance of a applied without the assistance of a applied without the assistance of a
jacket or gi only served to heighten jacket or gi only served to heighten jacket or gi only served to heighten jacket or gi only served to heighten jacket or gi only served to heighten
my resolve that wrestling was my resolve that wrestling was my resolve that wrestling was my resolve that wrestling was my resolve that wrestling was
completely underrated in the martial completely underrated in the martial completely underrated in the martial completely underrated in the martial completely underrated in the martial
arts comm arts comm arts comm arts comm arts community unity unity unity unity. .. ..
26
No thank you. He jokingly called me a sissy, I nod-
ded.
Young Jeff then became Matts favorite Raggedy Anne
doll. The change of guard seemed to revitalize Matt,
who continued the demonstration with renewed zeal.
Poor young Jeff. At one point, in the midst of a cross
face, when Jeffs nose was pushed upwards and com-
pletely flattened, he resembled something akin to a small
hog. I couldnt help but laugh. The rest of the class
chimed in. It was one of those golden moments when
you see a friend in a world of hurt and you think its the
funniest thing you ever saw.
It was 5 oclock at this point, and we still had at least
another hour to go. Brutal leglocks, heel hooks and knee
bars followed. I was sure glad Jeff was in there absorb-
ing all this knowledge. Hushed tones and nervous laugh-
ter were exchanged as each move was unveiled. Chokes
rounded out the curriculum. Personally, I was so SORE
I didnt want to leave the shower after I finally got home.
We all met for dinner at a local restaurant, followed by
drinks and some live entertainment at the NBI, affec-
tionately known as the office. To say Matt loved it
there would be an understatement. T.C., the masseur
worked on his neck and shoulders while we sat drinking
away.As the beer was going down and T.C. kneading
his back, I believe Matt thought he had found a small
corner of heaven way up here in the Pacific Northwest,
and perhaps he had.
Day Two
We had a complete review of the Level One material,
which turned out to be an excellent idea. With the
plethora of knowledge conveyed the first day, many of
the guys were having difficulty not only remembering
the techniques, but also performing those they did re-
member. This review session provided everyone the
opportunity to recall what we had learned the previous
day in a refreshed state, and improve on those tech-
niques they did remember but had performed poorly or
incorrectly.
During this session, Matt kindly introduced a thorough
exhibition of submissions and body controls using Nelson
holds. On the trip into the warehouse that morning, Ja-
son had mentioned to Matt that I was very fond of
Nelsons, and could he perhaps show some of these
techniques. Up till that point on Day two, I was a spec-
tator and young Jeff the demo guy. The mention of
Nelson holds prompted me to my feet with right hand
raised and waving, enthusiastically volunteering my ser-
vices. Matt smiled and rubbed his hands. I gulped and
got on the mat, stupid smile and all. Gus, the camera
man, asked me what was up with the smiling. Nelson
holds, was all I said.
Matt proceeded to demonstrate the standing full nelson,
but was careful to explain that it is usually for show,
unless someone doesnt know the first thing about wres-
tling. The hold almost tore my head off, and a whole
host of submissions and controls from the ground fol-
lowed. Quarter, half, three-quarters and further Nelsons
were used to great effect, forcing me into every type of
compromising situation imaginable. These were real-
world holds, effective and useful in many combat and
sport situations no matter what art you study.
After the Nelson series, we all took a break while Matt
donned his Shuai-chiao uniform. He said he would be
filming a video featuring the devastating throws and
takedowns of Chinese and Mongolian wrestling. Johnson,
one of the seminar attendees, agreed to be the one get-
ting thrown. He put on a judo gi. He is a member of both
the Burnaby Combat Wrestling and Judo Clubs, so was
able to both be thrown and to fall correctly, making an
ideal demonstration partner.
Matt launched into a myriad of shoulder, hip, and arm
throws which electrified the crowd. Then a multitude of
takedowns and setups. Matts movements were fluid
and graceful, yet powerful in their balance and focus.
My judo sensei, Bob, who has been involved in judo for
over 30 years, was one of the seminar attendees. He
made special mention of the way Matt moved
about, off-balancing his opponent and setting him up
for attacks in a very smooth, seemingly effortless man-
ner. He took special note of Matts footwork, how he
glided around, directing the opponent into one trap after
another. The footwork may have been soft and flowing,
but there was nothing soft about the way Johnson was
repeatedly taken to the mat. Of particular note was a
takedown Matt had developed prior to the Shuai-chiao
World Championships, a move which combined elements
of freestyle wrestling and Chinese grappling. This ma-
neuver sent the opponent spinning helplessly to the mat
with a minimum of effort, the likes of which even Bob
had never seen before. After two hours of what seemed
like a hundred throws and takedowns, filming was com-
plete. If Id been in Johnsons shoes, I would have been
leaving the seminar on wheels. He seemed to take it all
in stride though, the rough and tumble guy he is.
It was now 3 p.m. and wed just gone through another
five straight hours of instruction. Meanwhile, we thought
Matt must be tired so we took our chances. One by one
we came to the center of the mat to tangle with him and
one by one he disposed of us like nothing, but did so in
a gentlemanly way, never hurting us or making us feel
like dog shit. It was obvious that he carried a couple of
the guys just so that he would get a longer workout.
Then, when the last of us came in to try Matt, he took a
couple deep breaths and went at it with a laser-like fo-
cus. It was over pretty quickly. We gave Matt a long
27
round of applause and he couldnt thank us enough for
having him up.
After the seminar we took Matt over to Gus house to
prepare him for a barbecue the likes of which he has
never seen. Sasq, the barbecue master himself, was
there, complete with his beloved Weber kettle and Royal
Oak real lump charcoal. I brought my portable Weber
gas grill to play supporting role, so we were set. Real
barbecue is serious business up here in Canada, espe-
cially when prestigious out of town guests are around,
so the troops were rallied.
A fully bevy of thick-cut steaks, dry-rub chicken thighs,
Bavarian smokies, Okanogan honey smoked chops,
summer slaw, Gus potatoes, and Lees garlic bread
were all cued up by Sasq over a four-hour period. We
somehow ended up eating all the food, with Matt calling
special attention to the honey smoked chops. Hed
dumped a bunch of barbecue sauce on the chops, took
one bite, and proceeded to scrape it all back off again.
The flavor was too good to cover up I guess.
As the sun was going down and the last of the food was
polished off, we smoked fine Cuban cigars, and talked
of the weekend. The seminar was a great success. Ev-
eryone felt privileged to have had this high quality of
hands-on instruction . It was a weekend none of us will
ever forget and we look forward to doing it again and
again.
When He Kicks - Y When He Kicks - Y When He Kicks - Y When He Kicks - Y When He Kicks - You Go ou Go ou Go ou Go ou Go
by Matt Furey
Even though I consider myself to be a grappler, Ill be
the first to admit that martial arts kicks are amazing to
watch. Anyone who can sweep his foot from the ground
to somewhere on your
face, within a flash,
has great skill.
The same can be said
of punches, whether
they be jabs, upper-
cuts or hooks. The
ability to square off
wi th someone and
smack him in the head, even when hes trying to avoid
you - is awe-inspiring.
But lets face it. If it werent for the ability to kick high,
hard and fast, martial arts wouldnt have the appeal they
have in the United States today. Without flashy kicks,
martial arts movie producers would be out of business.
Can you imagine a karate tournament without kicks? How
about a Muay Thai bout? I dont think these events would
sell many tickets if they didnt have high kicks.
Now, if the average person were to witness a wrestler
timing a karate mans kick so well that he can easily
step inside and take him down with a double or single-
leg dive, he might be prone to think that the wrestler
was all brawn and no brains. He might be prone to be-
lieve that the wrestler is not as skillful, that he is simply
bigger and stronger.
Well, in some cases this may be true. But in actuality,
the double or single-leg dive is an effective combat skill.
When it is executed properly, especially in a mixed mar-
tial arts setting, you may be taking away your opponents
best weapon.
I am not saying that the double or single-leg dive is the
best way or the ideal way for a grappler to neutralize a
strikers high kicks. It is merely one method that many
wrestlers have successfully used in mixed martial arts
competition. Typically, a wrestler is uncomfortable trad-
ing kicks, so hell wait for the kick. And when it comes -
he goes.
Once a person understands the artistry of these
takedown skills, hell appreciate them; especially when
he SEES and FEELS how effective they are. As the say-
ing goes, there is no greater teacher than experience.
The Tactics of the Combat Wrestler
A Combat Wrestler is not necessarily someone who has
competed in collegiate wrestling. Nor is he someone who
exclusively practices freestyle or Greco-Roman wres-
tling.
No.
A Combat Wrestler is
a martial artist who
prefers to use throws,
takedowns and sub-
missions to win a fight.
He may use strikes as
well, but oftentimes
the strikes are simply
the set-up for a sub-
mission hold.
Different Strategies
There are a few crucial differences between the fighting
strategy of a striker and that of a combat wrestler, and
they are best exemplified through the grizzly bear ver-
sus caribou fight I watched on television a couple years
back. Heres how it went:
A Combat Wrestler is a martial artist A Combat Wrestler is a martial artist A Combat Wrestler is a martial artist A Combat Wrestler is a martial artist A Combat Wrestler is a martial artist
who prefers to use throws, who prefers to use throws, who prefers to use throws, who prefers to use throws, who prefers to use throws,
takedowns and submissions to win a takedowns and submissions to win a takedowns and submissions to win a takedowns and submissions to win a takedowns and submissions to win a
fight. fight. fight. fight. fight.
28
The grizzly bear spots a lone caribou standing in the
middle of the river. The caribou has a huge rack of ant-
lers, and stands about as tall as an elk. Typically the
caribou would be out running with the herd, where no
grizzly could run it down, but this one was slightly
wounded and couldnt keep up. This gives the bear and
caribou a rare opportunity to fight - pitting two completely
different styles of combat against one another.
Now, we know that a bear can decapitate a human be-
ing with one smack - but he cant use that strategy
against a caribou. The caribous large rack protects it
from getting hit, and when the bear approaches, the cari-
bou can stab him with his horns.
Bears are intelligent fighters though. They know how to
avoid a strike. The key is simple: Stay out of your
opponents range. So, after the bear knows the caribous
range, he starts to probe for weaknesses.
First he tests by circling to the caribous side, looking
for a clear opening to charge. The caribou is too smart to
fall for this tactic, so the bear approaches from the front
again - but this time he gets down so low that the cari-
bou will be off balance when he tries to strike. The bears
earlier tests showed that moving forward will make the
caribou punch at him with his horns. At first the intended
strikes scared the bear, but now he is prepared to
counter.
This time, when the caribou comes at him, the bear
moves forward. As the caribou attacks, the bear raises
his arms and hooks them inside the caribous rack. From
there the bear pulls the caribou toward the stream, then
turns his waist and hip tosses him into the water. The
caribou struggles to maintain his footing, and the bear
climbs aboard, wherein he controls him with a sleeper
hold before submerging him into the stream where death
is certain.
As I watched this fight I couldnt help but think: Now
thats a bear who knows how to use wrestling to get
what he wants.
The strategy the bear used is the same one many wres-
tlers use to counter a kick. It can be summarized as
follows:
1. Stay out of striking range. This makes the striker
uncomfortable and forces mistakes.
2. Lower your level and charge when there is an
opening.
3. Go into a clinch, preventing the striker from
hitting you.
4. Take the striker to the ground.
5. End the fight as quickly as possible with a
submission hold.
A Kick is a Whip
Lifting your leg and turning the shin outward is often
taught as a counter to a roundhouse kick. A combat wres-
tler could use this strategy, but unless it helps him enter
to a clinch, it is of little use.
The easiest way to explain the strategy a combat wres-
tler will use to defend a kick, can be summarized by
understanding the following metaphor: A kick is a whip.
Unlike a punch, which can score a knockout from a few
inches away, a kick will lose all of its snap if you choose
one of three options:
a. Back up so that it misses
b. Circle away so that it either misses or barely
connects
c. Move into the kicker and take him to the ground.
Lets look at each of the above. In the first instance,
backing away from a kick does not prevent a striker
from throwing another one. In the second instance, you
can circle away from a kick to force a miss. Yet, this
method doesnt result in a clinch or takedown either.
That is why the combat wrestler prefers method number
three.
When timed perfectly, attacking the kicker with a single
or double-leg dive, looks a little like a car crashing into a
motorcycle doing a wheelie. The combat wrestler
counters the kick by moving inside of it, where he then
grabs one or both of the strikers legs. From there the
combat wrestler takes the fight to the ground, where he
can end the melee.
In the following pictures I will demonstrate some basic
leg dives, an inside trip and a tree topper that any grap-
pler may use to counter.
29
Counter #1 - Double Leg Dive
a. My opponent prpares to kick me in the thigh.
As his leg moves forward I step in between his
legs with my left foot, making it easy for me to
catch his leg with my left arm.
b. Now I pull his leg up a bit higher and start to run
toward his other foot.
c. Then I step across his body, positioning my right
foot next to his left. This puts me in perfect
position to grab his other leg with my free hand.
I make sure my hold is at or below the knee cap
so that I am not fighting the power of his upper
thighs and hips.
d. I drive him to the ground and drop my knee into
his groin.
30
Counter #2 - Single-Leg Dive
a. This picture shows a variation to Counter #1. It
can be used whether the opponent is kicking to
the thigh or to the head. As soon as your
opponents foot leaves the ground, you lower
your level and dive at the far leg.
b. As you grab hold of the leg, do so firmly with the
inside hand controlling behind the knee and the
outside hand down around the heel.
c. Then put your left shoulder into the side of your
opponents knee and drive sideways, knocking
him to the ground.
Counter #3 - Inside Trip
a. In this situation you catch your opponents
kicking leg with your left leg. As he attempts a
roundhouse kick, you turn sideways and curl
your left leg upward as high as you can. This
neutralizes the power of the kick and allows you
to catch it.
31
b. Once you have caught the leg with your own leg,
you can change positions and resecure his leg
with your left arm. Be sure to lace your arm as
deeply as possible.
c. Then step in with your right leg and hook your
opponents leg at the back of his knee. Put your
right forearm in his throat and begin driving
forward with your arm and your leg.
d. Knock your opponent to the ground and drop
your shin bone in his groin.
Counter #4 - Tree Topper
a. In this situation your opponent attempts an axe
kick to your face. As the foot comes up, you get
under it with both hands and catch it.
32
b. Push upward and drive forward, knocking your
opponent onto his back with great force.
These situations give you an idea of some methods a
wrestler may use to counter the leg kicks of a striker.
Once again, these methods may not be pretty. They may
not even be the best methods a grappler may use to
nullify a strikers kicks. But they are commonly used in
mixed martial arts competitions and they do work.
Regardless of what the casual observer may think of
these tactics in terms of beauty, elegance and graceful-
ness - theyre worthy of your attention. Any technique
that works so often against top-notch strikers is worth
studying.
Johannes Josephsson Johannes Josephsson Johannes Josephsson Johannes Josephsson Johannes Josephsson
The Legend of Glima: The Legend of Glima: The Legend of Glima: The Legend of Glima: The Legend of Glima:
Icelandic Wrestling Icelandic Wrestling Icelandic Wrestling Icelandic Wrestling Icelandic Wrestling
by Pete Kautz
Perhaps you have never heard of the master grappler,
Johannes Josephsson, so let me give you a quick run-
down. He hails from Iceland, the remote Northern land
of Viking fame. He is a lifelong student of Glima, which
is a native folk wrestling style consisting mainly of stand-
up throws. He wrestled in the Olympic games and has
since fought in a number of mixed-martial-arts competi-
tions, routinely beating Japanese jiu-jitsu experts. He
has toured Europe and America demonstrating his art
and has written one of the few English-language books
on Glima, as well as being featured in a number of maga-
zines. He has done both theatrical work showcasing his
art and fought real challenge matches, often after pub-
licly wagering on the outcome. Surprised that you havent
heard of this martial arts sensation? Read on, theres
more.
What if I told you that he did all this and more long be-
fore you were even born? Not possible, you say? Well,
in 1907 and 1908, Josephsson was the national Glima
champion of Iceland and holder of the Grettir Belt for
those years. He also wrote the first and only English
Language book on Glima, simply titled Glima - The Ice-
landic Wrestling, which is a fantastic book, even by
todays standards. It details the basic grip and quite a
number of throws and counters in large, clear photo-
graphs - quite the rarity for a book in 1908; books in that
era usually contained only text and crude illustrations or
tracings of photographs to refer to.
In 1908 he was also in the Olympic Games in England
as a Middleweight Greco-Roman wrestler. This was a
doubly impressive feat, as Josephsson was the first
Icelander to ever represent his country in the games.
Though he was sadly forced to withdraw due to an in-
jury, six other Glima players accompanied him to the
Games, and for several nights they performed two wres-
tling shows each evening. They fought with each other,
and would take on audience members for money, wa-
gering that they could throw any man within five min-
utes. According to one account of the tour in a 1908
Icelandic yearbook, they encountered a 220-pound En-
glish wrestler in the audience and decided to let him win
the first night they encountered him, and only allowed
their man to throw him at the last minute the next night,
and in fact throwing him several times in that last minute.
This was an early glimpse of Josephssons sense of
showmanship that would serve him over the years.
From London, the troupe went to Denmark for a similar
tour. This was the start of a great journey for Josephsson
and his boys. They would tour the world, not seeing
their homeland for many years. The same Icelandic year-
book has an article from 1919 about Josephsson, her-
alding his return after nine and a half years away. It tells
how he had toured North America and all of Europe ex-
cept for the Balkans (on account of the war, even back
then) and was preparing to return to the United States.
