Russia is statistically the best wrestling country in the world, having won the most gold medals across different styles of wrestling in both the Olympics and the World Wrestling Championships, the top two most prestigious wrestling competitions.
GRAPPLING ARTS
Luta Livre is a Brazilian grappling art based on catch wrestling and kosen judo techniques. Unlike other traditional martial arts, it does not utilize a gi and incorporates striking in the “combat” version. While similar to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Luta Livre emphasizes self-defense over sports competition.
Submission wrestling generally refers to any style of grappling that includes submission moves without using a traditional GI. It consists of standup grappling (clinching), takedowns, ground fighting, and submission moves. Catch wrestling and no-gi jiu-jitsu are two of the most well-known.
ADCC submission fighting world championship is a submission grappling competition promoted by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC), where the absolute elite grapplers around the world come together to compete for the title. The ADCC events have been organized every two years since 1998.
Catch wrestling is a style developed by John Graham Chambers in 1859. It is a grappling system involving takedowns, holds, and submissions like arm locks, leglocks, and neck cranks. Catch wrestling is regarded as the progenitor of more popular “Freestyle” and “Collegiate” wrestling.
All the wrestling styles can be split into four main categories: sports wrestling, traditional wrestling, submission (hybrid) wrestling, and professional wrestling.