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113-515: Pehlwani , also known as Kushti , is a form of wrestling contested in the Indian subcontinent . It was developed in 14th century by combining Persian Koshti pahlevani with influences from native Indian Malla-yuddha . The words pehlwani and kushti derive from the Persian terms pahlavani (heroic) and koshti (wrestling, lit. killing) respectively, meaning Heroic wrestling. A practitioner of this sport

226-441: A Napoleonic soldier named Jean Exbrayat first developed the style. Exbrayat performed in fairs and called his style of wrestling "flat hand wrestling" to distinguish it from other forms of hand-to-hand combat that allowed striking. In 1848, Exbrayat established the rule that no holds below the waist were to be allowed; neither were painful holds or torsions that would hurt the opponent. "Flat hand wrestling" or "French wrestling" (as

339-549: A competitor can partake in. For example, some junior varsity and freshman competitors are not allowed in tournament competition due to the amount of mat time a wrestler would accrue in a short time period. Women's college wrestling in the U.S. uses freestyle wrestling rules in the NCAA and standard collegiate rules in the NCWA . There are currently several organizations which oversee collegiate wrestling competition: Divisions I, II, and III of

452-503: A culture or geographic region of the world that UWW does not administer rules for. Examples of the many styles of folk wrestling, include Cornish wrestling , backhold wrestling (from Europe), Cumberland Wrestling and Catch-as-catch-can (from England), kurash from Uzbekistan, gushteengiri from Tajikistan, khuresh from Siberia, Lotta Campidanese from Italy, naban from Myanmar, pehlwani from India, penjang gulat from Indonesia, schwingen from Switzerland, tigel from Ethiopia, kene of

565-415: A fall, two of the three officials must agree (usually, the referee and either the judge or the mat chairman). In modern Greco-Roman wrestling, matches are contested over two three-minute halves with the winner being decided by fall, technical superiority or cumulative points across both periods (decision). The modern format emphasizes wrestling on the feet instead of mat wrestling (par terre); in contrast to

678-541: A form of schoolboy wrestling called "orthopale" (used by Plato to describe the standing part of wrestling) that did not mention any lower-body holds. Real ancient wrestling was quite different; see Greek wrestling . The British never really enjoyed Greco-Roman wrestling in comparison to its less restrictive counterpart, freestyle wrestling , and neither did the Americans, despite the efforts of William Muldoon (a successful New York barroom freestyle wrestler who served in

791-404: A given ruleset. Wrestling involves different grappling-type techniques, such as clinch fighting , throws and takedowns , joint locks , pins , and other grappling holds . Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts , combat sports , and military systems . Wrestling comes in different competitive forms, the most popular being professional wrestling , which

904-561: A gold medal in freestyle in 1932. The United States Olympic delegation (exclusively wrestling freestyle before) first entered Greco-Roman wrestling in 1952 and has taken three gold medals, won by Steve Fraser and Jeffrey Blatnick in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and by Rulon Gardner at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney , Australia. Currently, international Greco-Roman wrestling is divided into five main age categories: U15, U17 (Cadets), U20 (Juniors), Seniors U23, or Seniors. For men, there

1017-477: A grand amplitude throw that brings his opponent into the danger position, he is awarded the greatest number of points that can be scored in one instance. Also, a wrestler who takes the risk to briefly roll on the mat (with his shoulders in contact with the mat) could give a certain number of points to his opponent. Scoring can be accomplished in the following ways: Classification points are also awarded in an international wrestling tournament, which give most points to

1130-469: A number of wrestling champions to compete for his entertainment. The greatest wrestling centres were said to be Western Uttar Pradesh and Panjab region . In 1909, a Bengali merchant named Abdul Jabbar Saudagar intended to unite the local youth and inspire them in the anti-British struggle against the colonists through a display of strength by holding a wrestling tournament. Known as Jabbar-er Boli Khela, this competition has continued through independence and

1243-435: A pound of meat every day. Ideally, wrestlers are supposed to avoid sour and excessively spiced foods such as chatni and achar as well as chaat . Mild seasoning with garlic, cumin, coriander, and turmeric is acceptable. The consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and paan is strongly discouraged. It has been said that most of the moves found in the wrestling forms of other countries are present in kushti, and some are unique to

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1356-685: A prize to the tournament winner. Greco-Roman wrestling soon became prestigious in continental Europe. It was the first style registered at the modern Olympic Games , beginning in Athens in 1896 with one heavyweight bout, and grew in popularity during the 20th century. It has always been featured in the Olympic Games, except during the Paris Olympic Games in 1900 and the St. Louis Olympic Games of 1904, when freestyle first emerged as an Olympic sport. Perhaps

1469-453: A red-colored side and a blue-colored side. The wrestler who won the colored disk toss will receive the advantage in the Olympic lift. The wrestler who lost the colored disk toss then places his hands and knees in the center circle, with the hands and knees at least 20 centimeters apart and the distance between the hands a maximum of 30 centimeters. The arms of that wrestler would be stretched out,

1582-497: A referee inside the ring and a panel of two judges watching from the outside. Official titles awarded to kushti champions are as follows. Note that the title Rustam is actually the name of an Iranian hero from the Shahnameh epic. Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within

