Combat Submission Wrestling

• Best Martial Arts in Orange County

• Combat Submission Wrestling
  4080 N Palm St Fullerton CA 92835
  Tel: (818) 915-3225

  Get directions

Erik Paulson says:I first became aware of Shooto (Shoot Wrestling) in 1989, when Yori Nakamara, the founder of USA Shooto, did his first seminar at the Inosanto Academy at Marina Del Rey, California. Up to that time, there had been a clear delineation between the striking and grappling arts. You either punched or kicked somebody or you took them to the ground and grappled ? there was really no cross-training mixing striking, throwing and ground. About the closest anyone had come to that was Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do in the ‘60s and early ‘70s. Yori, who had come from Japan where he had learned the art from Satoru Sayama and then went on to teach it in the Shooto dojos of Japan. Nakamara (accompanied by wife Hiromi) eventually moved to America to learn JKD from Dan Inosanto, and to meet Brandon Lee, Shannon Lee, and the rest of Bruce Lee’s family. Upon arriving to begin his study, Dan Inosanto asked Nakamara if he had learned any of the Japanese fighting arts. Nakamara then demonstrated a torrent of integrated punches, knees, kicks, throws and submissions that was unlike any blend the JKD master had seen before. In only took Inosanto a few days to share this new form of fighting with JKD grappling expert Larry Hartsell, who agreed that it was a noteworthy advancement of the combat sports. Nakamara soon began teaching America’s first Shooto class at the Inosanto Academy. My personal martial arts journey began with judo in 1974 in Minnesota, which I studied for two years and competed in regularly. However, I soon had my eyes opened to the realities of streetfighting when I was jumped, tried to use judo to subdue him, and got my hair pulled (the story of my life), my head stuffed into a snow bank, my ears boxed, and my eyes punched in. At that point, I decided that I needed something else and made my way down to the local karate school. At around this same time I saw my first Bruce Lee movie and thought to myself “I need to learn that.” Through reading in magazines I found out that Bruce Lee taught a style called Jeet Kune Do that was great for street fighting (an aspect that was later emphasized by Paul Vunak).

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Posted by: wonga, 5/12/2008

Useful? +0

My husband trains here and everytime I meet someone from the gym they are such a pleasure. No bad attitudes or big egos. I wish you guys the best and am looking forward to seeing you all on the news! Erik is a sweetheart, thanks for cracking my back without hurting me unlike my husband!

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Posted by: Anonymous, 4/8/2008

Useful? +1

Erik Paulson currently runs the CSW Training Center in Fullerton, California. He has studied with 40 different teachers over his 30 years of training including Rorion Gracie, Rigan Machado, Greg Nelson, Charlie Gergan,Yorinaga Nakamura, Larry Hartsell, and the legendary Dan Inosanto, who claims Erik is one of the world's most dynamic grapplers.
He trains world class MMA fighters such as Josh Barnett, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Cub Swanson & Ginelle Marquez.

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