Folk wrestling

Folk wrestling refers to many traditional ways of wrestling that different cultures have created over time. These styles may not always follow strict rules like modern sports, but they are still exciting and important to many people.

Most cultures around the world have developed their own special ways of wrestling, often passed down through families and communities. These wrestling styles are a part of their history and traditions, showing how people have played and competed for many years.

These regional forms of wrestling often involve grappling, which means holding and trying to control an opponent. They can be fun to watch and are still practiced in many places today.

Europe

Further information: European martial arts and Greco-Roman wrestling

Traditionally, wrestling has two main centres in Great Britain: the West Country, where the Devon and Cornwall styles were developed, and in the Northern counties; the home of the Cumberland and Westmorland styles and Catch wrestling.

North Country styles

• Lancashire wrestling is a historic wrestling style from Lancashire in England known for its flexible rules.
  • Catch wrestling, or Catch-as-catch-can, originated from Lancashire wrestling but was further developed during the travelling circus phenomenon of the 19th and early 20th century.
• Backhold Wrestling, whose origin is unknown, was practised in North England and Scotland in the 7th and 8th century but competitions are held in present-day at the Highland and Border Games as well as in France and Italy. Styles of Backhold are distinct from Lancashire Wrestling because they enforce rules designed to minimize injury to the participants by disallowing ground fighting.
  • Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, or Cumbrian 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 are important since the first wrestler to touch the ground or break hold loses. Competitors often wear stockings (long johns), singlet and trunks.
  • Scottish Backhold is a form of Backhold practised in Scotland. Almost identical in style to Cumberland & Westmorland style apart from variations in rules. Competitors often wear kilts.

West Country styles

• Cornish wrestling, originating from Cornwall, is a form of jacket wrestling. It does not use groundwork. It is related to Breton Gouren wrestling. From the late Middle Ages it became very popular throughout Britain and then spread through the world in the 18th and 19th centuries, with regular tournaments and matches throughout the US, Australia, South Africa, France and New Zealand and with less frequent tournaments in Ireland, India, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Japan.
• Devon wrestling, or Devonshire wrestling, was a style similar to the Cornish style in that jackets were worn. Devonshire wrestlers, however, also wore heavy clogs and were able to kick the opponents. In matches between Cornish and Devon, Devonshire wrestlers might have worn one shoe only. Unlike Cornish wrestling, the style is generally considered to be extinct. In Cornwall, wrestling with shoes was referred to as "purring".

Other styles

• Norfolk wrestling, originating from Norfolk, is another form of jacket wrestling with no groundwork.

Ireland

• Barróg was a form of backhold wrestling practiced primarily in the west and north of Ireland. The earliest visual depictions date from the 9th century AD, and matches in the style are recorded to have taken place up until the early decades of the 20th century.
• Collar-and-elbow is a jacket wrestling style native to Ireland that can be traced back to the 17th century. It was introduced to the United States by Irish immigrants, and was one of the most popular wrestling styles practiced nationwide there for much of the 19th century.

Nordic countries

• Glíma, the national sport of Iceland and traces its history to the Vikings and the Norse^{[citation needed]}. It is a standing style with rules similar to Shuai jiao and Bukh, and consists of three forms: 1) Hryggtök, the Backhold Grip; 2) Brokartök or the Pant-and-belt Grip that utilizes a leather harness around the waist and thighs, which the wrestlers hold (making it a form of belt-wrestling similar to Swiss Schwingen), and 3) Lausatök or Free-Grip is the most aggressive form of glima and contestants can use the holds they wish. It is practiced both outdoors and indoors.
• Kragkast, type of folk wrestling originating from Sweden, the wrestlers hold each other by the collar, similar to Freestyle wrestling
• Byxkast, common type of folk wrestling in Sweden, the wrestler grab each other by the belt and/or pants, related to glima
• Bröstkast, type of folk wrestling in Sweden, the wrestlers grab each other with one arm above and the other one below the opponents arms, still practiced on Gotland