1695-406: A thick rubber circular mat that is shock-absorbing to ensure safety. For the Olympic Games, all World Championships, and World Cups, the mat has to be new. The main wrestling area has a nine-meter diameter and is surrounded by a 1.5 meter border of the same thickness known as the "protection area". Inside the nine meter in diameter circle is a red band of one meter in width that is on the outer edge of

1808-513: A type of hand-stitched lederhosen called a kispetler , which are traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently have been made of calfskin. Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet . Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kisbet . To win by this move is called paça kazık . Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two days, until one man

1921-496: A way of purporting it to be similar to the wrestling formerly found in the ancient civilizations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea especially at the ancient Greek Olympics . At that time, the athletes initially wore skintight shorts but later wrestled each other naked. It is speculated that many styles of European folk wrestling may have spurred the origins of Greco-Roman wrestling. According to United World Wrestling ,

2034-457: A wrestler wins the match when he has won the majority of periods. For example, if one competitor were to win the first period 1–0 and the second period 1–0, the match would be over. However, if the other competitor were to win the second period, then a third and deciding period would result. Only a fall, injury default, or disqualification terminates the match; all other modes of victory result only in period termination. One side effect of this format

2147-515: Is a form of athletic theatre. Others include Greco-Roman , freestyle , judo , sambo , folkstyle , catch , shoot , luta livre , submission , sumo , pehlwani , shuai jiao , and more. Wrestling first appeared in the ancient Olympic Games as an event during the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules, with both traditional historic and modern styles. The term "wrestling" in Modern English originated from

2260-574: Is a tie among wrestlers for classification points, the ranking is determined in this order from the highest to the lowest: Wrestlers who remained tied after that will be awarded placements ex aequo . Wrestlers classified from the fifth to the 10th place will receive a special diploma. The wrestling tournaments in the Olympic Games and the Senior and Junior World Championships are designed to take place over three days on three mats. The match takes place on

2373-482: Is a world heritage martial art which was introduced to the Ancient Olympic Games in 648 BC. Modern amateur pankration is a form of mixed martial arts (MMA) that incorporates techniques from multiple systems. Matches are fought with both grappling and striking techniques. Alysh is a Turkic term for a Central Asian folk wrestling style which involves the wearing of jackets, trousers and thick belts. Throughout

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2486-404: Is also a special category for some Greco-Roman competitions, "Veterans", for men ages 35 and older, presumably featuring the same weight classes as seniors. Also, all of the men's age categories and weight classes can be applied to freestyle wrestling . Wrestlers after weigh-in may only wrestle in their own weight class. Wrestlers in the senior age category may wrestle up a weight class except for

2599-486: Is also regarded as nutritious. Various articles in the Indian wrestling monthly Bharatiya Kushti have recommended the consumption of the following fruits: apples, wood-apples , bananas, figs , pomegranates, gooseberries , lemons, and watermelons. Orange juice and green vegetables are also recommended for their sattvic nature. Many pehlwan eat meat due to its high protein content. Famed pehlwan Dara Singh used to eat more than

2712-537: Is also treated more as a sport than the entertainment style of wrestling common in North America . As with British/European wrestling, there are fewer and less contrived storylines and angles and there is a similar atmosphere of realistic sporting competition. Much of this direction can be attributed to the influence of two European catch wrestlers/coaches Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson whose matches in Japan early in

2825-548: Is divided in half by a red line eight centimeters in width. The diagonally opposite corners of the mat are marked with the wrestlers' colors, red and blue. For competition in the Olympic Games , the World Championships, and the Continental Championships, the mat is installed on a platform no greater than 1.1 meters in height. If the mat lies on a podium and the protection margin (covering and free space around

2938-454: Is divided into two styles: no-gi and gi. In no-gi (GNG), athletes wear shorts and a compression shirt called a rashguard. In gi grappling (GWG), athletes wear a kimono or gi . The goal of the sport is to take down and control the opponent on the ground and potentially win a submission using chokes and joint locks. Pankration (PK), from the Greek words pan and kratos and meaning "all of power",

3051-447: Is either a circular or square shape, measuring at least fourteen feet across. Rather than using modern mats, South Asian wrestlers train and compete on dirt floors. Before training, the floor is raked of any pebbles or stones. Buttermilk, oil, and red ochre are sprinkled to the ground, giving the dirt its red hue. Water is added every few days to keep it at the right consistency; soft enough to avoid injury but hard enough so as not to impede

3164-428: Is often concluded in a raised ring; akin to boxing. Although advertised as contests , bouts are actually exhibitions with winners generally pre-determined to increase entertainment value. Legitimate wrestling skill remained a valuable bargaining chip in the wrestling industry until the late 20th century however, with occasional shoot matches (often to settle some backstage personal or business dispute) taking place in

3277-430: Is recognized by UNESCO as among the world's longest-running forms of sport. The best wrestlers earn the title of pahlevan (hero). It is similar to freestyle wrestling, however wrestlers wear pants which extend from the waist to below the knees and a belt. They are allowed to use or grab pants or belt as a grip, use legs, waist, clinch, leg trips and lift or throw, with the goal being to touch their opponent's shoulders to

