By Jon Strickland

A proper CACC match back in the day between two equally skilled, sized guys is going to be a more micro match than today's amateur styles. Let me back up, parts of that match will be very micro and to today's collegiate guys, its going to look a lot more like stalling.

The two combatants will determine the match overall than a ref or rule book. It's more of a grappling on the mat in tight spaces match than on the feet. If a man locks hands on bottom its going to be up to the other wrestler to change this if he doesn't like it. The takedown was only important back then if it lead to submission or pin. In fact it's very unlikely the match will be won on the feet. Rather it's going to look more like Jiu Jitsu on the mat than the limited very limited mat wrestling we see today.

Techniques were developed for the early moments but also, if not more, the long game match. Meaning some moves will work better later in a match where the athletes are not near as...

By Google Bard AI

Catch wrestling is an exciting sport for several reasons, including:

 

1. Dynamic and unpredictable nature: Catch wrestling is a very dynamic and unpredictable sport, as there are a wide variety of submissions and pins that can be used to win a match. This means that there is always the potential for a sudden and dramatic finish, which keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
   
    
2. Combination of pins and submissions: Pins and submissions are both fundamental parts of catch wrestling, and they each add a different kind of excitement to the sport. Pins create a sense of urgency and explosiveness, while submissions provide a more technical and strategic element. The combination of these two win conditions makes catch wrestling a very well-rounded and exciting sport.
   
    
3. Open and adaptable nature: Catch wrestling is an open and adaptable sport, which means that there is no one single "correct" way to wrestle. This allows wrestlers to be creative and develop...

 Photo: Waino Ketonen

By Mark S. Hewitt

In the late summer of 1911, Waino Ketonen invaded England to challenge the Lancashire wrestlers and further solidify his claim to the welterweight crown. Ketonen was accompanied by Tom Duchesne and their manager Edward Levasseur. Ketonen, though originally from Finland, and Duchesne were leading exponents of the rough-and-ready North American-style professional catch-as-catch-can wrestling. They were bringing their grappling skills to the cradle of catch wrestling-Lancashire County in North West England. On behalf of Ketonen, Levasseur issued an open challenge that the Finn could throw any British welterweight 2x in an hour, or any middleweight in a two-out-of-three falls contest. They were ready to put up wagers to back their boasts.

Duchesne, from Fall River, MA had toured Britian the previous year and brought home first place honors in a Welsh tournament. This time, Ketonen was the star and Duchesne was along mostly as a...