This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

Hawaiian State Grappling Championships.

Grappling refers to techniques, maneuvers, and counters applied to an opponent (sometimes making use of the clothing of either person) in order to gain a physical advantage or to escape a dangerous position. Grappling is a general term that encompasses several disciplines or styles practiced throughout the world. Grappling is practiced as a sport and as a form of self defense, but does not include striking or the use of weapons. Some grappling disciplines, however, do teach defensive tactics against strikes and weapons.

[edit] Types of Technique

Grappling techniques can be broadly subdivided into Clinch fighting; Takedowns and Throws; Submission holds and Pinning or Controlling Techniques; and Reversals or Sweeps, Turnovers, and Escapes.

• Clinching, or clinch work, takes place with both competitors on their feet using various clinch holds applied to the upper body of the opponent. Clinch work is generally used to set up or defend against throws or takedowns.
• Takedowns A takedown occurs when one grappler is able to manipulate his opponent from a position where both grapplers are initially standing, to a position on the ground where the grappler completing the takedown ends up on top of the opponent.
• Throws A throw is a technique in which one grappler lifts or off-balances his opponent and manoeuvres him forcefully through the air or to the ground. The purpose of throws varies among the different disciplines of grappling with some emphasizing throws with the potential to incapacitate the opponent while leaving the thrower standing or to gain a takedown or controlling position. Other grappling styles emphasize throws for their aesthetic value.
• Submission holds There are generally two types of submission holds: those that would potentially strangle or suffocate an opponent (chokes), and those that would potentially cause injury to a joint or other body part (locks). In sport grappling, a competitor is expected to submit, either verbally or by tapping the opponent, to admit defeat when he is caught in a submission hold that he cannot escape. Competitors who refuse to "tap out" risk unconsciousness or serious injury.
• Pinning or Controlling Techniques: A pin involves holding an opponent on his back in a position where he is unable to attack. In some styles of competitive grappling a pin is an instant victory, and in other styles it is considered a dominant position that is rewarded with points. Other controlling techniques are used to hold an opponent face down on the ground or on all fours in order to prevent an escape or attack.
• Escapes: In a general sense, an escape is accomplished by maneuvering out of danger from an inferior position. For example when a grappler who is on the ground underneath his opponent is able to get back to his feet, when a grappler is able to maneuver out of a submission attempt and back to a position where he is no longer in immediate danger of being submitted, or when a grappler moves from an inferior position on the ground to guard.
• Turnovers: used to manoeuvre an opponent who is on all fours or flat on their stomach to their back, in order to score points, prepare for a pin or in order to gain a more dominant position.
• Reversals or Sweeps: These occurs when a grappler who was underneath his opponent on the ground is able to manoeuvre so that he gains a top position over his opponent.

[edit] Use

The degree to which grappling is utilized in different fighting systems varies. Some systems, such as amateur wrestling, submission wrestling, judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu are exclusively grappling arts and do not allow striking. Many combat sports, such as shooto and mixed martial arts competitions emphasize grappling while retaining striking as part of the sport.^[1]

Two wrestlers engaging.

Grappling is not allowed in all martial arts and combat sports; usually for the sake of focusing on other aspects of combat such as punching, kicking or mêlée weapons. Opponents in these types of matches, however, still grapple with each other occasionally when fatigued or in pain; when this occurs, the referee will step in and restart the match, sometimes giving a warning to one or both of the fighters. Examples of these include boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, karate, and fencing. While prolonged grappling in muay Thai will result in a separation of the competitors, the art extensively uses the clinch hold known as a double collar tie.

Grappling techniques and defenses to grappling techniques are also considered important in self-defense applications and in law enforcement. The most common grappling techniques taught for self defense are escapes from holds and application of pain compliance techniques.

Grappling can be trained for self defense, sport, and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition.

[edit] Stand-up grappling

Stand-up grappling or sometimes clinching, is arguably an integral part of all grappling and clinch fighting arts, considering that two combatants generally start fighting from a stand-up position. The aim of stand-up grappling varies according to the martial arts or combat sports in question. Defensive stand-up grappling concerns itself with pain-compliance holds and escapes from possible grappling holds applied by an opponent, while offensive grappling techniques include submission holds, takedowns and throws, all of which can be used to inflict serious damage, or to move the fight to the ground. Stand-up grappling can also be used both offensively and defensively in combination with striking, either to prevent the opponent from obtaining sufficient distance to strike effectively, or to bring the opponent close to apply, for instance, knee strikes such as in Muay Thai.