3390-401: Is referred to as a pehlwan (Persian word for hero ) while teachers are known as ustad (Persian word for teacher or master ). One of the most famous practitioners of Pehlwani was The Great Gama (Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt), who is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Kodi Rammurthy Naidu was another example. Brahmdev Mishra is another example of an Indian wrestler who

3503-500: Is regarded an integral part of a wrestler's exercise regimen. A typical training day will go as follows: According to the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, everything in the universe—including people, activities, and foods—can be sorted into three gunas : sattva (calm/good), rajas (passionate/active), and tamas (dull/lethargic). As a vigorous activity, wrestling has an inherently rajasic nature, which pehlwan counteract through

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3616-820: Is retrospectively considered a precursor to mixed martial arts . Mexican professional wrestling, also known as lucha libre , is a style of wrestling using special holds. Most performers, known as luchadores (singular luchador ), begin their careers wearing masks, but most will lose their masks during their careers. Traditionally a match involves the best of three rounds, with no time limit. Each luchador uses his own special wrestling style or "estilo de lucha" consisting of aerial attack moves, strikes and complex submission holds. Popular luchadores in Mexico and Puerto Rico are El Santo , Blue Demon , Mil Máscaras , Perro Aguayo , Carlos Colón , Konnan , L. A. Park and Místico . Several wrestlers who performed in Mexico also had success in

3729-409: Is that it is possible for the losing wrestler to outscore the winner. For example, periods may be scored 3–2, 0–4, 1–0, leading to a total score of 4–6 but a win for the wrestler scoring fewer points. This format was changed Each Greco-Roman period is broken up into a phase for wrestling from the neutral position and a maximum of two par terre (ground wrestling) phases. During the wrestling phase from

3842-537: Is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world. In recent years this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries. Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the commonly used name of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States . This style, with modifications , is also practiced at the high school and middle school levels, and also for younger participants. The term

3955-421: Is used to distinguish the style from other styles of wrestling used in other parts of the world, and from those of the Olympic Games : Greco-Roman wrestling , and freestyle wrestling . Some high schools in the U.S. have developed junior varsity and freshman teams alongside varsity teams. Junior varsity and freshman wrestling teams restrict competitors not only by weight, but also by age and the amount of wrestling

4068-640: The Book of Genesis , the Patriarch Jacob is said to have wrestled with God or an angel. The Iliad , in which Homer recounts the Trojan War of the 13th or 12th century BC, also contains mentions of wrestling. Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata contain references to martial arts including wrestling. The Yellow Emperor fought the rebel Chi You using Shuai Jiao at the Battle of Zhoulu . This early style of combat

4181-588: The Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 through to the modern era with regular events since 1928. Oil wrestling ( Turkish : yağlı güreş ), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbek kurash , Tuvan khuresh and Tatar and Bashkir көрәш ( köräş ). The wrestlers, known as pehlivanlar meaning "champion" wear

4294-750: The Franco-Prussian War and learned the style in France) to promote it in the United States after the Civil War . However, on the continent of Europe , the style was highly promoted. Almost all the continental European capital cities hosted international Greco-Roman tournaments in the 19th century, with much prize money given to the place winners. For example, the Czar of Russia paid 500 francs for wrestlers to train and compete in his tournament, with 5,000 francs awarded as

4407-479: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Wrestling has produced significantly more UFC champions than any other martial art. Wrestlers such as Dan Severn , Don Frye , Mark Coleman , Randy Couture , Mark Kerr , Kazushi Sakuraba , Pat Miletich , and Dan Henderson won many of the early UFC tournaments along with other accolades. Ken Shamrock won the first UFC Superfight Championship and

4520-691: The 1940s before the sport grew more theatrical. Wrestlers from the period were known as hookers or shooters due to their legitimate skills – a dwindling number have remained in the business until modern times. Popular wrestlers from this era include Martin "Farmer" Burns , Frank Gotch , Tom Jenkins , Charles Cutler , Joe Stecher , Earl Caddock , Stanislaus Zbyszko , Ed "Strangler" Lewis , Ad Santel , John Pesek , Jim Londos , Ray Steele , Dick Shikat , and transitional figure Lou Thesz . Sometimes referred as "American-style" professional wrestling, companies such as WWE , AEW , Impact Wrestling and ROH run touring professional wrestling events throughout

4633-492: The 1970s inspired considerable interest in the more purist grappling element of professional wrestling. Popular Japanese wrestlers include Rikidozan , Giant Baba , Antonio Inoki , Mitsuharu Misawa , Kenta Kobashi , Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Mutoh . Shoot style wrestling evolved from traditional puroresu in an attempt to create a combat -based style. Shoot style featured a mix of amateur and catch wrestling , kickboxing and submission grappling . Shoot style wrestling

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4746-530: The 1980s/1990s and early satellite sports channels during the same period as well as extensive home video releases in 1980s Germany/Austria) – but later declined and was supplanted both on television and in wider culture by imported American wrestling. Some promoters in the UK (and to a lesser extent France and Germany ) still produce live shows in this style but face stiff competition from more American-styled rivals. Japanese professional wrestling, also known as puroresu ,

