Collar-and-elbow
Encyclopedia
Collar-and-elbow wrestling is a style of folk wrestling
Folk wrestling
A folk wrestling style is a traditional wrestling discipline which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have developed their own sort of grappling style unique from other styles practiced...

 native to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 that can be traced back to the 17th century but it has ties to the Games of Tailtinn between 632 BC and 1169 AD. Though originating in Ireland, the style flourished in America. The style is often compared to Catch wrestling
Catch 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...

, Gouren
Gouren
Gouren is a style of folk wrestling which has been established in Brittany for several centuries.In today's France, Gouren is overseen by the Fédération Française de Lutte .-History:...

 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...

. Collar-and-elbow features and array of trips, mares/throws, hip-locking, Shin kicking, pinning combinations, and submissions.

Origins in Ireland

The origins of Irish collar-and-elbow are not known; according to historian Edward MacLysaght
Edward MacLysaght
Edward MacLysaght was one of the foremost genealogists of twentieth century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames built upon the work of Patrick Woulfe's Irish Names and Surnames and made him well known to all those researching their family past.-Early life:Edward was born in Flax Bourton...

, it was an organized sport as early as the 17th century in which the more prominent of the wrestlers were able to earn a living.

Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...

 tells of a wrestling bout that took place in Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...

 in his Amhrain Cuige Connacht ("Gaelic History of the province of Connacht"). A young wrestler known as Laidir (the strong) took up the challenge issued by the champion of the town of Sligo. This man had been living at the expense of the town, as was the custom of the day, and had killed several men in earlier bouts. He was a greatly feared man and not overly loved by the people of Sligo. Odds were ten to one that the challenger would fall. The two met on the public greens in front of the mass of townspeople. Laidir latched onto his opponent and hurled him to the ground, breaking his neck. The astonished crowd, silent with awe for a moment, cheered their new champion. Of course, the new champion had nothing to fear from the law as this was a legal contest with an unfortunate ending.

United States

Although collar-and-elbow was seen as a common man's sport in Ireland, it was considered a gentlemen's pastime in several areas of the colonies. It was part of the curriculum at the Reverend James Maury's Academy
James Maury
The Reverend James Maury was a prominent Virginia educator and minister during the American Colonial period.He was the son of Matthew Maury, a French Huguenot, who was born in Castel Mauron, in Gascony, and his wife, Mary Anne Fontaine, daughter of Rev. James Fontaine and Anne Elizabeth...

 in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...

. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

, at the age of eighteen, held a collar-and-elbow championship that was at least county wide. Twenty-eight years later, in command of the Continental Armies, he demonstrated his wrestling skill by dealing flying mares to seven volunteers from Massachusetts. Washington was not the only grappling president of the United States. Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...

, William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...

, Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...

 and Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

 also practiced at one time or another the style of collar-and-elbow. Abe Lincoln was a champion of catch-as-catch-can
Catch 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...

 wrestling and once referred to himself as possibly the second best wrestler in southern Illinois.

In the late 18th century, the style came to Vermont with some of the Irish settlers and had a home in the church. It flourished in the Vermont area for over 100 years and, during that time, spread across the globe as it mixed with other styles. In the mid 19th century, rules were loosely created to ban the use of biting, butting and scratching. These were known as the "Dufur" rules named after their originator, and famous American Collar-and-Elbow champion, Henry Moses Dufur.

Collar-and-Elbow found much success in mixed-style competitions against styles such as Lancashire wrestling
Lancashire wrestling
Lancashire wrestling is an historic wrestling style from Lancashire in England. Many consider it the foundation of catch wrestling, professional and amateur wrestling....

, Greco Roman Wrestling, and others. Often these matches were contested best "3 out of 5 falls". The fall stipulations would then been agreed upon by both competitors. Example: John McMahon (Collar-and-Elbow Champion) vs. William Miller (Well-known Greco Roman Wrestler). Two rounds "catch as you can", above the waist with jackets. Two falls "catch as you can" without jackets, tripping allowed--and if a fifth fall become necessary, the competitors would coin toss to determine who chooses. But this was never exclusive. In the latter days of Collar-and-Elbow's popularity, matches consisted of "2 out of 3 falls". One fall jacket Collar-and-Elbow, one fall Greco Roman, and one fall Catch As You Can.