Continental Europe

Western Europe

• Gouren - traditional Breton jacket wrestling. Similar to Cornish wrestling.
• Ranggeln - meaning "to wrangle" in German, Ranggeln is a prominent form of wrestling in Austria. The winner is the man who pins his opponents to the ground^{[citation needed]}
• Schwingen - Swiss style of wrestling considered to be one of the oldest forms of wrestling. Wrestlers wear special canvas trousers.
• Calegon - another form of Swiss folk wrestling, whose techniques were further developed among others into freestyle wrestling

Southern Europe

• Lucha leonesa, native to the Spanish region of León, touching ground (non-foot) loses.
• Galhofa, native to Portugal, being pinned with back to the ground loses.
• Lotta Campidanesa from Italy - Sardinian collar, jacket and belt wrestling practiced by countrymen and shepherds in southern Sardinia^{[citation needed]}
• Sa Strumpa: Sardinian wrestling, in Italy also known as S'Istrumpa or simply Istrumpa
• Mundja Gollobordes - a centuries-old wrestling competition in the Dibra region of Albania, where combatants fight for the top prize, a big horned ram.

Eastern Europe

• Trântă: Upright wrestling from Romania and Moldova; it can also be practiced from the knees.
• Narodno rvanje, is a wrestling style from Serbia, In Narodno Rvanje there are three disciplines, depending on the hold, they can be chest hold, belt hold or back hold.
• Pelivan is a wrestling style practiced in Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria

Northern Europe

• Pakištynės more practiced in North and West Lithuania.
• Ristynės more practiced in East and South Lithuania.

Asia

Central Asia

Mongolian wrestling

• Bökh - Traditional Mongolian jacket wrestling where touching the ground with anything other than a foot ends the match.
• Buryat wrestling
• Bukh noololdoon - Wrestling from Western Mongolia
• Southern Mongolian wrestling - Jacket wrestling with special clothing and rules similar to another style called Shuai Jiao.

Turkic wrestling

• Alysh - A belt wrestling style from Kyrgyzstan
• Köräş - A wrestling style from Tatar
• Kurash - An Uzbek wrestling style
• Göreş - A Turkmen wrestling style
• Khuresh - Traditional jacket wrestling from southern Siberia, influenced by Mongolian wrestling
• Küres - Traditional Kazakh jacket wrestling where leg grabs are not allowed
• Gushtingiri - Traditional Tajik jacket wrestling

East Asia

China

• Shuai Jiao: Traditional Chinese jacket wrestling from Northern Hebei, developed by imperial guards and later codified by the Kangxi Emperor. Wrestlers wear special jackets and chaps.
• Naoyang Jiao: Chinese wrestling from Northern Shanxi using leg techniques, first codified in the Song dynasty.
• Xiang Pu：Traditional Chinese belt-wrestling from Henan and Shaanxi, allowing belt grips and similar to Sumo in some ways.
• Qielixi: Chinese belt wrestling practiced by the Uyghur people.
• Gi Ge: Chinese belt wrestling from Sichuan and Yunnan with specific rules about holds and strikes.
• Ndrual Dluad: Chinese wrestling from Southwestern China where competitors must hold onto a belt.
• Beiga: Chinese belt wrestling from the Tibetan people with strict rules about holding the belt.

Other countries

• Sumo: Japanese wrestling focused on forcing the opponent out of the ring, allowing slaps and strikes.
• Jujutsu: Ancient Japanese wrestling focusing on throws and holds, developed by samurai.
• Ssireum: Korean belt wrestling played in a sand pit.
• Tegumi: Traditional wrestling from Okinawa.
• Mariwariwosu: Indigenous wrestling from Taiwan, performed on a sandpit and part of the National Aboriginal Games.