4859-475: The 60s, India was ranked among the first eight or nine wrestling nations of the world and hosted the world wrestling championships in New Delhi in 1967. Pehlwans who compete in wrestling nowadays are also known to cross train in the grappling aspects of judo and jujutsu . Legendary wrestlers from the bygone era like Karl Gotch have made tours to India to learn kushti and further hone their skills. Karl Gotch

4972-851: The Cornish Wrestling Association is affiliated to the British Wrestling Association which is linked to the UWW. The International Federation of Celtic Wrestling (FILC) organises international competitions between wrestlers from these styles. Folk styles have been international in nature. For example, there have been regular Cornish wrestling tournaments and matches in the US, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England and Cornwall, with irregular tournaments and matches in Japan, Canada and Mexico. There have also been Inter-Celtic tournaments between Cornwall and Brittany dating back to

5085-538: The FILA World Championships, the first place wrestler will receive the World Championship Belt.) The two repechage round winners will each be awarded third place with a bronze medal. The two wrestlers who lost in the finals for the third place are awarded fifth place. From seventh place down, the wrestlers are ranked according to the classification points earned for their victories or losses. If there

5198-530: The IV Asian Games (later on called Jakarta Games) in 1962 when all the seven wrestlers were placed on the medal list and in between them they won 12 medals in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling . A repetition of this performance was witnessed again when all the 8 wrestlers sent to the Commonwealth Games held at Kingston , Jamaica had the distinction of getting medals for the country. During

5311-495: The Indian subcontinent. These are primarily locks, throws, pins, and submission holds. Unlike its ancient ancestor malla-yuddha , kushti does not permit strikes or kicks during a match. Among the most favoured manoeuvres are the dhobi paat (shoulder throw) and the kasauta (strangle pin). Other moves include the baharli , dhak , machli gota and the multani . Wrestling competitions known as dangal or kushti , are held in villages and as such are variable and flexible. The area

5424-811: The NCAA, the NAIA , the NJCAA , and the NCWA. NCAA Division I wrestling is considered the most prestigious and challenging level of competition. A school chooses which athletic organization to join, although it may compete against teams from other levels and organizations during regular-season competition. The collegiate season starts in October or November and culminates with the National Championship tournament held in March. Professional wrestling

5537-471: The Nagas from India, shuai jiao from China, and ssireum from Korea. Folk wrestling styles are not recognized as international styles of wrestling by UWW . Celtic wrestling styles (e.g., Cornish wrestling , Scottish Backhold , Cumberland Wrestling , Gouren and Collar-and-elbow ) are a subset of folk wrestling and have their own regulatory bodies and some are affiliated to other organisations. For example,

5650-411: The Olympic Games, for both men and women. This style allows the use of the wrestler's or his opponent's legs in offense and defense. Freestyle wrestling has its origins in catch-as-catch-can wrestling and awards points on the basis of throw amplitude, exposure of an opponent's back to the mat and opponent passivity. A freestyle wrestler may instantly win a match by holding both of an opponent's scapula to

5763-455: The Olympic lift (called an upside-down belt hold) at the beginning of the first 30 seconds. The bottom wrestler could then attempt to defend himself. At the end of first thirty seconds, the clinch position is reversed with the other wrestler receiving the Olympic lift, and the period continuing for the remaining 30 seconds. The period is decided by who accumulated the most points during both standing and ground phases. During each ground phase, if

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5876-463: The Soviet Union, while not allowing chokeholds . I personally think that the very best skill for MMA is wrestling, I think that's the number one base to come from because those guys just flat out dictate where the fight takes place [standing or on the ground]." "There is no better base for entering into mixed martial arts than the highly successful competitor as a wrestler. The competitive wrestlers,

5989-455: The Soviet armed forces. Its influences are varied, with techniques borrowed from sports ranging from the two international wrestling styles of Greco-Roman and freestyle to judo, jujitsu, European styles of folk wrestling , and even fencing . The rules for sport sambo are similar to those in competitive judo, with a variety of leg locks and defense holds from the various national wrestling styles in

6102-649: The Terrace Garden Theater in New York lasted eight hours before ending in a draw. Even in the 1912 Olympics, a match between Martin Klein of Russia ( Estonia ) and Alfred Asikainen of Finland lasted for eleven hours and forty minutes before Martin Klein won. He received the silver medal because he was too tired to compete in final match next day. That record was later published at Guinness World Records . The International Amateur Wrestling Federation (IAWF) took over

6215-502: The UWW International Wrestling Rules A match can be won in the following ways: In an international wrestling tournament, teams enter one wrestler at each weight class and score points based on the individual performances. For example, if a wrestler at the 60 kg weight class finishes in first place, then his team will receive 10 points. If he were to finish in tenth place, then the team would only receive one. At

6328-706: The United States) in both freestyle and Greco-Roman matches in England, Georg Hackenschmidt wrestled exclusively freestyle in order to compete better against English, Australian, and American opponents. Winning more than 2,000 victories in Greco-Roman and freestyle, Hackenschmidt served as the physical education adviser to the House of Lords after his retirement. Professional matches in Greco-Roman wrestling were known for their great brutality. Body slams, choke-holds, and head-butting

6441-568: The United States, including Eddie Guerrero , Rey Mysterio (Jr.) , and Dos Caras Jr./Alberto Del Rio . In France in the 19th century, early professional wrestling shows in the Greco-Roman style were often performed at the circus by the resident strongmen . This style later spread to circuses in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia where it was a staple part of circuses in the Soviet era, where it

