style="font-size:15px;"> I enjoyed Andrew’s writing style as he drew me into his enthusiasm for sumo and its adaptability as a combat sport. This book provides solid technical information and is entertaining. When a book is both informative and entertaining, it’s worth reading, and this book is worth reading.
—Steve Scott
Seventh dan, Kodokan judo and Shingitai jujitsu
Judo, sambo, and Shingitai jujitsu master coach with over fifty years of experience on the mat
Coach of four world sambo champions and Sambo Hall of Fame member
US team coach for many international judo and sambo tournaments, including World Sambo Championships, World (Under 21) Judo Championships, Pan American Games (for sambo), International High School Judo Championships, and Pan American Judo Championships
Author of seventeen published books on martial arts
Founder / head coach of Welcome Mat Judo Club
The first time I ever watched a sumo tournament, I was blown away by the level of aggression, athleticism, and technique displayed by the competitors. This was no slow, lumbering pushing contest; it was an intense combat sport.
When the stakes are high, elite athletes will develop techniques, tricks, and strategies to give them an edge over their opponents. The book you’re about to read is all about the techniques, tricks, and strategies of sumo, refined in Japan over hundreds of years!
Clinching and takedown skills are obviously central to the grappling arts, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, sambo, and wrestling. But it doesn’t stop there. In combat the clinch is universal. Hell, even boxers end up in the clinch when they get tired of hitting each other in the head.
Knowing what to do from the clinch has proven to be an absolutely essential skill in mixed martial arts (MMA). Being able to control whether the fight stays on the feet or goes to the ground, and ending up in the top position on the ground, are absolutely huge advantages in MMA. The fact that sumo is performed without a gi, and that sumo techniques allow smaller competitors to win against bigger opponents, means that Andrew Zerling’s Sumo for Mixed Martial Arts: Winning Clinches, Takedowns, and Tactics has special relevance for today’s mixed martial artists.
—Stephan Kesting
Grapplearts.com founder
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
Combat submission wrestling instructor
Majapahit martial arts instructor
Kajukenbo karate black belt
Thirty-two-year martial arts veteran
After witnessing a live professional grand sumo tournament in Japan, I became even more enthralled by this well-known but misunderstood martial art. The barrel-like physique of the sumo wrestler contrasts strikingly with the lean, muscular physique of the average combat sports athlete. Because of this, many see sumo as spectacle devoid of real athleticism. But make no mistake: professional sumo wrestlers are easily on par with Olympic-level athletes.
When I explored sumo more carefully, I found that it is just as deeply technical a martial art as judo or Western wrestling. In applying its techniques to my own diverse grappling martial arts training, I have gained an even greater respect for this underestimated martial art. I wanted to share my insights with the martial arts community, so I wrote a seventeen-page academic article titled “Sumo Wrestling: Practical Techniques for the Martial Artist” that was published in the final issue of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. The encouraging feedback spawned my idea of significantly expanding my sumo article and making it a book.
Clinches and takedowns are the most overlooked aspect of many martial artists’ game. My book, Sumo for Mixed Martial Arts: Winning Clinches, Takedowns, and Tactics, solves this problem. Sumo wrestling’s little-known but ancient proven clinches, takedowns, and tactics offer a fresh, new perspective. Martial artists who stand to benefit from this book include mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, practitioners of all arts that involve grappling, self-defense practitioners, nongrappling martial artists, and serious sumo fans in general.
In this book, I first offer an overview of sumo wrestling. Second, we will examine sumo “case studies” to show in detail how a sumo wrestler can technically win a match. Third, we will take a close look at sumo from an MMA perspective. And finally, I will illustrate many sumo techniques relevant to MMA with photos—not line drawings—of actual martial artists performing them. This book is organized so the reader can progressively build on the information as it is presented in a logical order. To gain the most benefit, then, this book should be read from the beginning to the end.
The link between sumo and other martial arts has never before been deeply explored in a book. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA are two of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and sumo has much to contribute to both. Many think they know what sumo is, but what they know is only the surface. This book goes far beyond the surface to uncover theory and techniques that can be of tremendous benefit to many martial artists. I sincerely hope this book brings sumo into the spotlight as a traditional and practical martial art to be studied by all types of martial artists.
—Andrew Zerling
CHAPTER 1 Sumo Wrestling Overview Introduction
Suddenly after an intense staring contest, two huge men powerfully collide in an earthen ring. They are thickly muscled, flexible, highly trained martial artists; they are sumo wrestlers (rikishi). The initial collision of two rikishi can generate an incredible one ton of force or even more. All other things equal, the bigger rikishi usually wins. But rarely are all other things equal. Throughout sumo’s history there have been smaller rikishi who, with the proper technique, have toppled mountain-like men. A sumo historian once said the earthen ring where sumo takes place (dohyo) is circular to help a smaller rikishi angle away from a larger rikishi. This allows for more interesting matches, and it also shows that in some ways, sumo roots for the underdog.
Japan’s ancient and popular martial art is greatly overlooked in the West. This book focuses on sumo’s winning moves, with special emphasis on how smaller players can win against larger players. Because sumo techniques allow a small rikishi to take down larger rikishi, there are clearly benefits in sumo for other martial arts, particularly in mixed martial arts (MMA) and other grappling arts. Modern MMA grew mostly out of jujitsu, and sumo can be seen as the root of jujitsu. Sumo, then, is ultimately one of the major roots of modern MMA. Sumo and modern MMA may look vastly different, but if it were not for the great technical fighting advancements of ancient sumo, there probably would be no MMA as we know it today.
Sumo wrestling predates jujitsu by many centuries.1
