ISG Martial Arts
ISG Martial Arts was founded by owner and head instructor Tim McFatridge who has 30 years of martial arts experience. We teach all ranges of combat, which are Kicking, Boxing, Clinching and Grappling as well as weapons. What we teach at ISG Martial Arts:
Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling: (A brief History)
Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling is the father/”parent style” of American Folkstyl
e Wrestling, and Olympic Freestyle Wrestling (once commonly known as Amateur Catch as Catch Can), and is also considered the ancestor of modern professional wrestling and mixed martial arts competitions. Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling is the father/”parent style” of American Folkstyle Wrestling, and Olympic Freestyle Wrestling (once commonly known as Amateur Catch as Catch Can), and is also considered the ancestor of modern professional wrestling and mixed martial arts competitions
Its dominance in matches against other wrestling styles gained world-wide notoriety around the mid 1800’s. During this same time it found its way to North America via immigrants and world travelers and became the top sport in America by the turn of the 20th century. In the late 1800’s and early to mid 1900’s as part of local carnivals, Catch Wrestlers would take on all challengers as part of the “athletic show” where locals could stand a chance to win cash if they could pin or submit the carnivals wrestler. The Catch Wrestler had to prepare for the worst case scenario with the unknown opponent stepping into the ring on a regular basis, so the need for quick and aggressive submissions were a necessity. Submission wins were preferred so there would be no chance for a challenger to argue if the match was stopped prematurely. Often a challenger would argue with a referee over whether or not he was pinned, but a submission was always clear and decisive. Catch wrestling also has a wide variety of positions, leg locks, neck cranks and throws not usually found in BJJ. Most people aren’t aware that BJJ was actually influenced by Catch Wrestling. A man by the name of Mitsuyo Maeda taught Carlos Gracie (older brother of Helio Gracie) to fight. What most do not know is that Maeda perfected his system competing in Catch-As-Catch-Can tournaments (as “Count Koma”) at the turn of the 20th Century. Maeda is rumored to have fought over 2,000 matches in his career and he only lost two matches one of which was in the “catch-as-catch-can” world championships held in London (he entered in both the middleweight and heavyweight divisions and advanced to the semi-finals in two weight classes) Another grappler Masahiko Kimura learned legitimate Catch-As-Catch-Can while working as a Professional Wrestler for Rikidozan in the early 1950s. Later Kimura would go on to beat Helio Gracie with the bread and butter hold of Catch Wrestling; the Double Wrist Lock (AKA Kimura). Another thing many people don’t know is that Catch wrestling has also had a long history with Judo and has heavily influenced today’s Mixed Martial Arts. Combat Submission Wrestling:
Combat Submission Wrestling was founded by Mixed Martial Arts Pioneer Erik Paulson. It is said to be the most dominant Mixed Martial Arts training system available. CSW is a blend of Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling, Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling, Shooto, Filipino Dumog, Judo and Brazilian Jiu -Jitsu. It encompasses three areas: Kickboxing, Clinching and Grappling which focuses on Submission Wrestling, Submission Fighting and Self-Defense. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:
Referred to as “The gentle art” or “the human chess game.”
Made famous by the Gracie family. Jiu Jitsu at ISG Martial Arts is designed for everyone: self-defense, competition, or health and fitness. One of the most effective martial arts systems in the world, BJJ promotes the concept that a smaller person can successfully defend against a stronger assailant by using leverage and proper technique, taking the fight to the ground – most notably by applying submission holds and chokeholds to defeat the other person. Tim McFatridge is a brown belt in BJJ under Professor Ladell Elliott who is a black belt under Professor Fredson Paixao. Kali/Eskrima (Filippino Martial Arts or FMA):
Founded in the Philippines, Kali/Eskrima is an ancient weapons-based system of combat with multi-cultural influences. Kali is a complete combat system, encompassing weapons techniques, empty hands fighting, boxing, grappling and kicking. The Filippino Martial Arts are considered the most effective weapon based systems in the world by many. At ISG we teach Lucaylucay Kali and Lameco Astig Combatives. ISG Martial Arts is the ONLY school in Texas authorized/certified to teach Lameco ASTIG Combatives. Muay Thai Kickboxing:
Called the art of eight limbs because it utilizes the hands, feet, knees and elbows. It is a powerful and effective stand up art that was developed in Thailand. Muay Thai is known for its powerful kicks and brutal knees. Muay Thai is a great art for fitness and self defense. Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do:
JKD is the art created by the legendary Bruce Lee, who is considered to be the father of mixed martial arts. It is translated to "Way of the intercepting fist", JKD teaches efficiency, directness, and simplicity to achieve economy of motion, wasting no time or movement, teaching that the simplest things work best. Tim is a second generation Bruce Lee student under the late legendary Larry Hartsell who was a personal friend and student of Bruce Lee. Tim trained with Sifu Larry Hartsell from 1993 to 2007 earning the rank of Full Instructor before his passing. ISG Martial Arts is a family friendly place to train. You are not looked at as just a student or just a monthly membership... you are part of our extended family.