6554-418: The center, blowing the whistle to start and stop the action, and supervises the scoring of holds and infractions. The judge sits at the side of the mat, keeps score, and occasionally gives his approval when needed by the referee for various decisions. The mat chairman sits at the scoring table, keeps time, is responsible for declaring technical superiority, and supervises the work of the referee and judge. To call

6667-420: The circle and is known as the "red zone". The red zone is used to help indicate passivity on the part of a wrestler; thus, it is also known as the "passivity zone". Inside the red zone is the "central wrestling area" which is seven meters in diameter. In the middle of the central wrestling area is the "central circle", which is one meter in diameter. The central circle is surrounded by a band 10 centimeters wide and

6780-481: The colonial period, the training regimen has remained the same for over 150 years. Fledgling wrestlers may start as early as 6, but most begin formal training in their teens. They are sent to an akhara or traditional wrestling school where they are put under the apprenticeship of the local guru. Their only training attire is the kowpeenam or loincloth. Vyayam or physical training is meant to build strength and develop muscle bulk and flexibility. Exercises that employ

6893-406: The consumption of sattvic foods. Milk and ghee are regarded as the most sattvic of foods and, along with almonds, constitute the holy trinity of the pehlwani khurak (from Persian خوراک پهلوانی khorâk-e pahlavâni ), or diet. A common snack for pehlwan are chickpeas that have been sprouted overnight in water and seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon; the water in which the chickpeas were sprouted

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7006-426: The contest the wrestlers must retain their hold on each other's belt. For this reason it is also referred to as ' belt wrestling alysh' or 'alysh belt wrestling' (BWUWW). The origin of pahlavani wrestling goes back to ancient Persia and is said to have been practiced by mythological Iranian heroes. It combines martial arts, calisthenics , strength training , and music, and was originally used to train warriors.. It

7119-439: The current rules allowing wrestlers to score points via takedowns, pushing their opponent out of bounds, or bringing the opponent down to their back. In addition to the annual World Beach Wrestling Championships , beach wrestling has been contested at Youth Olympic Games , Asian Games , Down Under Games, Mediterranean Games and at the 2019 World Beach Games . Folk wrestling describes a traditional form of wrestling unique to

7232-459: The early days of the business and still occurring well into the 1930s and 1940s and the threat to use legitimate skill to have one's way in the ring still potent decades later. The roots of professional wrestling lay in the catch-as-catch-can contests of the late 19th century. Whereas the Europeans favored the more controlled and classical Greco-Roman style, the Americans from the 1880s preferred

7345-519: The early years of the North American colonies and would later serve as a popular activity at country fairs, holiday celebrations, and in military exercises. The first organized national wrestling tournament in the United States took place in New York City in 1888. Wrestling has also been an event at every modern Olympic Games since the 1904 games in St. Louis, Missouri ; Greco-Roman wrestling

7458-439: The end of the matches wins the team competition. If there are two sets of competitions with one team winning the home competition and one winning the away competition, a third competition may take place to determine the winner for ranking purposes, or the ranking may take place by assessing in order: 1) the most victories by adding the points of the two matches; 2) the most points by fall, default, forfeit, or disqualification; 3)

7571-405: The end of the tournament, each team's score is tallied, and the teams are then placed first, second, third, etc. A team competition or dual meet is a meeting between (typically two) teams in which individual wrestlers at a given weight class compete against each other. A team receives one point for each victory in a weight class regardless of the outcome. The team that scores the most points at

7684-427: The facility, and be celibate. Babur , the first Mughal emperor, was a wrestler himself and could reportedly run very fast for a long distance while holding a man under each arm. Mughal-era wrestlers sometimes even wore bagh naka on one hand, in a variation called naki ka kushti or "claw wrestling". During the late 17th century, Ramadasa travelled the country encouraging Hindus to be physically active in homage to

7797-437: The feet would not be crossed, and the thighs would be stretched out forming a 90-degree angle with the mat. The wrestler who won the colored disk toss would then be allowed to step beside the wrestler on the bottom, not touching him with his legs. If the wrestler who won the colored disk toss wished, he could place one knee on the mat. The top wrestler would then wrap his hands and arms around the bottom wrestler's waist and execute

7910-454: The finals for first and second place. All of the wrestlers who lost to the two finals then have the chance to wrestle in a " repechage round". The repechage round begins with the wrestlers who lost to the two finalists at the lowest level of competition in the elimination round. The matches are paired off by the wrestlers who lost to one finalist and the wrestlers who lost to the other. The two wrestlers who win after every level of competition are

8023-605: The first King of Pancrase Openweight Championship in Japan. Other notable MMA fighters with foundations in various forms of wrestling include: Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman wrestling is one of several forms of amateur competitive wrestling practiced internationally. The other wrestling disciplines sanctioned by United World Wrestling are: men's freestyle wrestling, women's freestyle wrestling, grappling ( submission wrestling ), pankration , Alysh ( belt wrestling ), Pahlavani wrestling, and beach wrestling . The name "Greco-Roman" applied to this style of wrestling as