During this time, the British magazine Health & Strength
featured him on its cover in January of 1911. It showed
Josephsson in top form, doing a reverse hip throw varia-
tion against an armed assassin in a photograph taken
from the article on Glima vs. Revolvers. To give per-
spective on where all this falls in the grapplers time-
line, the other story on the cover of the magazine is When
Hack Meets Gotch. (Note: I wrote this article before
33
the June/July issue of G.A.I.N. came out - imagine my
surprise at reading the actual When Hack Meets Gotch
piece!)
When Josephsson toured America, he didnt visit mar-
tial art schools or attend Karate tournaments as a guest
of honor. In that era, there were no martial art schools,
save the boxing gym or wrestling club, and the idea of a
tournament where the competitors paid for the privi-
lege of competing was unheard of (unless it was for a
purse to split). Josephsson and his troupe played vaude-
ville houses doing demonstrations of his art against box-
ers, knife fighters, and multiple assailants - all as sports
entertainment, mind you. One publicity photo even
shows Josephsson wearing a set of traditional Icelandic
clothes and a crown! Though I could not find written
documentation, it would seem likely that Josephsson
would have continued in the tradition of having an open
challenge to the audience to wrestle for cash, as they
did in England.
One piece the troupe
performed was called
The Pioneer, and was
bi l l ed as a story
Based on the Early
Days of California and
A Dramatic Novelty
Act with a Thrill. In it,
Josephsson used his
Glima against savage
Indians who tie him to
a stake before he es-
capes, beats them, and saves the girl. Though politi-
cally incorrect by todays standards, it was perhaps
accurate to
the Wild West image of America, one that many Euro-
peans had when Josephsson was growing up. This,
too, was also a time when vaudeville acts such as Noisy
Boy Evans - Black Face Comedy and Music were still
relatively common. Josephsson cared more for how
someone fought, however, and the Black boxer Samuel
Smith worked with the group of Icelanders, and is seen
in several of the staged publicity pictures.
The Glima show must have been quite the curiosity to
its audience. These vaudeville houses played shows
several times a day, boasting of 5 Star Features on a
10 Act Bill and admission ranging from 15 to 75 cents,
and usually a quarter matinee. It played on bills with
such fare as Eva Buck & Sam Wight: Wildcat Comedy
Favorites in Opera vs. Jazz, The Geralds A Nifty Mu-
sical Offering, Edwin George: A Comedian - Almost a
Juggler, and The Girl in the Moon - a Singing Act thats
Different. It even played alongside animal acts like
Herzogs Russian Stallions and Raynos Comedy Bull-
dogs.
With acts like these, you can see why Glima was al-
ways at the top of the bill! The headlines were great:
A Novelty from the Frozen North
The Icelandic Manly Art of Self Defense
Johannes Icelandic Stranglers
Josephsson also toured with the Barnum & Baileys cir-
cus and while they were in New York City, there arose a
disagreement between his troupe and the troupe of Japa-
nese Jiu-Jitsu men who also worked with the circus - as
is witnessed in this newspaper article.
Babys Cry Stops Wrestling Bout Between Far East
and Icy North
In an exciting wrestling bout on the roof of Madison
Square Garden, Johannes Josephsson, of a troupe of
Icelanders with Barnum
& Baileys circus, yes-
terday afternoon scored
over Otagawa, a Japa-
nese. Josephsson
hurled Otagawa to the
mat several times, but
did not gain a complete
fal l . He permi tted
Otagawa to wear a
jacket during the bout,
which was the outcome
of jealousy between the
respective troupes with
the circus. Mrs. Josephsson, with her baby girl, Hekla,
who is named after the largest volcano in Iceland, was in
the ring of spectators. Mrs. Josephsson did not wish her
husband to abandon straps which he usually wears when
wrestling, but he told her he would have to concede some-
thing to Otagawa, who did not like the looks of his belt.
When Josephsson faced the little brown man, one of the
champions of jiu-jitsu in his own country, everybody was
keyed up to a high pitch of excitement, for there was fire
in the eyes of the man from the North and a smile on the
face of the one from the Far East. As Josephsson, with
arms extended, approached, Otagawa threw a coat at
him. For an instant the spectators thought there was
going to be a fistfight, but the man from the North calmly
walked off the mat. Several other Japanese then tried to
dissuade their countryman from taking part in the bout.
Josephsson explained he had not been in the habit of
wrestling a man with a jacket tied around him with a
cloth belt, but finally he was persuaded to take on Otagwa
in that way. Norman Selby, Kid McCoy, was selected
as referee, and Thomas Rankine announced that the men
were ready for the bout.
Josephsson explained he had not Josephsson explained he had not Josephsson explained he had not Josephsson explained he had not Josephsson explained he had not
been in the habit of wrestling a man been in the habit of wrestling a man been in the habit of wrestling a man been in the habit of wrestling a man been in the habit of wrestling a man
with a jacket tied around him with a with a jacket tied around him with a with a jacket tied around him with a with a jacket tied around him with a with a jacket tied around him with a
cloth belt, but finally he was cloth belt, but finally he was cloth belt, but finally he was cloth belt, but finally he was cloth belt, but finally he was
persuaded to take on Otagwa in that persuaded to take on Otagwa in that persuaded to take on Otagwa in that persuaded to take on Otagwa in that persuaded to take on Otagwa in that
w ww wway ay ay ay ay. .. ..
34
In addition to being a great master In addition to being a great master In addition to being a great master In addition to being a great master In addition to being a great master
of his art, Josephsson was also a of his art, Josephsson was also a of his art, Josephsson was also a of his art, Josephsson was also a of his art, Josephsson was also a
master showman of his art. master showman of his art. master showman of his art. master showman of his art. master showman of his art.
The big fair-haired man had the spectators with him. Get
him, Joe! and Mind his leg! they shouted. Certainly it
was no childs play when the two men came together.
Bang! Josephsson looked in a precarious way, but he
righted himself, and swept Otagawa off his feet, landing
the exponent of jiu-jitsu on one shoulder. Then they
struggled for nearly a minute, and finally Otagawa man-
aged to get to his feet.
When the first round was declared over by McCoy,
Josephsson asked Otagawa to wrestle with the upper
part of his body naked, but the little brown man would
not hear of it.
Josephsson then tied the coat around him and strode to
the mat. Otagawa struggled to get a hold on the coat
near his antagonists throat. Josephsson struggled free
and hurled Otagawa to the mat. Then a struggle took
place near the chairs.
Josephsson picked up Otagawa and pitched him over
his shoulder. They clinched and swayed back and forth,
but Josephsson could not pin Otagawas shoulders to
the mat. Just then a babys cry was heard. It was from
Hekla, two years and
four months old, who
could no longer bear to
see her father strug-
gling. He ceased to
wrestle and went to the
baby. There was ap-
plause when he, too,
held the child in his arms and cajoled her to be quiet.
I have given them their way, he said afterward. Let
Otagawa wrestle me without the coat. I will show him
something then. But Otagawa had much faith in the
coat. Thereupon the bout ended with McCoy declaring
Josephsson the winner.
Josephsson, in his act with the circus, shows how a
man knowing how to use his legs as well as his arms
can get the best of three highwaymen. On the opening
night of the circus his act elicited so much applause
that the Japanese jiu-jitsu wrestlers became jealous.
Judging by the noise when a man falls after having at-
tacked Josephsson, he is as quick in his way as the
Japanese are in theirs.
One of the Japanese, A. Tamerki, following the bout,
suspended animation. He was choked out by one of his
countrymen until Dr. H.G. Grable and Dr. William E Young,
who listened with a stethoscope and told the specta-
tors his heart had ceased beating for one minute.
This was not the only time Josephsson would pit his
Glima against Jiu-Jitsu. Again, in England, he fought a
Japanese master named Diabutsu. The fight was set up
by a newspaper, with the angle that if Josephsson could
not throw Diabutsu within five minutes, he would have
to pay 50 pounds sterling. Though we do not have a
detailed account of the fight, it is known that Josephsson
won it, throwing Diabutsu four times.
Evening Times Matches Josephsson and Diabutsu
The Icelander will Forfeit ($)50 if Diabutsu is not Thrown
Within 5 Minutes. The wrestling match between Johannes
Josephsson, the champion Icelandic Glima exponent,
and Diabutsu, who is recognized as the best at the Japa-
nese style, was definitely fixed up at the Evening Times
office yesterday.
The contest will take place on stage at the Alhambra on
Monday evening, and the considerable interest aroused
should mean an exceptionally large audience.
The parties met at midday, Josephsson was represented
by his manager, Mr. Henderson, whilst Mr. Neill conducted
negotiations for Diabutsu, who speaks little English.
As usual, some time
elapsed before the de-
tails were settled, the
greatest stumbl i ng
block being the deposit
of the money. Guaran-
tees were required by
each side, but after a
lot of discussion these were finally arranged to the satis-
faction of all concerned.
The two will wrestle in the Icelandic style.
Diabutsu will be compelled to grip his opponent as if he
were about to engage in a waltz with him. Whether this
will be a total handicap or not remains to be seen.
In 1927, Josephsson finally returned to Iceland to stay
with over $120,000 U.S. in his pocket. Having traveled
for nearly 19 years, perhaps he was looking for some
stability in his life when he invested over 1 million Krona
of this in a gigantic hotel in the capital city of Reykjavik.
He called his place Hotel Borg (fortress) and it opened in
1930, coinciding with the 1000th anniversary of the Ice-
landic Parliament, which brought throngs of visitors to
Reykjavik. A visitor at the opening said, Staying here
is as good as being on a cruise, and with a grand din-
ing hall seating 150, and 70 rooms it must have been
quite opulent.
In addition to being a great master of his art, Josephsson
was also a master showman of his art. No doubt today,
with his Viking looks and fighting skill, he would be work-
35
ing in TV and movies (probably in a buddy flick with
Van Damme) or still be working on the pro-wrestling cir-
cuit. Like many wrestlers at that time who made their
living by touring, particularly in circus setting where ev-
ery event should seem like the one you just cant miss,
there is that fine mix of show and shoot that was essen-
tial. Certainly, his leaving the ring to hold his crying
daughter Hekla, thus stopping a match, is a great way
to finish in any era - and one that speaks to the charac-
ter of the Strong, Quiet Man from the North.
[Pete Kautz is from Ithaca, NY, and is heavily involved in
researching and training in the Western martial arts. He
is currently working on the holds and throws shown in
German wrestling manuals from the15th and 16th cen-
tury.]
Workin the Door Workin the Door Workin the Door Workin the Door Workin the Door
by Brett Jacques
So and so was a bouncer in the toughest biker bars in
town, is a common advertising phrase for martial arts
videos and books. Does that really mean that the adver-
tised bouncer had an opportunity to test his skills?
Against worthy opponents? Well, forget biker bars for
now. Workin the door in a jock bar can also provide
you with opportunities to test your skills.
As I have lived in major cities on both coasts, and been
in U.S. military installations, I believe Ive spent enough
time in bars and at motor cycle rallies (except Sturgis),
to make a fair comparison. I have never worked the door
at a biker bar - but a good share of bikers frequented
the up-scale university establishments I worked in. So I
believe Im qualified to make a few comments about
each joint.
Money. Yes, the money is definitely better at the up-
scale joints but if you really consider the negatives, the
money is never good enough. Women are a toss up. The
biker bars in the deep South and in California have a lot
of good looking women, but I give the edge in looks to
the upscale bars. However, when it comes to perfor-
mance.., well, draw your own conclusions.
The trouble Ive seen in biker bars breaks down like
this. Skinny troublemakers will talk shit and try to blind-
side once you step outside; their fitness level is okay -
mostly because theyre usually vamped on crank or
some other drug. The fat guys in these bars dont wait
for you to go outside. They use the sucker punch right
where youre standing. They also like to do a quick scan
for an improvised weapon, so make sure you never take
your eyes off the dudes palms. If the encounter lasts
more than 20 seconds, the guy is yours, especially when
hes liquored up. One good thing about biker bars is
that the pecking order is pretty established. But woe
unto you if youre caught in a turf war or property rights
dispute (a woman). What gets bad in an upscale bar
gets really bad in a biker bar, so be sure to get out of the
way and let the cops clean up. Never forget that in a bar
fight, especially a biker bar, youre never really dealing
with just one guy. Always be prepared for others. As the
Irish saying goes, Is this a private fight or can anybody
join. In a biker bar, the skill level of a foe varies from
poor to fair, but the experience level is usually high. You
will encounter real players at biker bars but these guys
are rarely the problem. The adversaries in biker bars are
hard strikers and masters of improvised weapons.
Jock bars contain a higher level of unpredictability, which
makes them more fun and ... more dangerous. Each type
of bar has patrons with ego problems, but jock bars
have the biggest ones; saving face is usually a large
part of the issue. Pecking orders can change on a weekly
basis. Drug use is as prevalent in these bars as it is in
biker bars. And yes, many athletes are hopped up on
dope as well.
Just think: How much fun would it be to deal with a 250-
pound linebacker on steroids and/or tweaked on crystal
meth? Been there, done that and it is friggin scary. As a
general rule the skill level of the jocks is much less than
the bikers. What they lack in skill is amplified ten-fold
by their fitness and strength. Weve all seen the big bas-
ketball player throw a punch. Granted, its a girlie punch,
but its coming from 18-inch guns and I guarantee that
someone like this will last longer than 20 seconds. His
punches will still hurt. Jocks, football players and wres-
tlers also have a much higher pain tolerance than bik-
ers, assuming, of course, that the bikers are drug free.
The good news about jock bars is that it is rare to en-
counter improvised weapons and most of the time the
rift will be a one-on-one affair. This gives you two very
good reasons why you can bounce in a jock bar and
polish your techniques without usually suffering dire con-
. . . when you apply a pain compliance or submission hold on . . . when you apply a pain compliance or submission hold on . . . when you apply a pain compliance or submission hold on . . . when you apply a pain compliance or submission hold on . . . when you apply a pain compliance or submission hold on
a jock, most of the time he accepts the fact that you won the a jock, most of the time he accepts the fact that you won the a jock, most of the time he accepts the fact that you won the a jock, most of the time he accepts the fact that you won the a jock, most of the time he accepts the fact that you won the
first round. Bikers, on the other hand, are indignant. first round. Bikers, on the other hand, are indignant. first round. Bikers, on the other hand, are indignant. first round. Bikers, on the other hand, are indignant. first round. Bikers, on the other hand, are indignant.
36
sequences. So, based upon my experiences, a jock bar
is a better place to practice your submission techniques.
I know for a fact that when you apply a pain compliance
or submission hold on a jock, most of the time he ac-
cepts the fact that you won the first round. Bikers, on
the other hand, are indignant. They make a scene and
as soon as youve escorted them out the door, they lunge
right back at you. In these situations, you have to really
sting them. You have to put the guy in enough pain that
a signal breaks through the beer and dope, entering that
part of the brain that doles out common sense.
The fighting experience level of jocks is usually fair. They
are usually poor strikers but the rough and tumble grap-
pling style epitomized by the wrestlers and the gridiron
lads can pose a threat to anyone. Take your eyes off a
138 pound small college All-American, and you may find
yourself suplexed through the air so quickly that you
cant figure out how you landed on the concrete. I dont
care if you weigh 220 pounds and are solid muscle. Ive
seen it happen more than once. Ive also seen the little
wrestlers shoot in on a much larger opponent, then lift
him and slam him. The fight was over before it started.
Real players, on the other hand, rarely frequent jock bars,
so theyre not an issue.
The bottom line is this: There are advantages and dis-
advantages to working the door in each type of watering
hole. Yet bouncing can provide some of the best real
world training, next to being a cop. Bouncing will teach
you more than pure physical skills. It will provide an
opportunity to enhance awareness and verbal de-esca-
lation skills. The latter are critical to real world survival,
and will become increasingly more important to you as
your hormone levels drop.
In a future article, Ill relate some experiences in
testosteronia that will entertain you and increase your
awareness.
Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt
Matches See Life Again Matches See Life Again Matches See Life Again Matches See Life Again Matches See Life Again
by Matt Furey
The famous Frank Gotch vs. George Hackenschmidt
professional wrestling matches, which took place in 1908
and 1911, were brought to life once more in the Septem-
ber 1999 issue of Chicago. The article, Real Mayhem,
written by Chicago Sun-Times reporter, Bob Kurson, runs
from pages 83-92.
The article is well-written and favorable toward Gotch,
who won both of the matches. Hackenschmidt, after
saying that Gotch was the best he had ever wrestled,
changed his tune after setting sail for England, wherein
he began to claim that Gotch used foul tactics, soaked
in oil for weeks, put kerosene in his hair, and so on. And
as Gotch died at the age of 39 and Hackenschmidt lived
to be 90, over the past half-decade, you rarely read a
favorable word about Gotch.
Although Real Mayhem is an excellent piece, it does
have a few errors. Four of them are quoted below with
my comments to follow:
1. At the dawn of the century, professional wrestling
was real.
This sentence is misleading, as professional wrestling
at the turn of the century had both worked and shoot
matches. It would be more accurate to say, At the turn
of the century, professional wrestling had both real and
pre-determined matches.
2. Ed Strangler Lewis, had won hundreds of matches
and was considered unbeatable. But he wasnt particu-
larly charismatic, and the country was getting bored with
him ....
Contrary to the author of this article, Ed Strangler Lewis
was perhaps the most charismatic professional wrestler
of his era. Old-time fans of pro wrestling who are still
alive today refer to Lewis in glowing terms. Never once
do you hear that he was non-charismatic. Pro wrestling
made Lewis a wealthy man. This didnt come about
because audiences were bored with him.
3. Farmer Burns taught Gotch the step-over toehold, a
complicated maneuver with several variations that could
either force an opponent onto his back for the pin or
inflict so much pain he would be forced to concede.
The step-over toehold is a submission hold that IS NOT
used to pin someone. When it is placed on correctly the
opponent either taps out or takes the pain.
