Mark Cocker (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Mark Cocker is a Freestyle wrestler
, Ju-Jitsu black belt and Judo
player who trains with Bolton OWC and The Manchester Y Club. Cocker is a British and English freestyle wrestling champion and has competed for both England and Great Britain over a time period spanning thirteen years. He is also a 1st Dan
black belt in Judo under Steve Pullen MBE and 1st Dan Black Belt in Ju-Jitsu under Professor Trevor Roberts.
wrestling and eventually, he began to train at his local wrestling club in Bolton under coaches Tony Morris, Paul Morris and John Rennie. Cocker's junior career saw him take regional and national titles and he was chosen to represent Great Britain in the World Cadet Championships in 1998 held at the then Nynex Arena in Manchester. He placed 14th in the world.
team to a former South African wrestler who had gained eligibility to wrestle for England, and he attended the Games as 96KG reserve. 2002 also saw him place 7th in the FISU
World University Wrestling Championships and was the first British wrestler to ever compete at this event.
Cocker continued to compete domestically and internationally until late 2004, when he then began to cross train in other sports including a return to Ju-Jitsu and taking up Judo. He successfully transferred his wrestling skills onto the Judo mat training under Steve Pullen at Urmston
Judo club and gained his 1st Dan black belt in Judo, represented the North West in the National Team Championships, and secured a Bronze medal in the 2008 Heart of England Judo Championships.
In August 2010, Cocker was victorious in a final 'wrestle off 'against the Great Britain international Chinu Chinu, at the 120KG weight division, to decide who should represent Team England in the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi. The 'wrestle off' was a 'best of three' series of matches held at the Salford Wrestling academy, the same venue that he had lost his 2002 Commonwealth Games 'wrestle off'. Cocker won both matches and was successfully selected to represent Team England in both the Greco-Roman
and Freestyle disciplines making him the first ever English wrestler to compete at a Commonwealth Games in both styles. Cocker lost in the quarter finals stage, finishing 5th in both styles. He also won the 2011 British Championships and represented Great Britain at the FILA
2011 European Wrestling Championships
held in Dortmund (Germany).
, and how wrestling has evolved over the decades.
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
, Ju-Jitsu black belt and Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
player who trains with Bolton OWC and The Manchester Y Club. Cocker is a British and English freestyle wrestling champion and has competed for both England and Great Britain over a time period spanning thirteen years. He is also a 1st Dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
black belt in Judo under Steve Pullen MBE and 1st Dan Black Belt in Ju-Jitsu under Professor Trevor Roberts.
Early career
Cocker first got into martial arts after training with local instructor Trevor Roberts, and gained his 1st dan black belt in Roberts' Tetsu-no-otoko-ryu style of Ju-Jitsu. After showing a flare for grappling, Roberts began to coach him in the Russian style of combat known as SamboSambo (martial art)
Sambo is a Russian martial art and combat sport. The word "SAMBO" is an acronym for SAMooborona Bez Oruzhiya, which literally translates as "self-defense without weapons". Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Soviet Red Army to improve their hand to hand...
wrestling and eventually, he began to train at his local wrestling club in Bolton under coaches Tony Morris, Paul Morris and John Rennie. Cocker's junior career saw him take regional and national titles and he was chosen to represent Great Britain in the World Cadet Championships in 1998 held at the then Nynex Arena in Manchester. He placed 14th in the world.
Senior career
After a successful Junior career, Cocker moved into the senior ranks with notable success winning and medalling in numerous domestic and international tournaments. In 2002, he narrowly lost a 'wrestle off' for the English 2002 Commonwealth Games2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
team to a former South African wrestler who had gained eligibility to wrestle for England, and he attended the Games as 96KG reserve. 2002 also saw him place 7th in the FISU
International University Sports Federation
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire , based in Brussels, Belgium is responsible for the organisation and governance of worldwide competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 28...
World University Wrestling Championships and was the first British wrestler to ever compete at this event.
Cocker continued to compete domestically and internationally until late 2004, when he then began to cross train in other sports including a return to Ju-Jitsu and taking up Judo. He successfully transferred his wrestling skills onto the Judo mat training under Steve Pullen at Urmston
Urmston
Urmston is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of around 41,000. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey and the...
Judo club and gained his 1st Dan black belt in Judo, represented the North West in the National Team Championships, and secured a Bronze medal in the 2008 Heart of England Judo Championships.
Return to wrestling
In late 2008, Cocker decided to resume his freestyle wrestling career and began training again at Bolton Olympic Wrestling club. He made his competitive comeback in the 2009 British Open wrestling championships winning the Bronze medal in the 120KG weight division. He went on to win the 2010 English Open Championships at the 120KG weight division and placed second in the 2010 British Closed championships. In July 2010, Cocker was again chosen to represent Great Britain at the UK Sport funded GB World Cup event held in Sheffield and won the Silver Medal, beating wrestlers from Uzbekistan and Latvia to reach the final.In August 2010, Cocker was victorious in a final 'wrestle off 'against the Great Britain international Chinu Chinu, at the 120KG weight division, to decide who should represent Team England in the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi. The 'wrestle off' was a 'best of three' series of matches held at the Salford Wrestling academy, the same venue that he had lost his 2002 Commonwealth Games 'wrestle off'. Cocker won both matches and was successfully selected to represent Team England in both the Greco-Roman
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
and Freestyle disciplines making him the first ever English wrestler to compete at a Commonwealth Games in both styles. Cocker lost in the quarter finals stage, finishing 5th in both styles. He also won the 2011 British Championships and represented Great Britain at the FILA
International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, also known in French as Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées , is an international wrestling federation that holds events around the world. It is the governing body of international amateur wrestling...
2011 European Wrestling Championships
2011 European Wrestling Championships
The 2011 FILA European Wrestling Championships will be held in Dortmund, Germany, from March 29 to April 3, 2011.-Medal table:-Team ranking:-Men's freestyle:-Men's Greco-Roman:-Women's freestyle:-External links:*...
held in Dortmund (Germany).
Documentary
In 2002, Cocker was part of a documentary 'Catch – The Hold Not Taken' that was created to investigate the roots of different styles of wrestling such as freestyle and Catch wrestlingCatch wrestling
Catch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...
, and how wrestling has evolved over the decades.