8136-409: The former Soviet Union , Bulgaria , Turkey , South Korea , Romania , Japan , Sweden , and Finland have had great success. Carl Westergren of Sweden won three Greco-Roman gold medals in 1920, 1924, and 1932, and was the first Greco-Roman wrestler to do so. Alexander Karelin did the same in 1988, 1992, and 1996. Ivar Johansson of Sweden won gold medals in Greco-Roman in 1932 and 1936 and also

8249-535: The great god Hanuman . Maratha rulers supported Kushti by offering large sums of prize money for tournament champions. It was said that every Maratha boy at the time could wrestle and even women took up the sport. During the colonial period, local princes sustained the popularity of kushti by hosting matches and competitions. Wrestling was the favourite spectator sport of the Jats , and were said to look forward to tournaments "with great anxiety". Every Jat prince or chief had

8362-492: The heavyweight division (which starts at a weight more than 96 kg for the men). Different nations may have different weight classes and different age categories for their levels of Greco-Roman competition. A typical international wrestling tournament takes place by direct elimination with an ideal number of wrestlers (4, 8, 16, 32, 64, etc.) in each weight class and age category competing for placement. The competition in each weight class takes place in one day. The day before

8475-496: The highly successful amateur wrestlers have such tremendous mental toughness. If you can just get through the room, the wrestling room practices at like really high level universities, NCAA division one teams; those guys are savages. The stuff they go through, just the overtraining, just the mental toughness that you have to develop. The rapid rise in the popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) has increased interest in wrestling due to its effectiveness against other martial arts since

8588-435: The ideal number of 16 wrestlers. The six wrestlers who drew the highest numbers after 16 and the six wrestlers who drew the six numbers immediately before 17 would then wrestle in six matches in the qualification round. The winners of those matches would then go on to the elimination round. In the "elimination round", the ideal number of wrestlers then pair off and compete in matches until two victors emerge who will compete in

8701-590: The infancy of MMA, and several wrestling techniques have been specifically adapted for MMA, leading to many martial arts gyms holding MMA wrestling classes. It is considered one of the primary disciplines in MMA along with Brazilian jiu-jitsu , boxing , kickboxing / muay Thai , and judo . Shoot wrestling , a relative of catch and freestyle wrestling, is the foundation of Shooto , a combat sport and pioneer MMA organization founded in 1985. Pancrase , another influential MMA organization based on shoot wrestling, also predates

8814-522: The late Old English term wræstlunge . Wrestling represents one of the oldest forms of combat sport. The origins of wrestling go back around 15,000 to 17,000 years ago through cave drawings in France. Babylonian and Egyptian reliefs show wrestlers using various holds known in the present-day sport. Literary references to wrestling occur as early as the Old Testament and the ancient Indian Vedas . In

8927-434: The legs). Points are allotted on the basis of throw amplitude, exposure of an opponent's back to the mat and opponent passivity. A Greco-Roman wrestler may instantly win a match by holding both of an opponent's scapula to the mat (known as a "fall"). A well known Greco-Roman wrestler is Alexander Karelin from Russia . Freestyle wrestling (FS, WW) is an international discipline and one of two wrestling disciplines featured in

9040-421: The length of the match may be extended. Match extensions are typically around 10–15 minutes. Unlike mat-based wrestling, there is no point scoring system; a win is achieved by pinning the opponent's shoulders and hips to the ground simultaneously, although victory by knockout , stoppage or submission is also possible. In some variations of the rules, pinning only the shoulders is sufficient. Bouts are overseen by

9153-406: The mat (known as a "fall"). This form of wrestling is similar to American scholastic and collegiate wrestling with freestyle wrestling having a greater emphasis on throw amplitude. Collegiate women's wrestling uses two rulesets, freestyle in the NCAA and standard collegiate in the NCWA . Submission Wrestling incorporates techniques and holds from a variety of wrestling disciplines. Grappling

9266-404: The mat) does not reach two meters, then the sides of the podium are covered with 45° (degree) inclined panels. In all cases, the color of the protection area is different from the color of the mat. A match is a competition between two individual wrestlers of the same weight class. In Greco-Roman wrestling, a jury (or team) of three officials ( referees ) is used. The referee controls the action in

9379-603: The mat. UWW, then known as FILA, codified the form of beach wrestling in 2004. Beach wrestling (BW) is standing wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-filled circle measuring 7 meters (23 ft) in diameter. The style originally mirrored the rules used before the use of wrestling mats, and beach wrestling has been regarded as the oldest version of international competitive wrestling. The wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling uniforms. Wrestlers may also wear spandex or athletic shorts. The international rules have been modified in 2015 by UWW, with

9492-525: The matches which, for the most part, had the atmosphere of real wrestling competition. In many countries this form of professional wrestling achieved mainstream popularity – particularly in the United Kingdom and France where in both countries from the 1950s to the late 1980s, national television coverage made household names of its stars (it was also regularly screened on Welsh language television in Wales in

9605-612: The men and youths who had enjoyed victories in wrestling, boxing , pankration and other athletic contests. During the Middle Ages from the fifth to fifteenth century , wrestling remained popular and enjoyed the patronage of many royal families, including those of England , France , and Japan . Early British settlers in America brought a strong wrestling tradition with them. The settlers also found wrestling to be popular among Native Americans . Amateur wrestling flourished throughout

