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Folk wrestling



 
 
Folk wrestling is a generic term for traditional wrestling
Wrestling

Wrestling is part of the martial arts. A wrestling match consists of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over, or control of, the opponent....
 disciplines which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have some sort of grappling style, and "folk wrestling" is a catch-all term for such styles.

list of ethnic or folk wrestling styles will be partial, but this is a brief alphabetical list of some styles with verifiable lineages. * Khuresh
Khuresh

Khuresh is a traditional form of wrestling in the ethnically Turkic region of Tuva, in southern Siberia. The word originates from the same root as Turkish language "G?res" ....
 is a traditional form of wrestling in the ethnically Turkic
Turkic

Turkic may refer to:* Turkic languages** Turkic alphabets* Turkic peoples** Turkic migration** Turkic nationalism* Turkic European* Turkic Federalist Party...
 region of Tuva
Tuva

Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia ....
, in southern Siberia
Siberia

Siberia , is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of North Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the Soviet Union from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the 16th century....
.

There is a popular folk wrestling style of India performed on a mud surface called the akhara
Akhara

File:Kumbamella2001.jpgAkhara means literally a wrestling arena and can mean a place for verbal debate , or the place for practice for the protection of Sanatana Dharma....
; it follows an Indian tradition.

e sports could be considered too popular or formal to still be considered "folk sports".






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Folk wrestling is a generic term for traditional wrestling
Wrestling

Wrestling is part of the martial arts. A wrestling match consists of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over, or control of, the opponent....
 disciplines which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have some sort of grappling style, and "folk wrestling" is a catch-all term for such styles.

Alphabetical list

Any list of ethnic or folk wrestling styles will be partial, but this is a brief alphabetical list of some styles with verifiable lineages.
  • Pale Ancient Greek Wrestling, added to 18th Olympiad, 708 BC, as per Hippias of Elis ca. 400 BC.
  • Backhold Wrestling, evolved in Europe and was practised in North England and Scotland in the 7th and 8th century. Competitions are currently held from May to October, at Highland and Border Games. Backhold Wrestling, whose origin is unknown, was once practiced in the USA and Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    , and is still practised in France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     and Italy
    Italy

    Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
    . Scottish Wrestling and Cumberland and Westmoreland Wrestling are forms of Backhold.
  • Bökh, traditional Mongolian wrestling, where a ground-touch loses.
  • Campidanesa, traditional Sardinian wrestling, a form of collar, jacket and belt wrestling.
  • Catch-as-catch-can. Catch-as-catch-can originated in Lancashire
    Lancashire

    Lancashire is a Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in the North West England of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea....
    , England, and was further developed in the traveling circus
    Circus

    File:Faroe stamp 416 circus.jpgA circus is commonly a traveling company of performers that may include acrobatics, clowns, trained animals, trapeze acts, hoopers, tightrope walkers, juggling, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists....
     phenomenon of the 19th and early 20th century United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
    .
  • Coreeda from Australia, a modern synthesis that combines traditional Aboriginal dance with jacket wrestling within a boundary circle,the heritage of the this style is traced to the indigenous games played in pre-colonial times.Pachakuti2012 (talk) 04:04, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
  • Cornish wrestling
    Cornish wrestling

    Cornish wrestling is a form of wrestling similar to judo, which has been established in Cornwall 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....
    , from England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    , is a form of jacket wrestling. It does not use groundwork. It is related to Breton Gouren wrestling.
  • Cumberland wrestling or Cumbrian Wrestling (also known as Cumberland and Westmoreland Wrestling) is practised in the northern counties of England. It is a form of Backhold Wrestling where the wrestlers put the left arm over the opponents right arm and grip behind the opponent's back. Throws and trips. First to touch the ground or break hold loses. Competitors often wear stockings (long johns), singlet and trunks.
  • Devonshire wrestling This style was similar to the Cornish style in that jackets were worn. However devonshire wrestlers also wore heavy clogs and were able to kick the opponents. In Cornish vs Devon matches the Devonshire wrestlers might wear one only shoe. The style is generally considered to be extinct.
  • Glima
    Glima

    Gl?ma is the Icelandic national style of amateur Folk wrestling.There are four points that differentiate it from other forms of wrestling:*The opponents must always stand erect....
    , the national sport of Iceland, traces its history to the Vikings and the Norse.It is a standing style, utilising a leather harness around the waist and thighs, which the wrestlers hold (making it a form of belt-wrestling). It is often practised indoors on a wooden floor, hence hard throws are often discouraged.
  • Gouren
    Gouren

    Gouren is a style of wrestling which has been established in Brittany for several centuries.In France, gouren is overseen by the F?d?ration Fran?aise de Lutte ....
    , from Brittany
    Brittany

    Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
    , is a form of jacket wrestling, similar to Cornish wrestling.
  • Icelandic bondaglima or "farmer wrestling"
  • Inbuan is the traditional wrestling style of the Mizoram
    Mizoram

    Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North-East India India. It shares land borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur, Bangladesh and the Chin State state of Burma....
     state of India.
  • Iranian Wrestling or "Koshti". Includes the Iran-wide Pahlavani, and numerous other provincial styles.
  • Khmer Traditional Wrestling
    Khmer Traditional Wrestling

    Khmer traditional wrestling is a folk wrestling style from Cambodia. It has been practiced as far back as the Angkor period and is depicted on the bas-reliefs of certain temples....
     is a folk wrestling style from Cambodia
    Cambodia

    The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
    .
Wrestling Competition in Tos Bulak
* Khuresh
Khuresh

Khuresh is a traditional form of wrestling in the ethnically Turkic region of Tuva, in southern Siberia. The word originates from the same root as Turkish language "G?res" ....
 is a traditional form of wrestling in the ethnically Turkic
Turkic

Turkic may refer to:* Turkic languages** Turkic alphabets* Turkic peoples** Turkic migration** Turkic nationalism* Turkic European* Turkic Federalist Party...
 region of Tuva
Tuva

Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia ....
, in southern Siberia
Siberia

Siberia , is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of North Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the Soviet Union from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the 16th century....
.
  • Lancashire wrestling
    Lancashire wrestling

    Lancashire wrestling is an historic wrestling style from Lancashire in England. Many consider it the foundation of catch wrestling, professional wrestling and amateur wrestling....
    . Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling.
  • Lotta Campidanese from Italy
    Italy

    Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
    , is a form of jacket wrestling practised by countrymen and shepherds in southern Sardinia.
  • Lucha Canaria ( Canarian wrestling
    Canarian wrestling

    Canarian Wrestling is a form of folk wrestling, originally from the Canary Islands, where it is known as Lucha Canaria....
     ), native to the Canary Islands
    Canary Islands

    The Canary Islands are a Spain archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union....
     in Spain, touching ground (non-foot) loses.
  • , native to the Spanish region of Leon, touching ground (non-foot) loses.
  • Luctatio, ancient form of Roman Wrestling
    Roman Wrestling

    Roman Wrestling is a folk wrestling style that appears to have been an import of Greek Wrestling. However, the Romans seem to have scorned the nudity of the Greeks, and adopted loincloths....
    .
  • Lucta erecta Italian free-wrestling style practised during the Roman Age
    Roman Iron Age

    The Roman Iron Age is the name that Sweden archaeologist Oscar Montelius gave to a part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands....
    .
  • Lucta volutatoria is a form of Italian ground-grappling of the Roman Age
    Roman Iron Age

    The Roman Iron Age is the name that Sweden archaeologist Oscar Montelius gave to a part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands....
    .
  • Luta Livre
    Luta Livre

    Luta Livre is the Portuguese Language term for a brazilian form of Wrestling. In Brazil, it may also refer to Luta Livre Esportiva. A variation of Wrestling popular in the Mixed Martial Arts community....
    , Brazilian style of wrestling.
  • Lutte Traditionnelle
    Lutte Traditionnelle

    Lutte Traditionnelle is the name used to describe related styles of West African Folk wrestling, known as Laamb in Senegal, Boreh in The Gambia, Evala in Togo, and KoKowa / Kokawa in Hausa areas of Nigeria and Niger, or simply Lutte Traditionnelle, in Niger and Burkina Faso....
    , (fr. for Traditional Wrestling) related styles of West African wrestling, known as Laamb in Senegal
    Senegal

    Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the S?n?gal River in West Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south....
    , Boreh in The Gambia
    The Gambia

    The Gambia commonly known as Gambia, is a country in West Africa. The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa, enclave by Senegal, and has a small coast on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
    , Evala in Togo, and Lutte Traditionnelle in Niger
    Niger

    Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east....
     and Burkina Faso
    Burkina Faso

    Burkina Faso , also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and C?te d'Ivoire to the south west....
    . International competition takes place during the Jeux de la Francophonie
    Jeux de la Francophonie

    The Jeux de la Francophonie are a combination of artistic and sporting events for French speaking nations, held every four years since 1989, partly as a counterweight to the Commonwealth Games....
     and the newly organised :fr:Championnat d'Afrique de lutte traditionnelle.
  • Malla-yuddha
    Malla-yuddha

    Mallayuddha is the classical Indian martial art of wrestling ....
     (literally "wrestling combat") is the oldest martial art in India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
    .
  • Naban
    Naban

    Naban is a term for the various grappling martial arts of Burma. Techniques include joint locks, strikes to pressure points, and choke holds. Any part of the opponent's body is a legal target....
    : Burmese wrestling.
  • Pahlavani or Bastani is a traditional discipline of gymnastics and wrestling in Iran
    Iran

    Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
    .
  • Pehlwani
    Pehlwani

    File:Indian wrestler exercising. 1973.JPGPehlwani , or Kushti , which comes from the Persian language word of Pahlavani and Koshti , is a South Asian form of wrestling that is played predominantly in Pakistan and India as well as in Iran and Bangladesh....
     or Kushti is a modern form of wrestling from India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
    .
  • Penjang Gulat is a form of wrestling popular in rural Indonesia
    Indonesia

