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Wrestling is a sport in which two competitors attempt
to pin an opponent by submission or countout
Wrestling is an ancient sport that has developed into many different
styles and formats with events. They go from worldly-known commercialised
stadium events to where competitions to gain higher moral and social status
The aim of a wrestling contest depends upon it's style, but common aims
are:-
- Pinning the shoulders of an opponent to the ground for a defined time,
- Gaining a submission by choking, stranglin or locking the limbs of
an oppononent,
- Maneuvering an opponents shoulders toward the ground to earn points,
- Raising an opponent over ones head,
- Throwing an opponent to the floor, and
- Gaining control over an opponents body.
Styles
There are almost as many wrestling styles as there are national traditions.
Styles include sumo in Japan and yagli güres which is oiled wrestling
in Turkey. Wrestling is often categorized as one of the martial arts;
its virile image and usefulness as military training doubtlessly helped
generate such multi-cultural evolutions. There are some evidents showing
that wrestling may possibly be the oldest sport known to man. There is
an ancient wall-paintings of man struggling versus man and in the story
of Jacob wrestling an angel in the Book of Genesis.
In addition to its sporting nature, wrestling has often been utilized
as the basis for popular spectacle, or theatrical drama. Circus shows
worldwide have historically included sideshow wrestling matches involving
wagered monies and even people fighting animals (particularly bears).
Such show-wrestling has continued to this day in "professional"
wrestling spectaculars — choreographed for maximum visual (and even
auditory) effects. Often the winner of commercial contests is determined
in advance but Sumo, Shoot-Wrestling (also in Japan) and Ultimate/Extreme
Fighting Championships remain true sporting contests while including many
commercial aspects.
A totally whimsical form of wrestling has evolved in the USA, referred
to as "negative-wrestling", whereby schoolboy opponents work
for the opposite of the "pin" with one opponent attempting to
pin himself and the other opponent trying to keep a pin from occurring.
Wrestling as Military Training
Until recent times, most armies trained their soldiers, particularly shock
troops, in wrestling. This may come as a surprise, since wrestling does
not use weapons whereas war does. There are several benefits wrestling
provided for the soldiers that would be of use to them in hand-to-hand
combat:
- Superior balance developed from trying to keep one's balance while
at the same time trying to upset the opponent's. In war, falling to
the ground made one terribly vulnerable to weapon thrusts.
- Focused and powerful pushing-power. In wrestling, one must keep forward
pressure on one's opponent often, and in combat one must also smash
or thrust weapons forward at one's enemies.
- The ability to get up quickly if fallen down: a very important survival
skill on the battlefield.
- Improved stamina, endurance and strength.
- Physical skills to control prisoners, or to carry wounded comrades.
- Aggressiveness and improved reaction time.
- Camraderie, diversion and entertainment.
- Wrestling is a safe way to achieve these above goals since it does
not use dangerous objects.
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