9718-424: The more wide-open style of wrestling that later became known as freestyle . When the best American catch wrestlers discovered they could earn money with their skills, the professional counterpart was born. Initially, the contests were similar to amateur matches, except there were no time limits, and submission and choke holds were allowed. Amateur wrestling coexisted with its professional counterpart until around

9831-622: The most well-known of Greco-Roman wrestlers in the 19th century was Georg Hackenschmidt born in Dorpat , Russian Empire , and nicknamed "The Russian Lion". Hackenschmidt in 1898 at the age of 21 and with 15 months of training defeated the experienced Paul Pons in a match in Saint Petersburg , Russia. In 1900, he won professional tournaments in Moscow and St. Petersburg and a series of international tournaments after that. After defeating Tom Jenkins (from

9944-415: The neutral position, both wrestlers compete for takedowns and points for 60 seconds as usual. At the end of the first minute, in general, the wrestler who has scored the most points will receive the advantage in an Olympic lift from an open par terre position on the other wrestler. This position is known as "par terre". If neither wrestler at this point has any points, the referee will toss a colored disk, with

10057-526: The older format, par terre now only occurs as a result of a takedown/throw or when a wrestler commits an infraction (eg: passivity). Before each match, each wrestler's name is called, and the wrestler takes his place at the corner of the mat assigned to his color. The referee then calls them to his side at the center of the mat, shakes hands with them, inspects their apparel, and checks for any perspiration, oily or greasy substances, and any other infractions. The two wrestlers then greet each other, shake hands, and

10170-523: The opponent in order to throw or choke them. Judo also allows some chokes and joint locks, although they are typically banned for children. Judo is a popular sport in Japan as well as in France, Russia, and eastern Europe. Sambo is a martial art that originated in the Soviet Union (specifically Russia ) in the 20th century. It is an acronym for "self-defence without weapons" in Russian and had its origins in

10283-428: The referee blows his whistle to start the period. Upon conclusion of the match, the referee stands at the center of the mat facing the officials' table. Both wrestlers then shake hands, and stand on either side of the referee to await the decision. The referee then proclaims the winner by raising the winner's hand. Each wrestler then shakes hands with the referee and their opponent's coach. Prior to recent rule changes,

10396-403: The regulation of Greco-Roman wrestling in 1921. Since then matches have been dramatically cut short, and today all movements that put the life or limb of the wrestler in jeopardy are forbidden. Professional wrestler Lou Thesz , who initially trained extensively in Greco-Roman, popularised the Greco-Roman backdrop during early televised professional matches. In Olympic competition, countries of

10509-666: The sport frequently in their works, most notably Plato , Socrates , Aristotle , Xenophon , Epictetus , Seneca , Plutarch , and Marcus Aurelius . Dicaearchus wrote that Plato wrestled at the Isthmian games . Many of Plato's dialogues are set in wrestling schools . Ancient Greek lyric poet Pindar wrote victory odes, grouped into four books named after the Olympian , Pythian , Isthmian , and Nemean Games  – Panhellenic festivals held respectively at Olympia , Delphi , Corinth , and Nemea . These odes were composed to honor

10622-469: The style became known) developed all throughout Europe and became a popular sport. The Italian wrestler Basilio Bartoletti first coined the term "Greco-Roman" for the sport to underline the interest in "ancient values." Many others in the 18th and 20th centuries sought to add value to their contemporary athletic practices by finding some connections with ancient counterparts. The 18th century work Gymnastics for Youth by Johann Friedrich Guts Muths described

10735-528: The subsequent partition . It is still held in Bangladesh every Boishakhi Mela (Bengali new year), accompanied by playing of the traditional sanai (flute) and dabor (drum), and is one of Chittagong 's oldest traditions. In the more recent past, India had famous wrestlers of the class of the Great Gama (of British India and later Pakistan, after partition ) and Gobar Goho . India reached its peak of glory in

10848-423: The top wrestler cannot score, the other wrestler is awarded one point. In the case of no scoring moves being executed during either ground phase the score will be 1–1, and in this case generally the wrestler to score last will be awarded the period. In Greco-Roman wrestling, as well as in freestyle wrestling, points are awarded mostly on the basis of explosive action and risk. For example, when one wrestler performs

10961-433: The victors of the repechage round. In the "finals", the two victors of the elimination round compete for first and second place. In all rounds of the tournament, the wrestlers compete in matches paired off in the order of the numbers they drew after the weigh-in. After the finals match, the awards ceremony will take place. The first place and second place wrestlers will receive a gold and silver medal, respectively. (At

11074-427: The winner and in some cases, one point to the loser depending on the outcome of the match and how the victory was attained. For example, a victory by fall would give the winner five classification points and the loser no points, while a match won by technical superiority with the loser scoring technical points would award three points to the winner and one point to loser. The full determinations for scoring are found in

11187-485: The world. Matches are highly theatrical, with dramatic stories such as feuds between the athletes developed and performed as part of build-up and promotion for matches. Before its increase in popularity in the mid-1980s, professional wrestling in the United States was organised as a cartel of regional monopolies, known as "territories." Wrestling in some of these areas (particularly the Southern and Midwestern United States )

