The Evolution of the Catch-Hold on the Continent
#PWHS #Article #Europe #France #Germany #Belgium #Netherlands #CatchHold #Wrestling #ProWrestling #GraecoRoman #GrecoRoman #CatchWrestling #CACC #CatchAsCatchCan #Freestyle
Folk Wrestling Styles of Frankish Heritage
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German
Ringen 1. Ringen Catch-hold of the torso above the waist Note: Tripping is not allowed |
Dutch / Flemish
Worstelen 1. Lijfvat / Lyfvat Standing (Neergooi) Catch-hold above the waist Objective: Fair Back Fall, or any part of the body above the knee down Note: Tripping is not allowed |
French
Lutte Provencales 1. Lucho de la Centure (en aut) Standing catch-hold above the waist Objective: Fair Back Fall or three falls on the back Note: Tripping is not allowed |
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2. Bauern-Art Ringen, Kür-Ringen (RangeIn)
Catch-as-Catch-Can / Freestyle Note: Both styles existed in two forms: a) Standing (Halber Ringkampf) Objective: Fair Back Fall, or any part of the body above the knee down b) Up and down (Ganzer Ringkampf) Objective: "Capture" Trap Opponent on the ground (Unterhalten) |
2. Stoeijen
Up and down (Ondergooi) Catch-as-Catch-Can / Freestyle Objective: "Capture" Trap Opponent on the ground (Vastleggen/Vaslê) |
2. Lucho Libro
Up and down Catch-as-Catch-Can / Freestyle Objective: Fair Back Fall, originally "Capture" Trap Opponent on the ground (Trappeur) Note: Tripping is allowed, but not favored |
The modern internationally recognized wrestling styles such as Graeco-Roman, Freestyle and "Pro-Wrestling" have their origins in the Frankish folk wrestling traditions. Throughout the Middle Ages the Frankish wrestling styles were mainly practiced by the French, German and Dutch/Flemish people.
The core of the Frankish wrestling customs was that it was a Catch-Hold style of wrestling and it featured wrestling on the ground. Another important detail was, according to the Frankish traditions, the use of legs and feet for throwing (hooking and tripping respectively) wasn’t favored and often wasn’t even considered as “fair wrestling” and instead the “only true wrestling” was fought utilizing the strength of hands, arms, torso, hips, buttocks and back. By any other word the “Lift and Throw” techniques dominated wrestling styles of the ancient Franks. The “noble art of tripping”, which was a key wrestling skill. in let’s say English traditional wrestling styles, was neglected. The falls (preferably falls on the back, or even fair back falls) given from the standing position were all quick flying falls.
The strongest men preferred competing in a standing position with only Catch-Holds above the waist being allowed. They thought those who consider themselves to be the strongest in order to throw a man, don’t need holds below the waist, hooking, tripping nor did they need wrestling on the ground.
But if the Frankish men decided to compete in “free for all” conditions (Catch-as-Catch-Can, or Catch-Holds of any part of the person’s body being allowed) then back fall (or a fall) wasn’t enough to win the struggle, and the victor had to continue the match on the ground until his adversary quits any resistance and verbally confesses his defeat because of being “captured” (restrained in the movement and kept underneath).
Historically, according to the western European tradition, the game of wrestling was always about giving falls – throwing/taking an opponent down off his feet onto his back (flying falls), or any part of his body above the knees, meaning that it was a standing wrestling.
That wasn’t an easy goal to accomplish and over the course of time this objection was simplified. The system of substituting one back fall with three foils (fall on any part of the body) was introduced in England and to some extent on the continent.
This definitely put an end to the so-called “disputed falls”, which was a major issue in the standing wrestling contests for a very long time. This innovation didn’t really fix the whole situation, because under the conditions of flying falls being allowed, which remained unchanged, wrestling still wasn’t a safe game. Due to the nature of those falls, which were violent and usually caused multiple injuries or even death.
That led to the evolution of the perception and understanding of the throw/fall itself. At some point in history the principle of ”throwing” on the back was replaced with a more progressive idea of placing on the back, pressing shoulders down, and maintaining this submissive position for a certain amount of time. That was achievable only when both wrestlers were down on the ground. That is how the pinning fall was invented.
This revolutionary introduction was the birth of a new western European tradition of ground wrestling, which found its climax in the concept of a pinning fall being the only true fall. The game is over when it’s over and one of the two is kept immovable flat on his back (controlled).