4. After Strangler Lewis, professional wrestling became
increasingly staged, though several legitimate, or
shoot, matches proved that champs such as Lou Thesz
and Chicago favorite Verne Gagne were capable of wres-
tling for real - and viciously - when necessary.
This is the first time I have heard someone claim that
Verne Gagne had shoot matches. Although he was a
two-time NCAA champion, he is not known as a sub-
mission wrestler. Furthermore, over the last two years,
when Thesz was asked about his shoots from stu-
dents at my bootcamp, he replied by saying that a
couple of times .... when he was in a foreign country
... his opponent would try to double-cross him in the
ring.
37
Now, I dont know about you, but I dont think a double-
cross is, technically speaking, a shoot. As Karl Gatch
says, There were no more shoots after the mid to late
1920s.
In the olden days of pro wrestling, a shoot took place
when each wrestlers party put up a sum of money, bets
were laid down and the winner of the bout won the lot.
Other than the inaccuracies listed above, the article is
fantastic and I encourage you to get a copy.
Product Reviews Product Reviews Product Reviews Product Reviews Product Reviews
GABLE
reviewed by Matt Furey
GABLE. Thats the name of the new video documentary
that follows the legendary coach for the University of
Iowa through the 1997 season.
Dan Gable, who was a three-time state champion in high
school, a two-time NCAA champion and a world and
Olympic champion, is shown as never before in this
video. While taking you through the up-and-down cham-
pionship season, you see flashbacks from Gables child-
hood, wrestling career and early days as a coach.
Gables relationship with family and the effect the mur-
der of his sister had on his competitive life is explored
in greater detail than usual. Even today, decades after
the tragedy, you can feel the pain in Gables voice as he
explained how he figured out who the murderer was while
he and his parents rushed home from their fishing trip.
When young Dan tells his father that he might know who
it is, his father stops the car, pulls him outside, whacks
him, then asks Dan to tell him everything he knows.
After the family arrives back in Waterloo, Iowa, the par-
ents no longer want to reside in the same home - so
young Dan takes it upon himself to keep them there. He
decides to help keep the family together through his
dedication to wrestling, and through the winning of titles.
In Gables final collegiate match in 1970, his record is an
amazing 181-0. But Larry Owings of Washington is de-
termined to beat Gable in the finals of the NCAA tour-
ney. Everyone scoffs at Owings, but he does the un-
thinkable and knocks Gable off his thrown.
In 1971 Gable comes back with a vengeance, winning
the world freestyle championships. Then after winning
the famous Tblisi tournament in the former Soviet Union,
the Russians vow to find a man to beat Gable in the
Olympics. In the Munich Games, however, Gable goes
unscored upon in six matches, winning the gold over
the Russian, 3-0.
A single video on Gable cant really do the man justice,
although this one comes pretty close. Although the 1997
season, the final year of Gables collegiate coaching
career is the common theme throughout the video, I
wished it contained more about all the great champions
Gable has coached. To focus on one season is too lim-
iting, but again, you would need an entire series to
cover these details.
There were a few parts of the video that I found either
interesting or annoying. As an insider, let me spell them
out:
1. Chris Taylor. The question about whether or not Gable
could truly beat everyone on the team at Iowa State,
from lightweight to heavyweight is never really answered.
Yes, I have seen Gable beat the best of the best in the
Iowa room, but those who expect to find out if Gable
actually beat the 450-pound Taylor in practice, will be
disappointed. Taylor won a bronze medal in the 1972
Olympics. He was not only big, but pretty agile as well.
As disappointing as this may be to some, the truth is
that Gable could not beat Taylor. The big guy was toooo
big and toooo strong. Even immortals like Gable have
limitations.
2. J Robinson. J was an assistant coach at Iowa while
I was there, but after a dispute involving his intensive
wrestling camps, decided to quit the staff and move to
greener pasture. As an old line of questioning goes, In
addition to that reason, are there any other reasons why
youre leaving? Well, yes. Namely, the fact that Gable
set J up as the interim head coach for the 1984 team
while he concentrated on training the Olympic team.
Everything was fine and dandy until Oklahoma State
whooped the Hawkeyes 24-6 in Stillwater that year. Af-
ter the loss, Gable took the reins away from J and com-
pleted the season as the head coach; a move that must
have been unforgiveable in Js eyes. Interestingly enough,
J, who has been the coach at Minnesota for over a de-
cade, appears throughout the video, making comments
about Gable and his time at Iowa. One comment was
classic Robinson, I was never told what I could do and
I was never told what I could not do.
3. Mark Johnson - Mark was an assistant coach at
Iowa when I was there, then later on took the head coach-
ing position at Illinois. He talked about having to share a
double-bed with Gable for one week in Bulgaria. I wont
go into details here, but these comments should not have
made it through the first edit.
4. Brad Penrith - Brad was an NCAA champion for Iowa.
In one interview segment he talked about the time he
attacked Gable when he was stretching and how Gable
immediately reversed him and beat on him for a long,
38
long time. This was classic material that I had never
heard before. When Penrith said he had had enough,
Gable responded by saying that he was the coach and
would decide when hed had enough.
5. John Smith - John, a two-time Olympic champion
and four-time world champion is pretty frank about his
competitive relationship with Gable, going so far as to
admit, Were not the best of friends. Now thats an
understatement. It is commonly known in Iowas inner
circle that Smith, in the heat of a dual meet, has looked
Gable right in the eyes during a disputed call and said,
Fuck you, Gable. That didnt appear on the tape, of
course, but knowing this will add some insight into the
comments Smith makes.
6. Ben Peterson - Ben won Olympic gold in 1972 along
with Gable. His recounting of the Owings-Gable match
is simply amazing. He told how he was sitting in the
stands literally laughing through the entire match that
Gable lost, simply because he was so sure that Gable
would eventually win. After the match he realized how
strange this must have been to others. Peterson also
talks about the first time he wrestled Gable in practice.
Figuring he would mop Gable because he outweighed
him by 50 pounds, Ben later figured that the final score
was 50-3, but hes not quite certain that he was able to
score even that much on the legend.
7. Bobby Douglas - Bobby is now the coach at Iowa
State and is regarded as one of the top technicians ever
seen in the U.S. Although he did defeat Gable in a match
once, no mention is made of this in the tape. I thought
Bobbys comments were first-class all the way.
This video has plenty of workout and match footage of
the Iowa teams Gable trained, as well as a lot of footage
of Gable when he competed in college and the Olym-
pics. Most of the famous Owings-Gable match is shown
and I was on my feet the entire time. When the contro-
versial segment in which Gable was on his back, but
supposedly not for enough time for Owings to be awarded
back points, I waived my hand back and forth like a
referee and made the call myself. As much as I wanted
Gable to win the bout, I believe the referee made the
right call. At any rate, the Gable match footage alone is
worth double the price of the tape.
This video gets a double-thumbs up from me. Order
today from the International Wrestling Institute and Mu-
seum by calling 515-791-1517.
Personal Defense Readiness
by Tony Blauer
reviewed by Matt Furey
Mark Twain once said, When the human race has once
acquired a superstition, nothing short of death is ever
likely to remove it. In the study of martial arts, stu-
dents are inundated with superstition. They believe they
are studying self-defense when theyre merely getting a
different form of exercise. They learn that ground grap-
pling is the ideal way to end a fight. They learn that
flashy punches and lofty kicks will fell any opponent,
large or small, young or old. In Personal Defense Readi-
ness, Tony Blauer separates myth from reality, and does
so in a way that any combat athlete, martial artist or
average Joe can understand. This 60-page manual con-
tains nothing but wisdom on how to train for the actual
street attack. The training, mind you, is as much mental
conditioning as it is physical conditioning. Knowing what
to do is of no use if you panic, freeze and stop yourself
from doing what you supposedly know how to do.
Blauers 10 Commandments of Street Survival are right
on the money. First and foremost is, Thou Shalt Not Not
Train. How perfect. The notion purported by non-
sensical martial artists that all you need to do is watch
my video and youll know what to do is quickly refuted
in this commandment alone. Commandment number two,
Thou Shalt Not Defeat Thyself is important for anyone
to know, regardless of whether he is a martial artist or
not.
One of the most important things Blauer teaches is the
place that ground grappling plays in a street fight. Strik-
ing and throwing are great for self-defense, but rolling
around on the ground in not where you want to be if you
can help it. This is not to say that you should not study
ground grappling. I believe, as Tony does, that you
should. But in a street fight, if at all possible, do every-
thing you can to keep from going to the ground.
Police officers and those in related fields need to know
ground control tactics, but the average person who prac-
tices a grappling art that begins and ends on the knees
is crazy if he thinks that his practice is martial. It isnt.
No street fight or combat sport begins on the knees. If
youre practicing from your knees most or all of the time,
get back on your feet and do as Blauer suggests in his
manual. Sure, you may end up on the ground in a street
fight, but for your sake lets hope that the fight is one-
on-one and without knives, guns or improvised weap-
ons.
