A new submission wrestling club has started up in Westlock and it’s looking for new members over the age of 15 interested in practising a fighting style commonly seen in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Paul Lanouette is heading up the Westlock Grappling Club and has been holding informal classes every Saturday at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre field house from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Submission wrestling is known by a few other names – you might have also heard of “sport grappling” or “submission grappling.” Brazilian jiu-jitsu is used in submission wrestling, though it’s a martial art in its own right.
Essentially, it’s a sport focused on ground fighting – trying to gain a dominant position over your opponent in order to put them in a submission hold.
“If you took UFC fighting and took away all the punching and kicking, you would get my sport in a nutshell,” said Lanouette.
Lanouette has been studying the sport for about six to seven years, noting he got into it out of the desire to be a better martial artist.
There’s a misconception that the people involved in sports like submission wrestling are all “goons or barbarians,” said Lanouette. In truth, it’s a very mental sport.
“I think of it like kinetic chess,” he said. “Instead of using pieces on a chess board, you use the limbs on your body. You try to gain leverage and dominant positions over your opponent and ultimately put him into a checkmate position.”
Wrestling is similar in the sense that they both begin with two opponents facing each other and then using grappling and holds to win.
However, Lanouette said wrestling ends when a takedown occurs and your opponent’s shoulders hit the mat.
“Bascially, when a wrestling match ends, a Brazilian jujitsu match begins,” he said. “In wrestling, the checkmate is to pin the shoulders. In my sport, the checkmate is to get a tapout.”
As the club just started up recently, turnout has been around four or five people a week on average. Lanouette indicated that ten members would be ideal.
Lanouette said he’s been teaching mostly basic techniques at this early stage: how to fall, how to get up, how to defend yourself and so on.
“I’m not even teaching submissions right now,” he said. “It’s a friendly environment, and anybody’s welcome. Boys, girls, anybody.”
Lanouette said there is no cost to take part in the classes, and unlike hockey or football, there’s no expensive equipment requirements –all you need is a set of gym clothes.
He said this sport would appeal to UFC fans and other people looking for a physical challenge.
“It’s a lot of fun. Everybody I’ve had so far leaves smiling. Nobody leaves crying,” he said.
Anyone who would like more information about the club or submission wrestling can text or phone Lanouette at (780) 287-9900.