Some of Collar-and-Elbow's techniques exist today within Catch wrestling
Catch 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...

, in addition to Freestyle wrestling
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...

 and wrestling in general. Collar-and-Elbow's influence can also be seen in modern Professional Wrestling's use of the Collar-and-Elbow tie up, which is utilized as the initial starting position in a majority of Professional Wrestling matches.

Irish martial arts
Irish martial arts
There are a number of traditional martial arts styles native to Ireland.The Irish language term for "martial arts" is .Traditional styles include Dornálíocht , Coraíocht , Speachóireacht , and Batadóireacht .- Boxing :Dornálaíocht, pronounced "durn-awly-okt" is the Irish word for boxing, dorn...

 are known to teach "Collar-and-Elbow" techniques within their "Coraiocht" curriculum. "Coraiocht" translates as "wrestle". In the case of IMA, the term is used in general referring to grappling, not the old-style of Irish backhold wrestling by the same name, which also exists within IMA's "Coraiocht" training.

While Irish Collar-and-elbow seemed to hold more focused on standing based jacket techniques, American Collar-and-elbow utilized more non-jacketed techniques plus many ground based pins and submissions.

Characteristics and rules

It was the smaller man who usually excelled in this style, it is said that practitioners would utilize balance and speed to achieve positioning so that strength could then be applied towards the leverage gained. It was practiced both with and without jackets with double sewn seams. Footwear was banned from being worn in competition early on due to the kicking and tripping techniques employed. The wrestlers who practiced this style referred to themselves as "scufflers" and "trippers". An impromptu scuffling match was known as a scuffling bee.

While there is no evidence showing that the Irish style of collar-and-elbow wrestling in Ireland was a groundfighting game, it must be noted that the Irish who came to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th century had a style that included a fairly large amount of ground wrestling, which goes against the mold of other indigenous styles. It works for a throw then a pinning combination. The beginning stance is the foundation of the style as well as the origin of its name. The wrestlers face each other, grabbing the elbow with the left hand and the collar area with the right hand. This very stance forced the scufflers to use technique rather than a bull rush on their opponent. The initial "Collar-and-Elbow" grip/tie up could not be intentionally broken and instead must be broken by the opponent. Once/if the grip is broken, the competitors were then allowed to catch any grip possible. The collar-and-elbow grip also varied depending on the competitors. Which hand gripped which area was strictly preference caused by the competitors dominant side. The beginning of the match was often a test of strategy and balance. The scufflers would try to circle each other clockwise while a series of unbalancing maneuvers, including kicking and tripping, would be played-out by both combatants. This stage of the match could last a very long time, indeed, there are accounts where the standing portion of the match had lasted over an hour. Inevitably a take-down would occur. A flying mare
Throw (grappling)
A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground in Japanese martial arts referred to as nage-waza, 投げ技, "throwing technique"...

 or a snap mare was a common takedown. A mare was a throw in which the feet of the thrown opponent actually were higher than his head. Ground wrestling began after one or both of the scufflers hit the ground. Half-nelson
Nelson hold
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed from the backside of the opponent. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpit, and secured at the opponent's neck...

s and various grapevines
Grappling hold
A grappling hold is a grappling, wrestling, judo or other martial arts term for a specific grip that is applied to an opponent. Holds are principally used to control the opponent, and to advance in points or positioning...

 and other ground control techniques
Ground fighting
Ground fighting is hand-to-hand combat which takes place while the combatants are on the ground, generally involving grappling...

 were then employed. A match was originally won only when all four points of the body were pinned to the ground for the count of five. Four points meaning both shoulders and both points of the hips. In the late 19th century, the requirement to win was lessened to a three point touch. The Irish style of Collar-and-Elbow originally resembled that of Cornish Wrestling. The American style featured, or possibly evolved to feature, a wide array of pinning techniques and submissions performed with and without a jacket.

It appears that many of the techniques had names derived from things found in their work environments. Mares, Windmills, Grapevines, etc.

Common Terms

  • "Scuffler"/"Tripper" - title given to practitioners of Collar-and-Elbow.
  • "Mare" - refers to any throw which causes the opponents feet to go over his head.
  • "Grapevine" - refers to any type of technique which "entangles" the limbs of an opponent.
  • "Grass Down" - refers to an opponent being thrown to the ground.
  • "Points Down" - refers to an opponent being pinned to the ground.