In combat sports, stand-up grappling usually revolves around successful takedowns and throws. In some sports such as glima, the fight is over once one of the opponents has fallen down, in others such as judo, going to the ground marks the beginning of a separate phase called ne-waza.

In judo, the aim of ne-waza is to obtain a chokehold, joint lock or to pin the opponent.

[edit] Ground grappling

Ground grappling refers to all the grappling techniques that are applied while the grapplers are no longer in a standing position. A large part of most martial arts and combat sports which feature ground grappling is positioning and obtaining a dominant position. A dominant position (usually on top) allows the dominant grappler a variety of options, including: attempting to escape by standing up, obtaining a pin or hold-down to control and exhaust the opponent, executing a submission hold, or striking the opponent. The bottom grappler is, on the other hand, concerned with escaping the situation and improving his position, typically by using a sweep or reversal. In some disciplines, especially those where the guard is used, the bottom grappler may also be able to finish the fight from the bottom by a submission hold.

[edit] Applications

When unskilled fighters get embroiled in combat, a common reaction is to grab the opponent in an attempt to slow the situation down by holding them still, resulting in an unsystematic struggle that relies on brute force. A skilled fighter, in contrast, can perform takedowns as a way of progressing to a superior position such as a mount or side control, or using clinch holds and ground positions to set up strikes, choke holds, and joint locks. A grappler who has been taken down to the ground can use defensive positions such as the guard, which protects against being mounted or attacked. If a grappler is strong and can utilize leverage well, a takedown or throw itself can be a form of attack; the impact can render an opponent unconscious. On the other hand, grappling also offers the possibility of controlling an opponent without injuring them. For this reason, most police staff receive some training in grappling.^{[citation needed]} Likewise, grappling sports have been devised so that their participants can compete using full physical effort without injuring their opponents.

Grappling is called dumog in Eskrima. The term chin na in Chinese martial arts deals with the use of grappling to achieve submission or incapacitation of the opponent (these may involve the use of acupressure points). Some Chinese martial arts, aikido and some eskrima systems—as well as medieval and Renaissance European martial arts—practice grappling while one or both participants is armed. This practice is significantly more dangerous than unarmed grappling and generally requires a great deal of training.

[edit] Types of grappling

There are many different regional styles of grappling around the world that are practised within a limited geographic area or country. Other grappling styles like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Judo, luta livre esportiva, Sambo and several types of wrestling including Freestyle, Greco-Roman have gained global popularity. Judo, Freestyle Wrestling, and Greco-Roman Wrestling are Olympic Sports while Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Sambo have their own World Championship Competitions. Other known grappling-oriented systems are luta livre esportiva, shuai jiao, malla-yuddha, aikido, hapkido, and catch wrestling.

In these arts, the object is either to take down and pin the opponent, or to catch the adversary in a specialized chokehold or joint lock which forces him or her to submit and admit defeat or be rendered helpless (unconscious or broken limbs). There are two forms of dress for grappling that dictate pace and style of action: with a gi (training uniform devised for Judo instruction originating in Japan^[2]) and without. The gi form utilizes grips on the gi to control the opponent's body, while the "no-gi" form emphasizes body control of the torso and head. The use of the gi is compulsory in judo competition, sambo competition, and most Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. The gi is generally not used in wrestling.

Grappling techniqes are also used in mixed martial arts along with striking techniques, including using strikes to set-up grappling techniques & vice-versa whilst the Dog Brothers combine grappling with the use of weapons.

[edit] FILA

As defined by FILA, "grappling" is a wrestling style also called "submission wrestling" or "submission grappling" which consists of controlling the opponent without using striking, in standing position or on the ground after a throw.^[3]

[edit] See also

• Submission wrestling
• Clinch fighting
• Combatives
• Grappling hold
• Grappling position
• Ground fighting

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles Grappling Committee