Real fights happen inside the space of a phone booth,
says Blauer, and hes right. What are you going to do
when someone gets that close to you? What are your
strategies? If you dont have any, Blauer has plenty of
ammunition for you there, too. And along with it, some
conditioning drills and routines that will prepare you for
the worst.
39
Although this is a good manual, due to the high number
of typos and lack of illustrations, I give Personal De-
fense Readiness three out of five stars. To obtain a copy
of this manual ($25), call 877-773-2748 (North American
orders) or 514-482-1643 (overseas orders). Visa &
MasterCard accepted. Or send a check or money order
(US funds add $5 shipping)to: Blauer Tactical, PO Box
278, Victoria Stn., Westmount, Quebec, Canada H3Z 2V5.
Combat Conditioning Combat Conditioning Combat Conditioning Combat Conditioning Combat Conditioning
by Matt Furey
Four exercises that will help you become a better grap-
pler are the penetration step drill, the reverse pushup,
the legs-over-head lift and the making-a-table pushup.
Implement these into your workouts and youll find your
body becoming stronger and more pliable.
Drill #1 - The Penetration Step
The penetration step drill helps condition your legs and
hips for leg dives. It also helps you develop your timing
and speed.
To do this exercise, begin in a staggered stance. Re-
member: The leg that leads is the first one to step for-
ward.
Now, step forward with your lead leg. While stepping
forward lower your elevation.
Let the knee of your lead leg touch the mat first, while
your rear leg lags behind a bit. Do not, however, drag
your rear leg or foot along the mat. Doing so would act
as a break and slow you down.
40
Now bring the rear leg all the way through until you are
back on your feet and ready to repeat the drill.
Do this exercise at least 25 times per side in the begin-
ning. Your legs and buttocks may be sore for a few days
if youre not used to this, but dont worry, this exercise
is well worth it.
Note: A more advanced method of doing this drill is to
NOT allow the knee of your lead foot to hit the mat. In
the beginning stages this is harder to learn correctly, but
for those who are more advanced in the art of the leg
dive, implement this advanced method. Doing so not
only helps save your knees from the impact, but the
technique is more street applicable. No one in his right
mind wants to dive for a leg and bang his knee on con-
crete.
Drill # 2- Reverse Pushups
When doing this exercise begin on your back with the
palms of your hands on the floor. Push your upper back
and neck off the floor. Drive your chest forward and let
your head hang.
Straighten your arms and hold for a count.
41
Now l ower yoursel f to the ori gi nal posi -
tion and repeat until exhaustion. Inhale at the top of the
movement, exhale at the bottom.
Drill # 3- Legs-Over-Head-Lifts
This exercise is great for strengthening the hips, lower
back and abdominals. It also is good for loosening the
spine as well as the muscles of the upper back and
neck.
Begin by lying on your back with your hands at your
sides and your legs straight.
Bring your chin to your chest, then raise your legs and
lift them as high as you can, concentrating on using your
lower abdominals. Raise the legs and push them over
your head until your toes touch the floor behind your
head. If you cannot go that far in the beginning, dont
worry. Coax your body and it will eventually become
easier for you. Do this exercise until exhaustion. Inhale
up, exhale down.
Drill # 4- Making-A-Table
This exercise is great for increasing strength in the up-
per body, back and hips. It also helps make your spine
more flexible.
Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs straight and
your hands palm down at your sides.
42
Push your body forward until the soles of your feet are
flat on the ground. At the same time arch your hips and
back and let your head fall backward. Try to make your
body into a table. Hold the position for a count or so at
the top position, then return to the original position. Do
as many repetitions of this exercise as you can. Inhale
up, exhale down.
Grappler Grappler Grappler Grappler Grapplers Mailbag s Mailbag s Mailbag s Mailbag s Mailbag
Matt,
I was really pleased to see the article on sumo included
in the last issue. I feel most people have no idea what
great athletes the rikishi really are, with exceptional ex-
plosive power, agility, balance, and flexibility. To me it
is more akin to what happens in the first second of a
street fight than many other things out there. I think it is
absolutely one of the greatest spectator sports, and in
addition I use some related exercises in my own train-
ing. Thanks for including this article and I vote a very
enthusiastic yes for more of the same.
Mike Rinaldi
New York
MF: Mike, Im happy you liked the article, too. When
sumo is on television, I am glued to the set. These men
truly are great athletes and a careful study of their exer-
cise methods and throwing tactics can greatly benefit
any grappler.
Hey Matt,
What a great web site. Thanks for your insight and wis-
dom. Much of what you have written has kept me working
on my wrestling. Im sure you get email giving you praise
often and I dont want to bore you with the same old
stuff, so again thanks.
I have a question about a book that I found. The title is
The Science of Wrestling and The Art of Jiu Jitsu by
Earle Liederman; the last copyright date is 1927. My
question is have you ever heard of him or this book? If
so I would value your opinion.
Sincerely,
Richard Wood
MF: Richard, I have the book in my library. Just so you
know, Earle Liederman was not a wrestler. He was a
bodybuilder and an excellent marketeer/businessman.
The man demonstrating most of the holds, Martin
Ludecke, was a wrestler, but the holds he shows leave
a lot to be desired. I wouldnt rank it highly, although I
am glad I have it. If you dont know how to wrestle, you
arent going to learn it from a book, especially this one.
The most important thing is to have a coach who teaches
you properly. Without that, youre lost.
Dear Mr. Furey
Just got a copy of the August issue of G.A.I.N. It was
one of my favorites. Keep up the great work. Hope you
had a safe trip moving from California to Florida. As I
told you a friend of mine ordered the Tony Cecchine
tapes. He and I were not impressed. The moves dont
really work and a lot of his stuff seems to come from the
showholds of Pro Wrestling. Have you seen these
tapes, and if so, what do you think of them?
Philip Ameris
Pennsylvania
MF: Philip, yes I have seen the tapes. I took them over
to Karl Gotchs house so that we could watch them to-
gether. As you know, at one time I thought Tony was
teaching real catch wrestling and real hooking. Not long
after meeting Tony, I had great doubts about him and
what he teaches, but there was no one I could turn to
who could give me a straight answer as no one I knew
claimed to have knowledge about catch wrestling. As
Ive told others, When you have an open playing field
the size of Texas (i.e. ignorance of legitimate hooking
techniques from catch wrestling) it makes room for any-
one to come along and stake his claim. And who are you
43
to refute him? Then I met Karl last April and thank God
for him. He is the only remaining source of knowledge
on legitimate hooking techniques from catch wrestling. I
have seen the others, and when their techniques are put
on the table beside Karls, there is no comparison. But,
if you havent had the opportunity to see and compare
for yourself, as I have, it is easy to be bamboozled and
buffaloed. Just because a hold hurts when it is placed
on a novice who willingly lies there and gives his body
to you, does not make the hold a legitimate hook. Many
show holds hurt when put on a willing opponent. The
question is: Can the hold be countered with ease and
can the hold be entered into in a realistic manner against
a worthy opponent? Therein lies much of the fault of
Cecchines tapes, but it doesnt stop there. All doubts
and suspicions about Tony were confirmed when I first
met Karl. Karl told me that Tony is not a legitimate or
credible source on catch wrestling or hooking. How
can he be? He has never competed or gone to the post
against top competition in any style of wrestling. How
can you be an authority on something you havent com-
peted in? Tony can barely demonstrate even the most
rudimentary takedown skills. When I watched him dem-
onstrating the penetration step drill once at a seminar,
he let his trail leg drag against the mat, which slows you
down. When I told him about this his response was,
Hey, my high school wrestling coach taught it to me
that way. I was coached by Gable and he was arguing
about what his high school coach had taught him. This
is a basic skills. Takedowns and throws are a major part
of catch wrestling, yet there is not one on the ten tapes
he put out. That ought to tell you something. In Frank
Gotch vs. George Hackenschmidt I, for example, both
men were on their feet for almost two hours. That was
catch wrestling in its prime. So how can it be nothing
but ground fighting now? When Karl and I watched the
first tape we couldnt take it. Tony is teaching you how
to control the man from the cross body position. He says
that you need to control the bottom mans center of gravity,
then points to the guys solar plexus and says This is
his center of gravity. Now that is a first! Any martial
artist or wrestler knows that a mans center of gravity is
in his navel region and below. When I mentioned this
Karl laughed and said, But youre forgetting one very
important point: Since when do you talk about gravity
when someone is already on the ground? Tape one alone
gave Karl a headache and so he said we had to take a
break and walk his dog. After walking the dog we re-
turned and tried a second tape, where Tony claimed you
cannot straighten your arm when he does his top wrist
lock. Karl shook his head in disgust. He then laid on the
ground and quickly showed me how he could still
straighten his arm. We fast forwarded through most of
the tapes because it seemed like it was 90% talk and
little demonstration. Early on Karl remarked, This guy
isnt a wrestler - hes a politician. All he does is talk,
talk, talk. Now I know why. Whenever he shows any-
thing its the shits. But he makes up for it by talking with
a deep voice, puffing up his chest, using fancy words
and terms that dont mean anything. This guys a hooker
alright, but hes the kind in high heels and silk stock-
ings. When we got to the next tape on leg locks, Karl
shook his head again and said, This guy is a fool. He
doesnt have anything. We got on the floor and I placed
the hold that Tony calls the stopper toe-hold on Karl.
