Wrestling is a sport involving two competitors
competing to show their physical strength. This form
of martial arts is as old as the mountains. Military
are given training in wrestling as a part of
self-defense systems. Folk people, who used lethal
weapons as part of ritual fighting, also practiced
it. Professional wrestling uses techniques like
holding, clinching, leverage and locking.
The act of wrestling has been mentioned in many
religious scriptures such as Old Testament Book of
Genesis, where Jacob wrestles with the angel, The
Mahabharata, where Bhima and Jarasandha wrestle. In
recorded history, Chinese wrestling or Shuai Jiao is
the oldest form of wrestling continuing since four
thousand years, which the Yellow Emperor deployed to
defeat rebel Chih Yui and his army. Both the armies
wore horned helmet to aim with at the opponent. This
early form was called Jiao Ti. Hands replaced the
horns later. According to documented evidence on the
tomb of the Old Kingdom philosopher Ptahhotep,
Egyptians and Nubian wrestlers used to engage in
wrestling for competitive purpose, around 2300 BC.
Later during the Greek era, 1100 BC - 146 BC, Greek
wrestling was practiced in competition where one
wrestler would force his competitor to the ground
and made him accept defeat or used to push him out
of the boundary. When the Romans conquered Greece,
they inherited the martial art and gave it their
name, Roman wrestling.
Wrestling can be broadly divided into two
categories, International wrestling and folk
wrestling. International wrestling includes
freestyle wrestling, sambo, Greco-roman wrestling,
beach wrestling, judo and grappling. Freestyle
wrestling is a part of the Olympics sports. It is a
form of amateur wrestling where two wrestlers of the
same weight class compete with each other. A
wrestler is declared a winner when he defeats his
opponent by five methods. They are winning by fall,
winning by superiority, winning by decision, winning
by injury and winning by disqualification. The basic
rule is that a wrestler can hold the legs of his
opponent and trip him. A good wrestler is quick and
has good maneuvering skills. It is the only form of
international wrestling meant for women.
In Greco-Roman style, a wrestler cannot hold his
opponents leg and trip him and nor can he hold the
opponent below his waist. It is also a type of
amateur wrestling which is part of the Olympics.
Grappling or submission wrestling involves no
strikes, Gripping, handling and controlling defeats
the opponent. There are many grappling techniques
involved. Grappling can be practiced while standing
or when on the ground. They are known as stand-up
grappling and ground grappling respectively. The
types of grappling are catch wrestling, luta livre,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, jujutsu, pankration and shoot
wrestling.
Japanese martial art or Judo originated in the late
nineteenth century, in Japan. The opponent is thrown
to the ground and is forced to accept defeat by
choking or joint locking.
The unique characteristic of beach wrestling is that
the wrestlers wrestle inside a ring filled with
sand. Heavy and light are the only two weight class
categories. Wrestlers wearing swimsuits throw the
opponent to the ground, to get on their backs. Women
are also practicing this game.
Sambo is the modern martial art that developed in
Soviet Union and is one of the amateur wrestling.
There are many versions of folk wrestling depending
on the location of origin and culture in the
specified area. Folk wrestling is yet to receive the
status of International wrestling.
