アイリッシュカラータイ(Airisshu Karā Tai)
TransliterationTranslation: Irish collar tie
The Irish collar tie is a clinch grip configuration from Irish collar-and-elbow wrestling (coraíocht) where one hand grabs the opponent's collar and the other controls the elbow, creating a frame that forces upright posture and provides control for trips and sweeps. [1] Traceable to 17th century Ireland with ties to the ancient Tailteann Games (632 BC - 1169 AD), this folk wrestling style was brought to America by Irish immigrants in the 18th century where it flourished for over a century. [2] At its peak, practiced on three continents. The tight-fitting jacket was mandatory equipment.
Historically effective wrestling style that influenced modern collar tie clinch work. The dual grip provides superior control compared to a single collar tie. [1]
Irish folk wrestling tradition (17th century+). Influenced modern collar tie clinch work.
Historical: practiced on three continents at its 19th century peak. Modern: collar tie concepts used in all wrestling and MMA competition.
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A fun experiment to see how Collar and Elbow's tripping techniques and strategies can potentially be used in some other …
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Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
Control position with minimal injury risk
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Irish Collar and Elbow Wrestling (MacFadden, Fallen Rook Publishing)
[1] MacFadden — historical reference on Irish collar-and-elbow
Irish Collar and Elbow Wrestling (MacFadden, Fallen Rook Publishing) || Wikipedia — Collar-and-elbow wrestling || Health and Fitness History — Irish Coraíocht
Standard katakana transliteration of Western martial arts terminology (外来語) — used in Japanese MMA, boxing, and BJJ communities
[1] MacFadden — historical reference on Irish collar-and-elbow
[2] Wikipedia — collar-and-elbow wrestling history
grip strength, upright posture
forearms, shoulders, core
The Hero with a Thousand Holds emphasizes that you should never voluntarily compromise your own balance by attacking with your lower body before your opponent's upper body is compromised first. If you fish for trips before setting them up, you're sacrificing half your movement and stability.
The Hero with a Thousand Holds stresses that you must introduce movement in your opponent's upper body—pushing or pulling them forward, backward, or diagonally—to shift their center of gravity before attacking with your lower body.
The Hero with a Thousand Holds explains that you should step slightly to the side rather than standing directly in front of your opponent, positioning their right foot between your two feet so you have space to swing your leg through without blocking yourself.
The Hero with a Thousand Holds teaches that instead of pushing repeatedly, you can use their forward momentum by pulling them toward you, causing them to take a rapid step forward, and then block them at the shin just above the ankle to off-balance them.
The Irish collar tie is a clinch grip configuration from Irish collar-and-elbow wrestling (coraíocht) where one hand grabs the opponent's collar and the other controls the elbow, creating a frame that forces upright posture and provides control for trips and sweeps. Traceable to 17th century Ireland with ties to the ancient Tailteann Games (632 BC - 1169 AD), this folk wrestling style was brought to America by Irish immigrants in the 18th century where it flourished for over a century.
Traceable to 17th century Ireland with ties to the ancient Tailteann Games (632 BC - 1169 AD). Brought to America by Irish immigrants in the 18th century.
Unified MMA: legal — Legal — clinching is integral to MMA; IJF: legal — Legal — kumi-kata (grip fighting) is fundamental to judo; IBJJF: legal — Legal — standing grip fighting and clinch work permitted; IFMA: legal — Legal — the clinch is a core element of Muay Thai, clinch dominance is highly…; WBC/Boxing: restricted — Holding is technically a foul — referee breaks clinch, excessive holding resu…; K: restricted — 1/GLORY — One attack from clinch allowed, then referee breaks; WAKO: restricted — Clinch generally broken by referee — limited or no clinch fighting in most fo…; UWW: legal — Legal — clinch is fundamental to wrestling, the primary position in Greco-Roman
Danger rating 2/10. Control position with minimal injury risk
The standard setup chain: Establish collar grip → Secure elbow control with opposite hand → Force upright posture → Attack with trips, sweeps, or transitions.
Standard counters include: Pummel for underhook — break the collar tie by swimming for inside position / Snap-down — use the collar grip against the attacker / Arm drag — drag the controlling arm to take the back / Level change — shoot under the collar tie frame.
Common variants: Standard Irish collar-and-elbow (classic grip with jacket); Modern collar tie (adapted for no-gi (hand on neck instead of collar)); Thai plum connection (double collar tie is the Thai clinch variant).
Historical: practiced on three continents at its 19th century peak. Modern: collar tie concepts used in all wrestling and MMA competition.
Top errors to watch for: Not controlling the elbow — the elbow grip is what makes this distinct from a standard collar tie / Standing too far away — must be close enough for the collar grip to control posture / Not using the collar tie offensively — must lead to trips and sweeps, not just holding.
The Standard Irish Collar Tie is also known as Airisshu Karā Tai, Irish Collar Tie, Collar-and-Elbow, Coraíocht, Brollaidheacht.
