Catch & Kushti

NorCal Catch uses a mix of Catch and Indian Kushti Wrestling. Both traditions have a long history with many colorful facts and characters. Below is a brief summery of each followed by links to other sites with more historical information.

Catch Wrestling

Catch Wrestling (catch-as-catch can, submission grappling) is derived from the early regional wrestling styles in Europe and Asia and later popularized in American carnival sideshows during the period between the Civil War and World War II. Catch wrestling luminaries include Frank Gotch (shown to the left), Martin Farmer Burns and the Great Gama.

• Catch Wrestling entry in Wikipedia
• Tony Cecchine's History of Catch Wrestling in America
• Lancashire Catch Wrestling

Indian Kushti Wrestling

Indian Kushti is an ancient form of warriorship where training occurs in akharas (temple-like gymnasium) dedicated to the deity Hanuman. Each akhara has a wrestling master or guru whose wisdom guides the training of the wrestlers. Indian wrestlers subscribe not only to a set of wrestling exercises but to a more elaborate way of life, i.e. diet, spirituality, ethics, etc.

• The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India by Joseph S. Altar
• The Physical Body: Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture by Vincent Giordano (DVD)