- Joined
- Mar 10, 2002
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Damn, as you all may have figured out, I'm very, very interested in shoot-wrestling and catch-as-catch-can. So, I finally went to train at this place, American Martial Arts and Fitness Academy that advertises a shoot-wrestling class...its the same place where a dude who--my senior year of high school--used me and some other wrestlers to help him train for an upcoming fight. In the photos on the places web-site, I can see the fighter--Sam Wells--doing his thing. So I'm like, "Oh cool, I can go there, see Sam and tell him that he really helped get me interested in this submission thing..."
When I get there, no Sam...and no class. Just the instructor, chilling by his lonesome. He's cool and smart...but it turns out his focus is on the street and self-defense (me, I couldn't give a rip about self-defense, I just like rolling and competing). But the whole class, its him either asking me to show him a technique and critiquing my use of it (including my takedowns, where I didn't necessarily buy some of his advice or the techniques such as the "Indonesion single" that he suggested I pick up)...or just going through some catch-as-catch-can holds.
But no rolling! No randori! No live wrasslin'! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
Now I realize how sweet my judo dojo is. First day I come there, as soon as I tell 'em I wanna roll, I'm on the mat, going at with whites, greens, blue, brown and black belts. Best thing is that, with the dojo's emphasis on newazza...most of the time it hits the ground, there's no stand-ups or anything, regardless of whether or not the ref would've stood it up in a match. Usually, people don't even think about pin-falls...just go for the throws or takedowns...and when it hits the ground, go from there...
Are most shoot-wrestling classes like that? No full-out sparring or rolling for the most part?
BTW--this is not to rip the class. It was great. It just wasn't what I was looking for, which was the opportunity to roll with someone who knew what they were doing during the summer.
When I get there, no Sam...and no class. Just the instructor, chilling by his lonesome. He's cool and smart...but it turns out his focus is on the street and self-defense (me, I couldn't give a rip about self-defense, I just like rolling and competing). But the whole class, its him either asking me to show him a technique and critiquing my use of it (including my takedowns, where I didn't necessarily buy some of his advice or the techniques such as the "Indonesion single" that he suggested I pick up)...or just going through some catch-as-catch-can holds.
But no rolling! No randori! No live wrasslin'! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
Now I realize how sweet my judo dojo is. First day I come there, as soon as I tell 'em I wanna roll, I'm on the mat, going at with whites, greens, blue, brown and black belts. Best thing is that, with the dojo's emphasis on newazza...most of the time it hits the ground, there's no stand-ups or anything, regardless of whether or not the ref would've stood it up in a match. Usually, people don't even think about pin-falls...just go for the throws or takedowns...and when it hits the ground, go from there...
Are most shoot-wrestling classes like that? No full-out sparring or rolling for the most part?
BTW--this is not to rip the class. It was great. It just wasn't what I was looking for, which was the opportunity to roll with someone who knew what they were doing during the summer.