Even after the popularization of pinfalls, the flying falls weren’t abolished and were still widely practiced and even preferred, it was happening first of all because of the strong association between the terms of “wrestling” and “throwing.” For centuries wrestling was thought of as throwing.
With the introduction of ground wrestling another kind of quick fall was invented the rolling fall. For a very long time in the modern styles of wrestling (amateur and pro) all three kinds of back falls (flying, rolling and pinning) were considered legit.
The given chart shows comparative analyses of three western European Catch-Hold wrestling styles of the Frankish heritage: Lutte Provencales (France), Ringen (Germany) and Worstelen (Netherlands/Flanders). Each of those extinct wrestling styles existed in two modes:
1) The standing Catch-Hold above the waist (use of legs and feet for throwing being prohibited).
2) The up and down Catch-as-Catch-Can.
The objective in the former style was to give opponent a quick (flying) fall from a standing position with or without the attacker falling himself; such fall was either a fair back fall (two shoulders striking the ground simultaneously), or a fall on the back side of the body (including or being limited to buttocks, back, shoulders, and neck), or a fall on any part of the adversary’s body except hands, knees and feet.
In the latter style the goal was to overcome the opponent on the ground, and submit him into a verbal acknowledgement of his defeat by placing him flat on his back and keeping him “captured” underneath in the restricted immovable position.
In France the Lutte Provencales was still around even in the 1860s until it was completely replaced with the modern French or Graeco-Roman style aka the “flat hand” wrestling (la lutte à main plates). That newborn style was an evolved combination of both Provencal modes of wrestling. The Graeco-Roman wrestling was an up and down Catch-Hold above the waist, use of legs and feet for throwing being not allowed. The objective was to give the opponent a fair back fall. Originally all kinds of such falls counted, i.e. flying, rolling and pinning. Now this style of wrestling is one of the two international Olympic wrestling styles.
Meanwhile, in Germany since the early 1800s and throughout the whole 19th century the evolved and refined variation of the Bauern-Art Ringen (Rangeln) folk wrestling style was taught at the German Gymnastic Societies (GGS). That style was known as a free wrestling. The objective in that style was to give opponent a fair back fall. Originally all kinds of falls counted, i.e. flying, rolling and pinning. GGS or Turners popularized their style of wrestling in England as well as in North America. Nowadays the evolved version of the GGS style of wrestling is known as Freestyle and is the second of the two international Olympic wrestling styles.
The earliest known immigration of the Flemish textile workers (aka Flemish weavers) to East Lancashire, England goes back to the 1300s. They brought to their new place their traditional rough-and-tumble wrestling style called the Stoeijen, which over the time evolved there into the professional Lancashire up and down wrestling/fighting, a combative style which predated Lancashire Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling. In the 16th and 17th centuries, French and German “weaving” Protestants, who along with the Flemish fled religious persecutions on the continent, brought their old Frankish Catch-Hold wrestling customs to East Lancashire and West Yorkshire, where they merged with the traditional English Catch-Hold wrestling style and over the course of the centuries, this combination evolved there into a new culturally unique style of wrestling, known as the Lancashire Catch-as-Catch-Can style. This style went through the various stages of evolution and gave birth to the modern day pro-wrestling (catch) as well as strongly influencing the current international Freestyle wrestling and different grappling styles.
This article is dedicated to all of my friends who have backgrounds in both the professional and amateur styles of wrestling.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
The Evolution of the Catch-Hold on the Continent.
Author: Ruslan C. Pashayev.
Published: June 5, 2020.
Article: #243.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
The Evolution of the Catch-Hold on the Continent.
Author: Ruslan C. Pashayev.
Published: June 5, 2020.
Article: #243.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
German Folk Styles of Wrestling - Read Here.
Dutch Folk Styles of Wrestling - Read Here.
French Folk Styles of Wrestling - Read Here.
English Catch-Hold Style of Wrestling - Read Here.
Lancashire Style of Wrestling - Read Here.
North American Side-Hold Style of Wrestling - Read Here.
Dutch Folk Styles of Wrestling - Read Here.
French Folk Styles of Wrestling - Read Here.
English Catch-Hold Style of Wrestling - Read Here.
Lancashire Style of Wrestling - Read Here.
North American Side-Hold Style of Wrestling - Read Here.