Once I thought I had the hold secured, Karl kicked me
eight feet across the living room floor where I almost
crashed into his rocking chair. Not bad for a crippled
up old man, huh? he said. At this point Karl said, Turn
it off. This crap is making me sick to my stomach. This
guys best hold is the con. His scam is what he does
best. How can you teach what you dont know? The
value of a hold is not measured by how much force you
apply. Cecchine uses a lot of strength and force on each
of his holds because his leverage is wrong. When Karl
puts a hold on you, he barely applies more than a few
ounces of pressure, and youre screaming in pain. Thats
science. Look at how Cecchine does his standing neck
cranks and chokes; he twists and contorts his body to
supposedly increase the pressure. Yet, he is doing a lot
of work for nothing. This proves that his fulcrum is not
right. If a neck crank or choke is applied properly, the
leverage is so perfect, that there is never a need to throw
your hips into it. Also, and most importantly, Karl teaches
you a realistic and practical method of entering into each
hold and when it is applied, there is no escape route; all
limbs are controlled. With Cecchines holds, you always
have a free arm or leg to counter your opponent with. I
hope these comments help confirm what you were al-
ready figuring out on your own.
Dear Matt;
Ive had your Street Grappling tapes for a couple of weeks
now and have watched them repeatedly. The ultimate
message that comes through loud and clear is REALITY.
Many of the techniques Ive been exposed to previously
yet you still present them with twists and turns that make
them more street useful. Your constant accentuating of
the unpredictability of the street encounter is a clarion
call for all those who feel the need to go there; the pos-
sibility of the struggle being your last is a very real thing.
This is something that needed saying.
I realize that the tapes arent marketed as ground fight-
ing tapes per se, yet they are still quite forceful in that
area. I appreciate your willingness to refer to Vladimir
Vasilievs tapes and recommend some of his simple,
useful methods.
Your partner was a very willing and able uke. Choosing
someone of his size and showing that these techniques
can be used to fell the proverbial oak (as long as youre
in decent shape, practice, and utilize the technique prop-
44
erly) go a long way to prove their authenticity.
All in all Id say this was another fine effort on your be-
half; one that everyone even the least bit interested in
self-defense should have. Keep cranking em out, buddy.
We need your expertise.
Phil Buechner
California
MF: Thanks Phil. Im glad you liked the tapes and found
them to be valuable.
Hi Matt,
I hope your move went well and that your new venture
will be successful. The drills videos arrived this morn-
ing along with the latest issue of G.A.I.N.. which Ive
already skimmed through. As usual, its up to standard.
I dont really have the knowledge, skills or experience to
evaluate all the claims and counter-claims that people
make, though Im getting an idea through your own pro-
ductions. Of course I have no real basis for judging
those either, but lets just say that you seem honest
enough and pretty fair in your judgements. Plus I enjoy
the caustic bits as well - quite unlike a lot of the petty,
putting-down that Ive seen elsewhere.
I have a couple of queries which dont need immediate
(or necessarily any) answers.
1 - Have you ever had any interaction with Erle Montaigue
(ex-pro wrestler who now teaches taiji)? Ultimate Dim-
Mak: How To Fight a Grappler & Win Paladin.
2 - Have you come across the various forms of Sambo/
CombatSambo/Russian Native System of Self-Defense
(ROSS)/Russian Martial Art/Spetznaz that seem to be
doing the rounds at present? Do you have any knowl-
edge of whether any of them have any substance? This
might seem a silly question for someone who hasnt even
got the basics - I think I told you previously that I had
decided to concentrate on strength training with Olym-
pic lifting due to work/time constraints. But I think there
is some light at the end of the tunnel now and I want to
start looking for somewhere with decent coaching. I
wont have time for more than one discipline, but Id like
it to be a relatively effective and efficient one in the event
that I need it outside of the gym. As for the website
http://www.russianmartialart.com/ - I spoke to a guy
who teaches this in England and he denied that what
he taught is sambo, despite lots of reference to sambo
on the website. He said that while he knew nothing about
the amerross system, his style was totally different. He
alleged that a friend who signed up to the other group,
simply got lots of info about sambo tournaments. Let
me know what you think.
Trevor Maze
England
MF: Trevor, as for Erle Montaigue I have never had any
interaction with him so I cannot judge his materials. As
for the the Russi an Marti al Art websi te,
www.russianmartialart.com, I have had contact with the
man behind the art, Vladimir Vasiliev. In a future issue of
G.A.I.N.. I will be doing a major feature on him as I be-
lieve he is teaching some good things. I took Vladimirs
ground fighting tapes to Karl Gotchs house one day and
asked him to take a look and render an opinion. Karl
liked what he saw and said Vladimir is good. As you
know, if Karl says someone is good, you can take that
to the bank. If he says someone is no good, his advice
will save you time, money and aggravation, and in most
cases a lot of each. As for your suspicions about sambo
being part of the Russian Martial Art, I will say that what
Vladimir is teaching is NOT sambo. Certainly, there may
be some elements that overlap, but you can say that
about anything. I wholeheartedly recommend the tapes
and books put out by Vladimir. To order any of his prod-
ucts call 1-905-886-0483.
Referrals - If you know someone whom you think
would like to subscribe to G.A.I.N., please help us spread
the word. Send his name and address to us and well
mail him subscription information.
Questions and Comments - If you have any
questions or comments you would like to see featured
in future issues of G.A.I.N., please send them to me via
email at mattfurey@aol.com or by snail mail to Matt
Furey, 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511, Tampa, Florida
33647.
Articles - If you would like to write an article and
have it published in G.A.I.N.please send a query letter.
Allow two weeks for an answer.
MATT FUREY
Tampa, FL 33647
EMAIL: MattFurey@aol.com
WEBSITE: WWW.COMBATWRESTLING.COM
45
1. World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion Steve Maxwell is a great all-around guy who writes for G.A.I.N.. each month
and teaches the best of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and conditioning out of Maxercise in Philadelphia, Pennsylva-
nia. For more information visit his website at www.maxercise.com or call (215) 928-1374. Also, send an email to
dcmaxercis@aol.com.
2. Olympic and World Freestyle Wrestling Champion Mark Schultz has a grappling school at the Midvale Athletic
Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can reach him at http://www.markschultz.com. or by email, schultz@redrock.net.
3. Jason Crawford is a senior scientist with AnorMed, Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a brown belt in
jiu-jitsu and is a level one catch wrestling instructor. His club meets twice per week and they are a great bunch of
guys, on and off the mat. If you are in the area and would like to train with Jason, he can be contacted by phone at
(604) 530-1057, or by email at JCrawford@AnorMED.com.
4. Dr. Brett Jacques is an expert in the art of sambo and has produced a three-volume set of videotapes entitled
Street Sambo. The complete set is available for $69.95 plus $5 S&H, and can be ordered by sending a check or
money order to Dr. Brett Jacques, 2433 SW Idaho St., Portland, OR, 97201 or by calling (503) 246-5059. Visa and MC
accepted. Also, if you are interested in training with Brett at his school in Portland, give him a call and let him know.
5. The following books are available through my office: Frank Gotch: Worlds Greatest Wrestler, by Mike Chapman
($20 plus $5 S&H); Farmer Burns 1914 Mail order Course, Lessons In Wrestling and Physical Culture ($50 plus $5
S&H); and The Way To Live by George Hackenschmidt ($20 plus $5 S&H). If ordering more than one book, simply add
$1 S&H for each additional book.
6. To subscribe to W.I.N. (Wrestling Institute Newsmagazine) call (515) 792-4436. I have a montly column in this
magazine, as does the founder, Mike Chapman.
7. The website for the International Wrestling Institute and Museum, also founded by wrestling author Mike
Chapman, is www.wrestlingmuseum.org.
8. For the best mixed martial arts news on the Internet, log onto www.adcombat.com each day. The site covers
everything from UFC to Pride to submission grappling events around the world.
9. For the highest quality wrestling mats in the country, contact Bernie Stroh at Quality Mat Company in Waterloo,
Iowa, by calling 319-233-0833.
10. Those who are interested in strength training the old-fashioned way, with barbells, dumbbells, barrels, sand-
bags and the like should log onto Brooks Kubiks website, www.dinosaurtraining.com. His books, videos and
newsletter are first-rate.
11. For more information on the oldest style of kung fu, shuai-chiao, a grappling art used on the battlefields as well
as in competition, go to www.shuai-chiao.org.
12. Have you seen the movie Conspiracy Theory with Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson? Well, guess where the Holly-
wood big whigs got the idea. Go to Jim Martins website, www.flatlandbooks.com and find out more.