11300-563: The wrestler's own bodyweight include the Surya Namaskara , shirshasana , and the danda , which are also found in hatha yoga , as well as the bethak . Sawari (from Persian savâri , meaning "the passenger") is the practice of using another person's body weight to add resistance to such exercises. Exercise regimens may employ the following weight training devices: Exercise regimens may also include dhakuli which involve twisting rotations, rope climbing, log pulling and running. Massage

11413-411: The wrestlers' movements. Every match is preceded by the wrestlers throwing a few handfuls of dirt from the floor on themselves and their opponent as a form of blessing. Despite the marked boundaries of the arena, competitors may go outside the ring during a match with no penalty. There are no rounds but the length of every bout is specified beforehand, usually about 25–30 minutes. If both competitors agree,

11526-443: The wrestling in a scheduled weight class and age category takes place, all the applicable wrestlers are examined by a physician and weighed-in. Each wrestler after being weighed on the scale then draws a token randomly that gives a certain number. If an ideal number is not reached to begin elimination rounds, a qualification round will take place to eliminate the excess number of wrestlers. For example, 22 wrestlers may weigh-in over

11639-504: Was able to establish superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes for the başpehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If no winner is determined, another 15 minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category—of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor. The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362,

11752-421: Was allowed, and even caustic substances were used to weaken the opponent. By the end of the 19th century, gouging with the nails, punching, and violently slamming the arms together around the opponent's stomach were forbidden. Greco-Roman matches were also famous for their length. Professionally, it was not uncommon for there to be matches lasting two or three hours. William Muldoon's bout with Clarence Whistler at

11865-640: Was contested at the first modern Olympics in 1896 , but not at the 1900 games . The international governing body for the sport, United World Wrestling (UWW), was established in 1912 in Antwerp , Belgium as the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA). The first annual NCAA Wrestling Championships were held in 1928 in Ames, Iowa . USA Wrestling , located in Colorado Springs, Colorado ,

11978-603: Was established as the national governing body of U.S. amateur wrestling in 1983. Some of the earliest references to wrestling can be found in wrestling mythology . Wrestling disciplines, as defined by UWW, are broken down into two categories: international wrestling disciplines and folk wrestling disciplines. Three are Olympic disciplines: Greco-Roman wrestling , men's freestyle wrestling and women's freestyle wrestling. UWW also sanctions associated styles: grappling , amateur pankration, belt wrestling alysh , pahlavani wrestling , beach wrestling , and African wrestling. Sambo

12091-448: Was even gifted a pair of mugdar (heavy wooden clubs used for building the arm and shoulder muscles by South Asian wrestlers). The conditioning exercises of pehlwani have been incorporated into many of the conditioning aspects of both catch wrestling and shoot wrestling , along with their derivative systems. Although wrestling in the Indian subcontinent saw changes in the Mughal era and

12204-526: Was first called jiao di (butting with horns). In Ancient Greece wrestling occupied a prominent place in legend, literature, and philosophy. Wrestling competition, brutal in many aspects, served as the focal sport of the ancient Olympic Games . Ancient Romans borrowed heavily from Greek wrestling, but eliminated much of its brutality through implementing different rules. Wrestling is referenced throughout both Ancient Greek and Roman literature. Many philosophers and leaders practiced wrestling and/or referenced

12317-486: Was given status as an international style in 1966 by FILA, UWW's predecessor. Greco-Roman (GR) is an international discipline and one of two wrestling disciplines featured in the Olympic Games. This form of wrestling prioritizes upper body attacks, with an emphasis on explosive "high amplitude" throws. Under the Greco-Roman ruleset, it is forbidden to attack the opponent below the belt in the execution of any action (restricting holds, trips, and active but not passive usage of

12430-479: Was known for his technique and physique not only in India but all over the world. Pehlwani is one of the sports that influenced catch wrestling , which in turn partially inspired folkstyle wrestling , freestyle wrestling , and mixed martial arts (MMA). The ancient Indian form of wrestling is called malla-yuddha . Practiced at least since the 5th millennium BC, described in the 13th century treatise Malla Purana , it

12543-400: Was often advertised as "French wrestling." Ivan Poddubny achieved major stardom in his homeland and beyond during the interwar period . Judo is a style of wrestling which is derived from jujitsu , a Japanese martial art. As a wrestling style, judo is distinctive in that practitioners, called judoka, wear a heavy jacket and trousers, called a gi , along with a belt. The gi is used to grip

12656-447: Was performed in a relatively less theatrical more serious style, which could vary from realistically sporting to darkly violent, depending on local preference. A different style of professional wrestling evolved in the United Kingdom and spread across Western Europe (where it was known as "Catch" in the non-English speaking countries of mainland Europe). Traditionally in this style, there was less use of storylines and angles to promote

12769-562: Was the precursor of modern Kushti. In the 16th century, northern India was conquered by the Central Asian Mughals , who were of Turko-Mongol descent. Through the influence of Iranian and Mongolian wrestling , given time, the local malla-yuddha was supplanted by Persian Koshti. Interestingly, the aspects of Malla-yuddha survived in the culture of the Akhad (wrestling academy): Students are expected to be vegetarian, cook, take care of

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