Exploring the ancient Western martial art of catch-as-catch-can grappling, this definitive book covers the history, players, and strategies of the sport. Rich in history and full of painfully brutal techniques, catch-as-catch-can, or catch wrestling for short, is the great-grandfather of today’s mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, freestyle wrestling, and many reality-based self-defense systems. Say Uncle! includes explanations of the methods of catch-as-catch and is accompanied by clear illustrations that show how to use them most effectively, and the background of this unique sport is traced through America, Japan, England, and Ireland. Full of exclusive interviews with legends such as Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson, and Josh Barnett, this guide brings together all aspects of this little-known sport that is the root of modern MMA and professional wrestling.

Jake Shannon's profile page

Jake Shannon is the founder of www.ScientificWrestling.com and the inventor of the Macebell. He is the author of The Authoritative Encyclopedia of Scientific Wrestling; The Classical Pugilism & Bare-Knuckle Boxing Companion, Volume 1; and The Sport of Catch Wrestling. He lives in Salt Lake City.

"A tremendous, spectacular text filled with fascinating material! Strangler Lewis, Earl Liederman, the notes on gouging . . . I'm only 1/3 of the way, I've found interesting thoughts and memorabilia on each page! Thanks for this treasure & congratulations!"  “Dick Cardinal, former carnival wrestler and Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling legend

"The Sport of Catch Wrestling is a unique combination of historical information, a pictorial of authentic catch wrestling techniques, and a practical workbook. Jake is to be commended for his efforts to both preseve and spread catch-as-catch-can wrestling."  “Mark S. Hewitt, author of Catch Wrestling: A Wild and Wooly Look at the Early Days of Pro Wrestling in America

"This is a very nice and impressive book, and, as the author of 16 books myself, I know how much work goes into such a project. The book will be placed in our library here at the museum, so that others can have access to it."  “Mike Chapman, Executive Director of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum