Pro Wrestling training

[Alexatron]

Anyone here had a go at pro wrestling? I've always enjoyed watching it though I can't explain why to the satisfaction of non fans since I can see the truth in much of the criticism generally aimed at it by non fans. My martial arts background has also given me a respect for the moves these guys and girls pull off. To make a move look like it should be killing the opponent without seriously injuring them takes a fair amount of skill. Then of course there are their acting skills (some better than others for sure). Anyway today I attended a 5 hour pro wrestling workshop. OMFG! I never actually expected to be doing some of the moves we did and have to admit some of it was downright scary. Trust is a huge thing (something I'm not always great at) since you have to willingly allow yourself to be maneuvered through some really vulnerable and dangerous positions where your safety is reliant on your opponents skill. Also had to unlearn some moves that come naturally when throwing since a lot of the throws are driven by the person being thrown (as opposed to Jiu Jitsu where it is all about controlling your opponents trajectory and demise). I thought JJ would give me an edge but it didn't except in break falls. By contrast I believe IMA (particularly Bagua) training really helped with some of the dynamics around moving the opponent and moving myself which I found interesting.

Would love to hear from anyone else that has given this a go and whether they found previous MA training a help or hindrance.

Got a feeling I'm going to be a tad sore and stiff tomorrow but well worth it for a fun day.

[chud]

Historically many pro wrestlers have trained in Catch Wrestling.

If you watch the documentary about Brett "the Hitman" Hart titled "Wrestling With Shadows" there is a segment where they talk about his father Stu Hart who was an accomplished catch wrestler who used to roll with other wrestlers in his basement "Dungeon" and twist them into pretzels while they screamed in pain (as a child Brett and his brothers would listen to the wails coming up from the basement). As I recall Stu would not release them right away when they tapped, telling them to toughen up and learn to deal with the pain. There is a scene in the documentary where an elderly Stu Hart grapples with a much bigger and younger wrestler who he quickly submits and the young guy starts moaning in pain.

Some great MMA fighters who are Catch Wrestlers are Josh Barnett and Kazushi "the Gracie Killer" Sakuraba (my fave MMA fighter of all time), who both trained under legendary Catch Wrestler Billy Robinson (we've discussed that in other threads).

There is also an interesting episode of the Hiyaa Podcast where they interview a Catch Wrestler; he shares a lot of the history of the art. Back in the early days Catch Wrestlers used to work in carnivals and would take challenge matches from locals. They started using trained partners and "working" matches to make them longer and more entertaining for the crowd (seeing a challenger quickly defeated is not as fun to watch).

[Alexatron]

Historically many pro wrestlers have trained in Catch Wrestling.

If you watch the documentary about Brett "the Hitman" Hart titled "Wrestling With Shadows" there is a segment where they talk about his father Stu Hart who was an accomplished catch wrestler who used to roll with other wrestlers in his basement "Dungeon" and twist them into pretzels while they screamed in pain (as a child Brett and his brothers would listen to the wails coming up from the basement). As I recall Stu would not release them right away when they tapped, telling them to toughen up and learn to deal with the pain. There is a scene in the documentary where an elderly Stu Hart grapples with a much bigger and younger wrestler who he quickly submits and the young guy starts moaning in pain.

Some great MMA fighters who are Catch Wrestlers are Josh Barnett and Kazushi "the Gracie Killer" Sakuraba (my fave MMA fighter of all time), who both trained under legendary Catch Wrestler Billy Robinson (we've discussed that in other threads).

There is also an interesting episode of the Hiyaa Podcast where they interview a Catch Wrestler; he shares a lot of the history of the art. Back in the early days Catch Wrestlers used to work in carnivals and would take challenge matches from locals. They started using trained partners and "working" matches to make them longer and more entertaining for the crowd (seeing a challenger quickly defeated is not as fun to watch).

Thanks for the interesting links and info.