    The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
    .
  • Schwingen
    Schwingen

    Swiss wrestling is the Switzerland variant of folk wrestling.It is considered a Swiss national sport, even more prominent than Hornussen and Steinstossen....
     is the Swiss style of wrestling considered to be one of the oldest very old forms of wrestling. Wrestlers wear special canvas trousers.
  • Scottish Backhold
    Scottish Backhold

    Scottish Backhold is a style of wrestling originating in Scotland. The wrestlers grip each other around the waist at the back, with the right hand under the opponent's left arm and the chin resting on the opposite right shoulder....
     is a form of Backhold practised in Scotland. Almost identical in style to Cumberland & Westmoreland style apart from variations in rules. Competitors often wear kilts.
  • Shuai jiao
    Shuai jiao

    Shuai jiao is a Chinese martial art which combines grappling and striking. It was originally only a style of sport wrestling, but later striking and blocking were added to make it the first Chinese martial art....
    : Chinese wrestling.
  • Ssireum
    Ssireum

    Ssireum is a Korean wrestling style and is the traditional national sport of Korea. In the modern form each contestant wears a belt that wraps around the waist and the thigh....
    : Korean wrestling.
  • Strumpa: Sardinian wrestling, also known as S'Istrumpa or simply Istrumpa.
  • Trinta: Upright wrestling from Moldova
    Moldova

    Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south....
    ; it can also be practised from the knees. It is still practised in Moldova and eastern Romania
    Romania

    Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
    .
  • Westmorland wrestling (see Cumberland and Westmoreland Wrestling)
  • Yagli güres
    Yagli güres

    Yagli g?res is the Turkey national sport. It is commonly known as oil wrestling because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbekistan Kurash, Tuvan Khuresh and to Tatar K?r?s....
     is Turkish "oil wrestling". Wrestlers wear special leather trousers 'kyspet' and are oiled.


There is a popular folk wrestling style of India performed on a mud surface called the akhara
Akhara

File:Kumbamella2001.jpgAkhara means literally a wrestling arena and can mean a place for verbal debate , or the place for practice for the protection of Sanatana Dharma....
; it follows an Indian tradition.

Ethnic combat no longer considered folk wrestling

These sports could be considered too popular or formal to still be considered "folk sports". These styles form a part of international mainstream wrestling.

  • Luta Livre Esportiva
    Luta Livre Esportiva

    Luta Livre Esportiva was created in the mid 20th Century in Rio de Janeiro by Euclydes Hatem who, fought George Gracie in the 40s. "Ground fight" was always their priority because of the submissions and its importance in Vale Tudo matches....
    , Luta Livre Vale Tudo, which emphasises ground fighting and submissions
  • Shuaijiao, the folkstyle of Northern China which includes Qiaoshou and Qinan in trainings but disallowed in competition. A standup style.
  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. It is a derivative of early 20th century Kodokan Judo, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese jujutsu....
    , which emphasises ground fighting and submissions.
  • Collegiate wrestling
    Collegiate wrestling

    Collegiate wrestling is the style of amateur wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling is sometimes known as folkstyle wrestling because by and large, it is the style that emerged out of the folk wrestling styles practiced in the early history of the United States....
    , the folkstyle of the United States.
  • Greco-Roman wrestling
    Greco-Roman wrestling

    Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practiced throughout the world. Along with freestyle wrestling, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games....
    , now a major international style and Olympic sport.
  • Kodokan Judo
    Judo

    , meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
    , founded by Jigoro Kano in 1882, currently an Olympic sport.
  • Sambo
    Sambo (martial art)

    Sambo is a modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union and recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, presented by Anatoly Kharlampiev....
    , a Russian style based on various forms of folk wrestling in the former USSR and Judo.
  • Shoot wrestling
    Shoot wrestling

    Shoot wrestling is a combat sport and a general term that describes a range of hybrid fighting systems originating in Japan in the late 1970s, in close association with Japanese professional wrestling....
    , a Japanese style primarily based on catch wrestling
    Catch wrestling

    Catch wrestling is a style of wrestling. Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern grappling, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts and no-holds-barred competition....
    .
  • Sumo
    Sumo

    is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet....
    , a famous Japanese wrestling style.
  • Rvanje, a Serbian style of wrestling


Mistaken for folk wrestling

Some terms or phrases (such as "streetfight" in US English) may refer to unarmed combat but are not really folk sports, with recognized rules as used in competition. A partial list of these is:

  • Dumog
    Dumog

    Dumog is the term used in Eskrima to refer to amateur wrestling techniques. A specific system of Philippines wrestling, Buno, is considered by some to be more advanced....
    , a Filipino
    Filipino language

    The Filipino language is the national language and an official language of the Philippines as designated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It is an Austronesian language that is the de facto standard language of Tagalog language....
     term for "brawling," sometimes used for Escrima grappling techniques


Footnotes


Sources

  • The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India by Joseph S. Alter (1992). ISBN 0-520-07697-4


External links