City of Buffalo wrestling club
by Jaquan Johnson
Northwest Buffalo recreational center; a recreational center like no other in the city of Buffalo. Located at 155 LAWN avenue Buffalo, NY.
This reddish-brown brick building with green trim is a special hidden gem of a gym located off Military road near Hertal Avenue, in the building behind Grabiarz School of Excellence.
Jaquan Johnson
This gym is a second home to some of the Toughest Athletes our proud city has to offer. Grade 3 to Grade 12, we are not only building champions; We are building the young boys and girls of the future. You may ask, “Well, what’s so special about a rec center?” “What are you guys doing differently than other rec centers and gyms?” and “Why should I care?” Well, the truth is you should care a lot, because this opportunity I’m going to speak on, not just “may” but it is an absolute guaranteed promise to change the lives of many youth throughout the Buffalo region!
While Buffalo, NY is known for its city-wide talent in sports like Football, Basketball, Track n field, volleyball, and Soccer. The sport being spoken on only issue is the unfamiliarity and the obscurity people have with what we’re doing differently, but I’m here to change that!
Now let me put an interesting image in your mind, a world where flight doesn’t exist in wrestling only fight, two opponents, face to face no further than 3ft apart from one another. You put your left foot on the green marker as they line up opposite you and put their right foot on the red marker.
While standing in the dead center of the mat, you get into your 2-point lowered technique stance, lift your arms and hands slightly with your elbows bent and pointed inwards towards yourself so your legs aren’t so exposed.
The referee assigned to your match then gives you and your opponent the signal to shake hands, he blows his whistle then the match starts. The goal is to see who can take down and pin the wrestler in front of them the fastest, or who can win the match based on who scored the most points.
If you haven’t quite figured out my riddle, the activity I’m describing in detail is the combat sport of wrestling!
No I’m not talking about your WWE style flying off the top ropes wrestling or your play fighting in your backyard and with your friends “wrestling”. I’m talking 3:00 min first period, 2:00 minute 2nd, 2 minute 3rd with overtime and injury time if needed!
I’m talking single leg takedowns, blast doubles, Underhooks, front headlocks, and snap downs. Real wrestling is what I like to call it, others may call it “Amateur wrestling” but the rest of the wrestling community knows that calling our beloved sport “amateur”; is amateur hour in itself.
Some people may know it as the world's oldest sport, others know it by its physicality and grit! Unfortunately, the sport of wrestling isn’t just for anyone, it takes a specific type of individual with a particular chip on their shoulder to survive the wild jungles of the world of wrestling.
Their are hundreds of forms of wrestling styles practiced across the world to date, all with their own Names, styles, techniques and historical backgrounds that make them special and unique in there very own way.
Some of these forms of wrestling can be put under a broad term called regional folk. Regional folk is a term used to describe multiple styles of traditional grappling and or combat techniques specific and unique to different regions throughout the world.
Source: ”Folk Wrestling.” Grokipedia, https://Grokipedia.com/page/Folk_wrestling.
Accessed 22 June, 2026.
Other forms of wrestling have laid the groundwork for it’s many descendants that a lot of us have come to know and love without knowing their true origins.
Like the rest of world history, what we do know is a just fraction of the truth of what had really taken place. According to the national wrestling hall of fame “wrestling, mankind’s oldest and most basic form of recreational combat, traces it’s origins back to the dawn of civilization”. Their website also states that “carvings and drawings estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000 years old, found in caves in south Europe, illustrating wrestlers in hold and leverage positions”.
Source: National Wrestling Hall of Fame, History of wrestling, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum https://nwhof.org/wrestling/historyThe Oldest Sport
Accessed June 18, 2026
In more recent times, Catch as Catch can wrestling! Catch meaning; Catch and grab anything and where you can onto your opponent. The style that formed in Lincolnshire, England sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century quite revolutionized wrestling to what we know today. The style that encourages takedowns, pins, submissions and holds from a time period that seems so far past our current lives. Catch to Catch wrestling has had major influence on modern amateur wrestling, modern mixed martial arts and professional WWE style wrestling.
Source: Potenza, John. “History of catch wrestling.” Old School Grappling, https://oldschoolgrappling.com/history-of-catch-wrestling/. Accessed 22 June, 2026
Out of the hundreds of forms of wrestling being practiced throughout history, there are a handful of important styles to mention that now wear the crowns as Kings of Kingdoms to many nations. Many Nations have chosen to adopt these systems of wrestling, Each style holds a strong presence and importance in their respective countries to the people that hold the sport dear to their hearts.
The two types being foreshadowed are the styles of Freestyle Wrestling and Greco Roman wrestling. Both are Olympic styles of wrestling that the world as a whole primarily focus’s on and holds with prestige.
