What is combat wrestling? | Evolve every day
7 mins read

What is combat wrestling? | Evolve every day


Wrestling is the oldest martial art form in the world. As we move forward into the modern era, innovation in wrestling has allowed it to be played with different styles and rules, bringing all wrestling disciplines together. Add registrations to the mix and we have a new competition called combat wrestling, coming from Japan. Let’s take a more in-depth look below.

Definition of combat wrestling

Slug wrestling is the Japanese version of submission wrestling. It is a fighting discipline that mainly revolves around fighting with submissions and no strikes. Using the wrestling and grappling point system with modifications, you also win via pins (points for pins and not as a way to instantly end a match like in wrestling), submissions, technical superiority (12 point advantage) or whoever has the advantage highest number of points at the end of the match.

The history of wrestling

This submission grappling style was created by Kiguchi Noriako, a grappling expert and Greco-Roman wrestler, in the 1970s after he opened his own martial arts gym called Kiguchi Dojo. After much trial and error, Kiguchi’s focus and experimentation led to the creation of a safe and well-balanced submission grappling style based on Sambo and Olympic Wrestling. Kiguchi’s dojo has produced many successful Japanese wrestlers, grapplers, and MMA fighters, such as Myu and Seiko Yamamoto, Rumina Sato, Gomi Takanori, Yamamoto Norifumi, and Genki Sudo.

In 1986, Kiguchi began teaching his grappling system at Super Tiger Gym, a martial arts school founded by Satoru Sayama and the revolutionary fighting system widely known as Shooto. He then began teaching Shooto at his dojo, which eventually expanded to become the Total Unarmed Wrestling Academy. Kiguchi taught with his training principles, integrating his techniques from wrestling and produced Shooto champions such as superstar Hayato Sakurai, Naoki Sakurada and Japanese legend Noboru Asahi.

As Japan is known as the home of passionate fight fans, Combat Wrestling held its first annual tournament in 1993 under the National Amateur Combat Wrestling Association which took place in Tokyo and was broadcast on major Japanese television channels, very appreciated by the public and fight fans. its spectators. Thanks to its exciting rules, wrestling quickly became a flagship wrestling event in Japan. Unfortunately, the martial arts audience in Japan lost its appeal after the fall of the Pride Fighting Championship.

Over the years, the rules of wrestling have undergone some changes, attracting many practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In 2015, Kiguchi formed the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FCIW) together with notable figures such as Masa Yoshizawa (SK Absolute Japan), Kamen Georgiev (Sambo National Team Bulgaria) and others.

In the same year, the first World Combat Wrestling Championships was held in Varna, Bulgaria, attracting numerous high-level competitors from different parts of the world, allowing them to organize annual international events starting in 2019.

The set of rules of wrestling combat

The International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW) ensures the sportsmanship and safety of its practitioners and competitors, making it one of the safest wrestling martial arts in which to compete. Below are some of the latest rules updates from the head of the referee committee.

Winning criteria and general rules

How to win: The sparring match can be won via submissions or points.

Points system

1 point:

  • A takedown lands the opponent on their buttocks with their upper body in a vertical position. counts as one point. Additionally, obtaining the back mount and full mount is worth 1 point and can only be obtained once during the game for each position.
  • The opponent turns onto his stomach before landing.
  • Hold your opponent for 10-19 seconds.
  • Secure back or full mount (score only once per game for each position).

2 points:

  • A takedown lands the opponent on the side of the body.

3 points:

  • Hold your opponent for 20-29 seconds.

4 points:

  • A takedown causes the opponent to land on their back, or be lifted above waist height and thrown or knocked down.
  • Hold the opponent for 30 seconds (after which the contestants are brought back to a standing position).

Blocking policies

To be considered a stud:

  • The best competitor must have both feet free from any entanglement.
    (Example: Side control counts; pinning from the inside of a closed guard does not.)

Not considered a pin:

  • The shoulder line of the player below is tilted more than 90 degrees.
    The bottom player’s legs are wrapped around the top player’s body.

Technical superiority

  • A lead of 12 points translates into a victory by technical superiority.
  • The contestant with the most points at the end of five minutes wins the game.

Submission rules

  • Submissions can only be applied once a competitor is on the ground (any part of their body other than their feet touches the mat).
  • A defending competitor can escape the submission by lifting the opponent off the ground.
  • If the attacker is completely raised, the referee will call a pause to avoid slamming or stomping, and the athletes will return to their feet.
  • Techniques such as heel hooks, the use of head scissors, can openers or other spinal locks are prohibited.

Ground activities:

  • Competitors have 30 seconds to improve their position or attempt a submission. If no progress is made, they are restored to their feet.

Passivity

  • As in wrestling or grappling, passivity is discouraged. Warnings are provided to competitors to encourage action.

Prohibited actions

  • Knock an opponent to the mat.
  • Dropping an opponent on the head.
  • File informal complaints with the arbitrator.
  • Ignore the referee’s instructions.

Combat clothing
Combat clothing is flexible but must follow these guidelines:

  • Footwear: Wrestling or sambo shoes are required.
  • Shorts: Red or blue grappling shorts.
  • Rashguard: A matching color (red or blue) or a neutral tone.

Conclusion

If you are a submission fighter, consider exploring grapple fighting, as it will help you develop a more aggressive and relentless game (due to limited ground activity time) built around attacks working from the top position. Play with the rules of wrestling in training and see how they impact your game, building an arsenal geared towards takedowns, top-down dominance and submission.

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Evolve Mixed Martial ArtsĀ® is Asia’s leading martial arts championship brand. It has authentic world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and No-Gi Grappling. Named the #1 martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN StarSports, Tokyo Times and many other leading authorities, Evolve MMA aims to provide the best martial arts instruction available anywhere on the planet.





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