Shoot wrestling in the context of "Kickboxing"

Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves different grappling-type techniques, such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds. Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sports, and military systems.

Wrestling comes in different forms, the most popular being professional wrestling, which is a form of athletic theatre. Other legitimate competitive forms include Greco-Roman, freestyle, judo, sambo, folkstyle, catch, shoot, luta livre, submission, sumo, pehlwani, shuai jiao, and more. Wrestling first appeared in the ancient Olympic Games as an event during the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules, with both traditional historic and modern styles. The term "wrestling" in Modern English originated from the late Old English term wræstlunge.

Puroresu (プロレス, Puro-resu) is a Japanese term referring to professional wrestling in Japan and abroad. It is a Japanese loanword that stems from the pronunciation of "professional wrestling" (プロフェッショナル・レスリング, purofesshonaru resuringu), which is abbreviated in Japanese to puro (プロ - "pro") and resu (レス - an abbreviation of "wrestling"). The term became popular among English-speaking fans following the Usenet member Hisaharu Tanabe's online activities.

Puroresu grew out of the traditional American style but has become a separate entity based on Japanese culture that is distinct in its psychology, presentation, and function. It is treated much more like a legitimate competition with fewer theatrics, and the stories told in Japanese wrestling are often about a wrestler's spirit and perseverance. Professional wrestling in Japan led to the development of shoot wrestling and has been closely related to mixed martial arts, starting with Shooto and Pancrase, organizations which predate the UFC, and has influenced subsequent promotions such as Fighting Network Rings and Pride Fighting Championships. There is more overlap between professional wrestlers and mixed martial artists in Japan than other countries.

Ground fighting (also called ground work or ground game) is hand-to-hand combat which takes place while the combatants are on the ground. The term is commonly used in mixed martial arts and other combat sports, as well as various forms of martial arts to designate the set of grappling techniques employed by a combatant that is on the ground. It is the main focus of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is featured in varying amounts in catch wrestling, judo, jujutsu, sambo, shoot wrestling, hapkido, Dishuquan Dog Kung Fu, some schools of shuai jiao and other styles of wrestling.

Similarly to clinch fighting, ground fighting implies that the combatants are at a very close range, usually involving one or both combatants grappling the opponent using various grappling holds. Depending on the positioning of the combatants, the proximity can allow for techniques such as biting, chokeholds, fish-hooking, eye-gouging, joint locks, pressure point techniques, or various strikes.