Western Asia

• Gulesh - Traditional wrestling from Azerbaijan
• Iranian Wrestling or Koshti, including Pahlavani and other styles
• Karakucak Güreşi. Traditional Turkish wrestling with rules similar to Olympic freestyle wrestling.
• Yağlı Güreşi. "Oil Wrestling" where wrestlers wear special leather trousers and are oiled.
• Khridoli and Chidaoba - Traditional Georgian combined martial arts and wrestling
• Kokh - Traditional Armenian wrestling

South Asia

Main article: Indian wrestling

• Boli Khela - Traditional wrestling from Bangladesh.
• Gatta gusthi - Traditional wrestling from Kerala, India.
• Kabaddi, Kaudi, Hadudu, or Hututu - South Asian folk wrestling with ancient roots.
• Kene - Traditional wrestling from Nagaland.
• Inbuan - Traditional wrestling from Mizoram, India.
• Malakhra or Malakhro - Wrestling found in Pakistan and India.
• Malla-yuddha - Traditional wrestling styles from South India.
• Mukna - Folk wrestling from Manipur, India.
• Pehlwani or Kushti - Mughal-style wrestling from India.
• Vajra-mushti - Indian wrestling using a weapon.

Southeast Asia

• Naban: Burmese wrestling.
• Bok Cham Bab - Folk wrestling from Cambodia.
• Benjang Gulat - Sundanese wrestling from Indonesia.
• Đấu vật or Vật cổ truyền: Vietnamese wrestling from North Vietnam.
• Bultong, indigenous wrestling from the Igorot People in the Philippines.
• Buno, indigenous wrestling from the Aeta and Mangyan peoples in the Philippines.
• Dumog, indigenous wrestling from the Visayan Islands in the Philippines.

Americas

Different countries have their own special ways of wrestling. In Brazil, there is a style called Marajoara Wrestling that people practice in the north. In the United States, there is Collegiate Wrestling, also called folkstyle wrestling, which mixes many wrestling techniques together. Mexico has Lucha Libre, a exciting style of professional wrestling. The Yawalapiti people in the Amazon basin practice a style called Huka-huka. Professional wrestling combines real athleticism with drama, where the results are planned to make the shows more fun to watch. In Bolivia, there is a fight style known as Tinku.

Africa

Many African cultures have their own special ways of wrestling. One example is Lucha canaria, which started with the guanches people in the Canary Islands and was later changed by Spanish settlers.

There are also styles called Lutte Traditionnelle in West Africa. These include Laamb in Senegal, Boreh in The Gambia, Evala in Togo, and similar wrestling in Niger and Burkina Faso. People from many countries compete in these wrestling styles during events like the Jeux de la Francophonie.

Other traditional wrestling styles include Tigel from Ethiopia, Grech from Tunisia, and Gidigbo from the Yoruba people in Nigeria, which sometimes includes special traditions and beliefs.

Oceania

Oceania has many traditional wrestling styles from different island groups.

Coreeda is a modern style from Australia that mixes dance and wrestling, performed around a yellow circle. Epoo korio from Kiwai Island in Papua New Guinea is a friendly contest where one wrestler protects a sand mound. Boumwane is the national wrestling style of Kiribati, usually performed during celebrations.

Fagatua from Tokelau helped settle village disputes. Hokoko from the Hawaii Islands was part of ancient games and festivals. Rongomamau from the Maori of New Zealand was used for training warriors. Moana from Tahiti and French Polynesia is part of a big traditional sports festival each July.

Pi'i tauva from the Kingdom of Tonga mixes boxing and wrestling and was seen by Europeans in 1777. Popoko from the Cook Islands includes thick woven belts and village chants after a win. Taupiga from the Samoan Islands had wrestlers oiled before matches. Uma, or Kulakula'i, is a hand-wrestling game from Hawaii where players try to force the opponent's arm to the ground. Veibo from Fiji was used for warrior training and later mixed with a style from India to create a new wrestling form.