For anyone interested in wrestling or MMA

[wosbodog]

This is a new wrestling-like form of self-defense that I'm trying to get off the ground and hoping to one day get sanctioned by an official athletic body. Check it out if you're interested.

 

Pan-Form Sparring

Founded by Stephen Paul Cau

 

Purpose:

1) To provide an adequate method of self-defense encompassing the various aspects of unarmed physical combat, without subjecting competitors to unnecessary violence and injury

2) The creation of a versatile concrete training method for mixed martial artists, which can function as a sport itself

 

The Rules:

 

Two competitors attempt to achieve victory over the other by submission, knockout, outscoring, or trapping the opponent in a simulated lethal position. The match is broken into three 10-minute rounds, functioning as a best two out of three setup. The third round functions differently than the first two.

 

The match takes place on any large firm mat (a wrestling mat, judo mat, etc.) with a clear boundary line. Contestants enter wearing full gi uniforms (the Japanese-style martial arts jacket and pants) with a reversible belt, blue on one side and red on the other. Two differentiate between the two contestants, one wears the belt with the blue side out, and the other with the red side out. Gloves are optional, but must be MMA-style. A referee, doctor and scorekeeper must be present.

 

The competitors step onto the mat and face each other. A coin flip decides who chooses the attire: whether to compete with the gi jacket on or off. If they compete without the jackets, each contestant must wear a colored arm band to differentiate between the two. Each round begins in one of three positions: Greco-Roman wrestling over-and-under clench, guard (a second coin flip determines who is on top), or free stand-up (long range striking distance). The loser of the coin toss chooses the order of the starting position, whether to begin in clench, guard, or free stand-up; however, each starting position may only occur once so if they've started in the clench for the first round then they have to start in guard or stand-up for the second round, and so on. Once this has been decided, the contestants shake hands and the match begins.

 

The Match:

 

The objective is to either submit the opponent, knock him unconscious, or force him into a position where he cannot defend himself. Any of these three methods will win the match. If neither contestant can achieve this, then whoever has scored more points wins. For the first two rounds, the scoring proceeds as follows:

 

Takedown (from standing position) - 2 points

Knockdown - 3 points (three consecutive knockdowns in a single round may win the match)

Escape from ground to free standing position - 1 point to whomever was taken down from stand-up

Overhead slam - 2 points added to takedown

Opponent's knee touches the ground during a standing grapple position - 1 point

Forcing opponent out of bounce - 1 point

Ending the round in a significantly dominant position (such as a submission hold) - 1 point

 

Striking is allowed in the stand-up, but no points are given unless one scores a knockdown. No head-kicks or knees to the head are allowed. No striking at all on the ground; however, the use of ground striking ("ground and pound") should be treated as a relevant threat, so during a ground scenario the bottom contestant must keep the opponent's upper body in secure contact, and not allow him into striking range. In a reality situation, ground striking can be potentially dangerous or fatal, so this setup works as a simulation for defending against it. If the top opponent is allowed into striking range for ten seconds or more, the referee may call a stop to the match and award the victory to the top opponent. It is the referee's discretion, based on whether the bottom opponent is making significant effort and progress to subdue the top opponent's range and striking ability. A win in this manner is called "lethal position win." The doctor and coaches may also stop the contest at any time.

 

In the event of a tie at the end of a round, the referee must decide who gets the win, based on who is the more dominant striker, who spends more time in advantageous positions, who gives more effort, etc. If the two contestants both have won a round, they go to a third round, which functions differently. There is a two-minute break between the first and second rounds, and a three-minute break between the second and third.

 

In the third round, there are no points. The goal is to defeat the opponent by any means necessary, within the integrity of sportsmanship. Head-kicks, knees, and ground striking are all allowed. There is no "technical knockout" but the referee may stop the contest if a contestant's safety appears to be in danger. If the final round ends without a clear victor, the referee again must make the decision. The purpose of the different rules in the third round is to expose contestants to a more realistic "no holds barred" situation, but only if they are fairly matched. An individual should not be allowed into this situation with a much stronger opponent, which could cause injury, so the first two rounds are made to be safer and more restricted than the third. At the conclusion of the first two rounds, the stronger opponent has been determined, and the weaker opponent, who loses the match, does not have to suffer a brutal domination in the third round. But for contestants who are evenly matched, a less restricted third round may be necessary to determine who is the better competitor. In this way, all competitors have the incentive to train for a three-round contest and therefore attain knowledge and skill to defend oneself in a real fight.

 

Championship matches also function differently. The scoring is the same; however, round one always begins in a Greco clench, with the following round starting in the guard, and the final round starting in the free stand-up position. I believe this sequence would be the most potentially engaging for both competitors. Also, head-kicks and knees are allowed in the stand-up throughout the match, as well as ground striking, so the contestants must wear kickboxers' helmets for protection. Because ground striking is allowed, this negates the 10-second rule about keeping the opponent from getting into striking range; the bottom contestant must instead defend himself from actual strikes, and a TKO possibility is allowed for the first two rounds. They automatically begin the match wearing the gi jackets, but if it goes to a third round, the jackets as well as the helmets come off, and the final round commences in the same fight-like manner. Championship matches feature all three rounds unless a contestant achieves a submission or knockout victory, so the best two out of three scenario is not applied. If a contestant is down by two rounds at the start of the third, his only way to win the match is by knockout or submission.

 

Local tournaments may have slight variations on the rules, such as adding weight classes for safety, etc., and women and children's matches may vary slightly as well, but the objectives and format are always the same.

 

Restrictions, for all three rounds:

 

Doctor, coach, parent/guardian (if contestant is under 18), and referee all have authority to terminate the match if either contestant's safety appears to be in danger. Match is ruled a loss or no-contest.

 

No biting, hair-pulling, headbutting, striking to the neck, striking to the back of the head, striking to the ear during ground sequence, eye-poking, gauging, deliberately ripping skin, striking to the crotch, no hyper extension of the leg unless applying a straight kneebar, no scratching, slamming onto head, to a grounded opponent no head-kicks, stomps, or knees, no offensive language or behavior during contest, no weapons, no performance enhancing drugs not allowed by state or federal athletic committee (all contestants subject to random drug screening), no intentionally inflicting harm on opponent beyond object parameters of the contest.

 

All competitors 18 and up must sign a document stating the agreement, as well as a waiver not holding any affiliation, sanctioning body or individual responsible for injury. For competitors under 18, written consent from a parent or guardian is required, as well as the approval of a commissioned or officially recognized coach or instructor.

 

Summary:

 

The sport plays out as a general combination of boxing, wrestling, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Competitors must learn techniques in striking, takedowns, and ground game to be well-rounded practitioners of the sport, as well as learning the ability to spar with or without the gi jackets for grip maneuvers. Pan-Form Sparring is made for individuals at least 9 years old. There is a children's division for contestants 9-15 years old, and an adult division for 16 and older. The sport should not be sanctioned in secondary school, but rather as a martial arts club sport. For the children's division, weight classes are used. They are grouped into 50 lbs. and under, 75 lbs, 100, 125, 150, 185, and a maximum weight of 240 lbs. This is to prevent injury, but ultimately the sport's aim is to teach defense against opponents of any size. In the adult division, there are no official weight classes. There is a separate division for girls and women, with similar rules and weight classes.

 

It is the hope that practitioners of Pan-Form Sparring will learn adequate self-defense as well as enjoy a fulfilling worthy sport if he or she chooses to compete. Pan-Form Sparring should include a range of skills necessary for defense in the real world, while remaining suitably safe for competitors and instilling courage, technique, discipline, and fulfillment to all who commit themselves.

 

Sanctioning:

 

It is my hope that Pan-Form Sparring will one day become an internationally recognized sport. For regular competition including national and world championships, the sport should remain an open-weight contest. However, should it become an Olympics sport, weight classes may become necessary to keep balanced competition and greater opportunity for the undersized. The weight classes should be grouped into: 140 lbs. and under, 160 lbs, 190, and over 190 with an unlimited heavy weight. For qualification to the Olympics event, contestants must win in the national tournament at the same weight category. The two national finalists of each weight get a spot on the Olympic team, and the 3rd place winner may serve as an alternate and compete in the event that a teammate is injured. The national Olympic qualification tournament is broken down into several regional tournaments, with the top medalists advancing. However, some regulations must be applied for an athlete to participate in the Olympics at a particular weight class. Severe weight-cutting is discouraged, and no one should be allowed to compete at an Olympics event in a weight class without first attaining experience in the open-weight competition. Each regional tournament should hold an open-weight preliminary series which guarantees every contestant one match. To qualify for the main regional tournament, every contestant must win one match. Other methods of qualification would include: winning a match or achieving medalist status at any tournament event recognized by athletic sanctioning body (such as FILA), or having at least 10 open-weight matches on record, recognized by the sanctioning body, or be sponsored by recognized coach or affiliate. Pan-Form Sparring is not, by definition, a form of wrestling; however, to prevent the two disciplines from conflicting with each other, anyone competing in an Olympic wrestling event (which I believe currently includes folkstyle, freestyle, Greco-Roman, and SAMBO), should be allowed to also compete in Pan-Form Sparring, with a national championship in wrestling counting as their ticket to the Olympics; but each competitor must still meet the above criteria regarding the open-weight experience.

 

In conclusion:

 

I believe Pan-Form Sparring to be a potentially worthwhile endeavor, and I encourage anyone interested to spread the word about it and try to draw in competition. My goal is to get the sport recognized officially by an athletic body, and begin a practice that could be the elite form of self-defense.

 

 

If anyone knows whom I may need to contact to try to spread this sport around, please let me know if you have interest. I'm also trying to get a commentary position in MMA, so any help with that would be very much appreciated. I use facebook, if anyone's interested in talking further. My network I'm not sure is the right one, it's either Chattanooga TN, Houston TX, or Nashville or Franklin TN. I've moved so I'm not sure which one it's set on. Anyway hit me up if you're interested.

 

Thanks,

Stephen Cau aka wosbodog