by Laura Lieff
Wrestling is not just for the boys. Women all over the Cherry Creek Valley have picked up the latest sport known as submission wrestling, or grappling, a type of martial arts that focuses on submission by means of chokes, joint locks and other manipulations of the opponent’s body. The essence of grappling is the ability to move from one technique to the other as quickly as possible or as often as necessary to control an opponent. Many combative sports, like judo, sambo and jiu jitsu, have “submission” features.
“Submission wrestling has become more popular since the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] started,” said World Class Female Submission Wrestler and Cherry Creek Valley resident Bahar Shahidi. “The sport is a lot like UFC but without the striking, kicking and punching.”
Hailing from Palm Desert, Calif., 25-year-old Shahidi has been living in Colorado for almost three years. She began learning judo techniques when she was 12-years-old from her father who is a judo instructor. She continued her training and ended up at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a degree in chemistry and spent her free time training at the Berkeley Judo Club. Shahidi also received her black belt from the City College of San Francisco. After 10 years of judo, Shahidi began submission wrestling training and has become one of the best in the world.
Ground Game
“Submission wrestling consists of more ground fighting so it was a better fit for me,” she noted. “In judo, they make you stand up after you’ve been on the ground for a few seconds. Since I already knew most of the techniques from my judo training, grappling came easy to me because it allowed me to utilize my strengths.”
As soon as she moved to Colorado, Shahidi found a grappling team to join which ended up being Grappler’s Edge, located at 5305 E. Colfax Ave.
According to an article from TheMat.com, “Grappler’s Edge has proven to be one of the top grappling teams in the country in USA Wrestling’s Grappling World Team Trials the last two years.”
Winning Edge
Sheldon Marr, Shahidi’s coach and the coach at Grappler’s Edge, is a former champion in judo and Wrestling and has since transitioned those skills into grappling and Mixed Martial Arts, giving him 44 years of experience. Marr was part of the historic first Grappling World Team coaching staff, which traveled to Antalya, Turkey, in 2007 and brought home 21 medals, nine of which were gold. Top two performers, Malcolm Havens and Shahidi, earned a gold and silver medal, respectively.
“When I moved to Colorado I just wanted submission wrestling to be a hobby but Coach Marr kept bringing me to tournaments and I kept winning,” noted Shahidi. “I ended up qualifying for the World Submission Grappling Championships and before I knew it I was in Turkey winning a silver medal.”
In 2008 Shahidi made it to Nationals and placed second but ended up losing to the competitor who ended up being the World Champion.
Not A Career
While Shahidi has made the conscious decision not to make submission wrestling her life, she has clearly done incredibly well. Shahidi attributes her success to hard work, motivation and her coaches, especially Marr who has been her coach for the last three years, and her original coach, her father.
“Coach Marr has been there with me every step of the way,” she said. “He has helped me with financial backing for tournaments and has been a great mentor. Coach Marr has always been good about supporting his athletes and I’m no exception.”
In addition to being one of the top female submission wrestlers in the world, Shahidi is a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Denver. She also does research for the school with her focus being on neck pain. In May of this year, she will earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy.
“I feel I understand grappling more because of my schooling,” noted Shahidi. “I understand it more now than ever because I understand it with both my mind and my body.”
Shahidi was kind enough to show her moves at a workout at the Glendale Sports Center. Her opponent was none other than 630 KHOW radio personality and Voice of the Raptors Greg Hollenback.
“I’ve been working out with [Wellness Coordinator] Kristin Brown on a daily basis and I’m ready to grapple,” said Hollenback.
Within seconds, however, Shahidi had flipped Hollenback over her shoulder using the “hip throw” move and had him in a submission hold that had him wincing in pain. Shahidi showed him a few other moves including the “arm bar” and “triangle choke,” which had him grimacing and yelling “uncle.” After Shahidi gave Hollenback all the submission moves he could stand, the two shook hands and Shahidi showed Hollenback how to impose a “triangle choke” on any future opponent he may have.
“This sport is incredible,” Hollenback indicated. “Shahidi was a great teacher and I look forward to learning more about submission wrestling!”
“Greg is a great sport,” Shahidi noted. “He surprised me with his strength. He may even have a future in submission wrestling.”
Intern At Pain Matters
Shahidi is also a physical therapy intern at Pain Matters, located at 950 S. Cherry Street, directly across the street from Glendale’s Infinity Park. Pain Matters is a physical therapy and rehabilitation center for people with chronic pain. Physical Therapist Scott Burns and the rest of the Pain Matters team also help out with both the men’s and women’s Glendale Raptors rugby teams.
“Pain Matters is a very unique setting and I really enjoy working there,” said Shahidi. “Scott is great and is both a Physical Therapist and my teacher at CU Denver. It’s been really fun working with him these last few months.”
With her graduation rapidly approaching, Shahidi already has her next plan in mind.
“I want to be a full-time Physical Therapist, do as much research as I can and I also might get my PhD in Clinical Investigation,” she explained. “No matter what I do, grappling will always be part of my life whether I’m competing or not. The sport keeps me sane!”
For more information about Grappler’s Edge call 303-433-3343. For more information about Pain Matters call 303-394-0500. | 