Freestyle and Greco, The siblings that they are; are often arguing over who’s the better and tougher style of wrestling. They wrestle and grapple with one another pushing each other to their own limits until one sibling decides to quit. Their matches were intense with nothing left behind on the mat besides blood, sweat and tears. The two wrestlers manage to be able to put their prides to the side to happily congratulate and celebrate one another when the bout is finished, decided and a winner is declared. There was just one problem between the two siblings, they just cant quite agree on the rules they wanted to follow and abide by.
Freestyle wanted to be flashy and slick. It loves shooting leg attacks, trips with his feet and escapes off bottom position. Freestyle’s brother Greco didn’t like any of that stuff. Greco Believed anyone can shoot leg attacks, trip and escape off bottom. Greco thought the real test of a wrestler was based on if you had enough upper body strength to throw another individual, and thought wrestling should be strictly upper body and no leg attacks. Greco loves Big throws, hip tosses, arm drags, slide by’s and front headlocks.
Over a long period of time in an unfortunate turn of events, the two siblings who once was able to put there differences aside just for the sake of the love of the sport, could no longer adapt with each other; for one another. The two wrestling styles decided it was best they split and go there separate ways in an attempt to prove their rivaled style wrong. The two constantly just to busy competing; so busy competing with each other’s that the movements and rapid growth of popularity for both styles they created also passed them by before they could even grasp what had happened. The moral of the story is The world Olympics sanctioned both wrestling styles as an official recognized amateur sport.
While freestyle and Greco Roman may be the big two types of wrestling internationally being showcased on Olympic stages. Nationally here in the United States we put a heavy emphasis on what we call Folk-style wrestling. Folkstyle wrestling was created by evolving from catch to catch wrestling around the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s.
Folkstyle wrestling is the predominant style of the United States and its allies, specifically where the US has a heavy influence on culture and arts. This style of wrestling puts an emphasis on takedowns, footwork and control of your opponent. Another difference between folk-style and it’s distance cousins freestyle and Greco Roman is that folk style rules allows for simultaneous one opponent to be in “referees position” on bottom. The bottom wrestler is trying escape to get back in position to go on offense.
Source: “Exploring Origins and Uniqueness of Folkstyle Wrestling”
Fanatic Wrestling, https://fanaticwrestling.com/blogs/news/when-was-folkstyle-wrestling-invented.
Accessed 22 June, 2026
I would always recommend and be an advocate for the sport; the sport of wrestling is more than just a sport. It’s a way of life, living and existing. Wrestling quite literally saved my life and it did so in more ways than one.
I hope the boys and girls of this generation can continue to like and be interested in the sport. We want our youth to learn discipline and commitment not only in wrestling but off the mats in their personal lives. The lessons and challenges from wrestling teaches you are like life in itself, it prepares you for the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. With good practices come tough practices. With big wins come big losses, when old opportunities leave, new arise.
In my honest opinion as a coach and mentor to youth; especially youth that come from families with complex issues and traumas. There isn't any other activity or sport I would recommend ahead of wrestling.
Not only for the workout and exercise the sport provides, but for the second home feeling and sense of belonging the sport of wrestling tends to offer, it’s like a surrogate family. Especially for kids who may not have the best of home situation or even a kid who may be a social loner. The sport of wrestling is accepting to all who dare to step on the mat.
Either way the wrestling room is open and free to any child or teenager who may see an opportunity like this fit for themself. A way to positively let out your pent up anger, aggression and frustrations. We are currently on a 2 week break but will be resuming with our wrestling summer camp starting Monday July 06th. We will be going 4 days a week every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from July 6th to August 20th. We will mostly be focusing on Folkstyle wrestling but we will touch base on Freestyle and Greco Roman.
This may be a very long and strenuous wrestling camp ahead of ourselves but to every last program, coach and student involved in the city of Buffalo wrestling club, We are highly anticipating the challenge ahead. This camp isn't a make or break moment for one of the Queen cities youngest sports but it's going to be a proving ground to see how far we've come since our spring session and it will show us how far we have to go in the months and years to come. The programs involved show that there’s a citywide solidarity between the Buffalo schools and it’s a suburban counterparts to improve the quality of WNY youth and high school wrestling.
Please come check us out 155 LAWN AVE Northwest Buffalo recreational center; a recreational center like no other in the city of Buffalo. This reddish-brown brick building with green trim is a special hidden gem of a gym that is the home of some of the toughest male and female athletes our proud city has to offer. We are free to all students and any kid from any school are welcomed to come join us for practice. Also parents are encouraged to stay, watch and see what we’re about, the energy we’re able to create in the practice room is like no other. Curious? Come check out! We are the city of Buffalo wrestling club, proudly hosted by the Buffalo Wrestling Foundation and we would love to have you and your child come by and visit!