Standing

  • The Trippett - similar to ko uchi gari
    Kouchi Gari
    ,is one of the original 40 throws of Judoas developed by Jigoro Kano.It belongs to the second group,Dai Nikyo,of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo , of Kodokan Judo.It is also part of the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo....

    .
  • The Loose Leg - similar to o uchi gari
    Ouchi Gari
    is one of the original 40 throws of Judo as developed by Kanō Jigorō. It belongs to the first group,Dai Ikkyo,of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo , of Kodokan Judo.It is also included in the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo.It is classified as a foot technique, Ashi-Waza.- Technique...

    .
  • Howard's Hank - similar to ko soto gake
    Kosoto Gari
    ,is one of the original 40 throws of Judoas developed by Jigoro Kano.It belongs to the second group,Dai Nikyo,of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo , of Kodokan Judo.It is also part of the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo....

    .
  • The Flying Hobby - similar to harai tsurikomi ashi
    Harai Tsurikomi Ashi
    is one of the original 40 throws of Judo as developed by Jigoro Kano. It belongs to the third group, Sankyo,of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo , of Kodokan Judo. It is also part of the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo. It is classified as a foot technique, Ashi-waza....

    .
  • The Buttock - Also called the "Cross Buttock". Similar to o goshi
    O Goshi
    is one of the original 40 throws of Judo as developed by Jigoro Kano.It belongs to the first group,Dai Ikkyo, of the traditional throwing list, Gokyo , of Kodokan Judo. It is also part of the current 67 Throws of Kodokan Judo...

    .
  • Flying Mare - Similar to ippon seoinage
    Ippon Seoinage
    is a throw in judo. It is one of the nineteen accepted techniques in Shinmeisho No Waza of Kodokan Judo. It is classified as a hand throwing technique, Te-waza.-Professional wrestling:...

  • Snap Mare - Similar to Flying Mare, only grasping the opponent's head rather than arm, sometimes done on one knee.
  • The Double Touch - Speculated to be a method of blocking an attempted leg sweep.
  • The Blackguard Snatch - Speculated to be more than likely a means of unbalancing than an actual takedown.
  • The Whip (or Irish Whip) - Used alone as an unbalancing technique; used in combination with a quick leg trip.
  • The Back Heel - Similar to o soto gari.

Ground

  • Collar Sleeper - similar to cross lapel choke.
  • Sleeper Hold - similar to rear naked choke.
  • Nelson and Crotch - Multiple variations, similar to various cradle pins.
  • The Bridge - "Bridging Up" refers to being on your back, and pushing yourself up on elbows and feet to prevent pinning and to quickly rise back to feet. (See "The Magnificent Scufflers, Chapter 2, page 13, 3rd paragraph down)
  • The Hip Bump - Mentioned in "The Magnificent Scufflers" as a standing technique possibly similar to o soto gari. Other grappling styles mention it as a means of rolling an opponent off of you.
  • Overarm Hook - Mentioned in "The Magnificent Scufflers" as a way to counter a leg takedown.
  • Forearm Hook - Mentioned in "The Magnificent Scufflers" as a type of takedown.

See also

  • Folk wrestling
    Folk wrestling
    A folk wrestling style is a traditional wrestling discipline which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have developed their own sort of grappling style unique from other styles practiced...

  • Cornish wrestling
    Cornish wrestling
    Cornish wrestling is a form of wrestling which has been established in Cornwall, an area of southwest Britain for several centuries. The referee is known as a 'stickler', and it is claimed that the popular meaning of the word as a 'pedant' originates from this usage...

  • Gouren
    Gouren
    Gouren is a style of folk wrestling which has been established in Brittany for several centuries.In today's France, Gouren is overseen by the Fédération Française de Lutte .-History:...

  • Catch wrestling
    Catch 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...

  • 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...

  • Irish martial arts
    Irish martial arts
    There are a number of traditional martial arts styles native to Ireland.The Irish language term for "martial arts" is .Traditional styles include Dornálíocht , Coraíocht , Speachóireacht , and Batadóireacht .- Boxing :Dornálaíocht, pronounced "durn-awly-okt" is the Irish word for boxing, dorn...

  • Brazilian jiu-jitsu
    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

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