13. Philip Ameris is one of those open-minded instructors that we dont have enough of in the martial arts world. A
sixth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a student of grappling for the past nine years, Philip runs a great school
in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Visit Philips website, www.taekwondo-ameris.com.
14. The best eye glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses you can find are available from Dr. Katz. Go to his
website, www.drkatzeyewear.com and get what youre looking for.
Direc Direc Direc Direc Director tor tor tor tory of R y of R y of R y of R y of Resources esources esources esources esources
46
Matt Fureys Combat Wrestling Association ................................................................................................ only $75.00 annual fee
Matt Furey Books:
______ The Martial Art of Wrestling ......................................................................................................................... $20.00
______ How To Flatten Your Stomach At Any Age (comes with video) ..................................................................... $39.97
______ How To Achieve What You Want Without Positive Thinking .......................................................................... $24.97
Grappling Newsmagazine:
______ G.A.I.N. (Grappling Arts International Newsmagazine) - Monthly newsletter that covers training, techniques and
tournament coverage of all grappling arts. Only $50 for a one-year domestic subscription (6-issues) or $70 for
international subscriptions.
Matt Furey Special Reports:
______ The Will To Win The Mental Part of Achieving Goals ................................................................................. $20.00
______ How To Cut Weight For Wrestling Without Losing Strength .......................................................................... $29.95
Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling Submission Videos:
______ How To Hook A Heavyweight Without Flopping To The Guard - by Matt Furey ............................................ $49.00
______ Catch Wrestling Finishing Holds Volume One Neck Cranks by Matt Furey ......................................... $49.00
Collegiate or Freestyle Wrestling Videos:
______ The Lost Art of Pinning by Matt Furey ........................................................................................................... $49.00
______ The Lost Art of Countering Pin Holds by Matt Furey...................................................................................... $49.00
______ Both Videos (The Lost Art of Pinning and The Lost Art of Countering Pin Holds) ............................................ $95.00
______ How To Use Your Feet To Score Take-downs by Matt Furey............................................................................ $49.00
Martial Art of Wrestling Videos (great for all styles of wrestling and martial arts):
______ Investment A - Best Investment: Order The Martial Art of Wrestling book and all 5 videotapes ..... $197 (savings of
$83)
______ Investment B - The Martial Art of Wrestling book and tapes 1,2,3.................................................................... $127
______ Investment C - The Martial Art of Wrestling book and tapes 4, 5 ...................................................................... $97
Method of payment: Method of payment: Method of payment: Method of payment: Method of payment:
Card Number:
Visa MasterCard Amex
Check /
Money Order Signature: ______________________________________
Expiration Date
Billing address: Billing address: Billing address: Billing address: Billing address:
Name: _______________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
City: __________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________
Country: _____________________________________________
Telephone: (In case we have a question about your order.)
Daytime: ( __________) _______________________________
Ship to (if different from billing address): Ship to (if different from billing address): Ship to (if different from billing address): Ship to (if different from billing address): Ship to (if different from billing address):
Name: _______________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
City: __________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________
Country: _____________________________________________
Email: _______________________________________________
Evening: ( ___________) _______________________________
Matt Furey Matt Furey
Matt Furey Matt Furey Matt Furey
Tampa, FL 33647
To get your order processed
immediately call:
(813) 994-8267
with your credit card information.
47
Or order each tape individually as follows:
______ Tape One: Take Control of Every Tie-up by Matt Furey ................................................................................. $49.00
______ Tape Two: Score Easy Take-downs With Secret Setups by Matt Furey ........................................................... $49.00
______ Tape Three: Crank Your Opponent Over and Pin Him! by Matt Furey ............................................................ $49.00
______ Tape Four: How Wrestlers Take A Fight To The Ground by Matt Furey ........................................................... $49.00
______ Tape Five: How Wrestlers Control A Fight On The Ground by Matt Furey..................................................... $49.00
Strength and Physical Conditioning Videos by Matt Furey:
______ Combat Training - The Road to China ............................................................................................................ $49.00
______ Combat Training II 25 Ultimate Exercises for Grapplers ............................................................................. $59.00
______ Dinosaur Strength Training for Combat Athletes Seminar .............................................................................. $39.00
Chinese and Mongolian Grappling Videos:
______ Mongolian Grappling Secrets Revealed by Matt Furey - Two Videos ............................................................ $99.00
______ Shuai-chiao Take-down Tactics for Grapplers by Matt Furey ......................................................................... $49.00
Other Products Recommended by Matt Furey:
______ Farmer Burns 1914 Mail Order Course Lessons In Wrestling and Physical Culture .................................. $50.00
______ Muscle Control by Maxick............................................................................................................................ $18.00
______ The Way To Live by George Hackenschmidt ................................................................................................ $20.00
______ Frank Gotch, Worlds Greatest Wrestler, by Mike Chapman ......................................................................... $20.00
______ The Development of Physical Power by Arthur Saxon ................................................................................... $15.00
______ The Textbook of Weight-Lifting by Arthur Saxon ........................................................................................... $20.00
______ Molding A Mighty Grip by George F. Jowett ................................................................................................ $10.00
______ How To Develop A Powerful Grip by Edward Aston ..................................................................................... $10.00
______ Developing The Grip and Forearm by Thomas Inch ...................................................................................... $10.00
Dinosaur Training Products from Brooks D. Kubik:
______ Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength & Development .......................................................................... $19.95
______ The Dinosaur Files Monthly newsletter on strength training ...... $50.00 (and get the Dinosaur Training book free)
______ One Year of Back Issues to The Dinosaur Files .............................................................................................. $50.00
______ Video: Dinosaur Training Volume One The Lost Art of Dumbbell Trainining ............................................ $39.95
______ Video: Dinosaur Training Volume Two Bags, Barrels and Beyond ............................................................ $49.95
T-shirts and Apparel:
______ Combat Wrestling T-shirts ............................................................................................................................. $20.00
**Note: For first product enclose $5 S&H and $1 for each additional item.
Canada and International orders, please send $7 S&H for first item and $1 for each additional item.
Pacific Rim orders have a $30 minimum for S&H. Other countries, please call or send an email for S&H quote.
Subtotal _______________
Shipping & Handling Charges _______________
Orders from Florida, add FL sales tax _______________
Total Payment _______________
Thank you for your order.
Please be sure all information is completed and payment is enclosed.
Mail Order to: Matt Furey, 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511; Tampa, FL 33647
48
How to articles in regard to nutrition, strength
training, conditioning, injury rehabilitation and
mental focus.
How to articles on the art of throwing, take-
downs and submissions.
Interviews and articles about top grapplers in
mixed martial arts competitions, including but
not limited to UFC, Pride, Pancrase and the
USWF.
Results from different grappling tournaments
around the world, including but not limited to
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Sambo, Submission
Wrestling, Shuai-chiao, Sumo, Freestyle,
Collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Questions and answers related to grappling or
to training problems that you are having.
Annual Subscription (6 issues)
$50.00 US & CANADA -OR- $70.00 INTERNATIONAL
Method of payment: Method of payment: Method of payment: Method of payment: Method of payment:
Visa MasterCard Amex
Check /Money Order
Signature: ____________________________________________
Card Number:
Expiration Date:
Ship to: Ship to: Ship to: Ship to: Ship to:
Name: _______________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
City: __________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________
Country: _____________________________________________
Email: _______________________________________________
Phone: ( ____________) _______________________________
TO ORDER CALL: (813) 994-8267 with your credit card information.
Make Check/Money Order Payable to: Matt Furey, 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511; Tampa, FL 33647
www.combatwrestling.com
And that is exactly why I have started a newsmagazine called
G.A.I.N. (Grappling Arts International Newsmagazine).
Month after month, it will be the best source of grappling
information you can find. With no further fanfare, this is
what you can expect in this newsmagazine:
24 pages of hard-hitting information per month
Historical articles on the 54 different styles of
grappling around the world.
Historical articles about the greatest grapplers
in the world, from the past and the present.
F F F F Finally inally inally inally inally, The Best Grappling Information A , The Best Grappling Information A , The Best Grappling Information A , The Best Grappling Information A , The Best Grappling Information Av vv vvailable, ailable, ailable, ailable, ailable,
Deliv Deliv Deliv Deliv Deliver er er er ered Right T ed Right T ed Right T ed Right T ed Right To Y o Y o Y o Y o Your Door our Door our Door our Door our Door, Month after Month! , Month after Month! , Month after Month! , Month after Month! , Month after Month!
Dear Friend,
Month after month the martial arts magazines give us bits and pieces of grappling information; small glimpses into the
world of grappling combat. But that isnt good enough for most of us. Many of us want a BIG LOOK BIG LOOK BIG LOOK BIG LOOK BIG LOOK into the grappling
world and we want it each month. Well, Im prepared to give it to you.

08GAIN SepOct99

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

08GAIN SepOct99

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

www.combatwrestling.

com September/October 1999

Matt Furey 1999 All Rights Reserved

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen