A recent study was published in the latest edition of the Journal of Combat Sports Medicine addressing injury rates in Catch Wrestling. In short the study found that injury rates in Catch Wrestling were similar to Olympic style Wrestling.
If you are unfamiliar with the art Catch Wrestling is a submission based grappling art with a rich history tracing back hundreds of years. Catch Wrestling was in the Olympics from 1904 until it was removed in 1936 with its submission holds being deemed too dangerous. This recent study, however, suggests the assumed danger is not warranted. A similar conclusion can be reached by the countless BJJ tournaments taking place with a relatively good safety record.
In the study, titled Catch Wrestling Injuries at National and World Competition, the authors reviewed injuries from the 2025 Great Britain National Championships and the 2025 World Catch Wrestling Championships. The data showed “a low overall incidence of injury…comparable to Olympic wrestling and lower than that of striking combat sports“.
Interestingly few injuries came from submission holds rather the majority of injuries came from defending takedowns and attempted escapes from undesirable positions.
The full abstract reads as follows:
ABSTRACT
Background: Catch Wrestling is a historic, interna
tionally practised grappling sport for which there is
limited epidemiological data. Prior research relied
on retrospective self-reporting with low sample sizes,
which may be subject to recall bias and limited med
ical accuracy, underscoring the need for prospective
surveillance. The purpose of this study was to prospec
tively determine injury incidence, distribution of injury,
and mechanisms of injury in Catch Wrestling competi
tion using medically verified assessments.
Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study.
Methods: Injury surveillance was conducted across
the 2025 Great Britain (GB) National and 2025 World
Catch Wrestling Championships. A medical prac
titioner observed adult competitors who consented
throughout the tournament. Injuries were documented
during or immediately after bouts using standardised
IOC surveillance procedures. Injury incidence rates
(IRs) were calculated per 100 bout exposures (BE); body
region, pathology, diagnosis, and mechanism were an
alysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.
Results: A total of 123 wrestlers produced 326 bout
exposures with 17 recorded injuries, yielding an over
all IR of 5.21/100 BE (95% CI 2.7–7.7). The head was
the most injured site (35.3%), followed by the shoulder,
neck and elbow (each 11.8%). Muscle injuries were the
leading pathology (29.4%), and the most common di
agnoses were head and face contusion/hematoma and
neck muscle strain (11.8% each). Defending takedowns
accounted for 58.8% of injuries (p < 0.01), and 82.4% of
all injuries occurred during bouts 1–2.
Conclusion: This study of Catch Wrestling demon
strates a low overall incidence of injury at 5.21/100 BE,
comparable to Olympic wrestling and lower than that
of striking combat sports. Injury risk is concentrated
during early bouts and primarily involves head trauma
during takedown defence.
Combat Sports Law 