The ancient Olympics featured far fewer sports than we have today, but one sport that has remained constant throughout the centuries is wrestling. While wrestling has been part of the games since the first games, the sport was nearly eliminated from the docket for the 2016 games. Fortunately, enough protest was made so that Olympic committee put it back into the schedule.
There are many kinds of wrestling, but just a few are displayed at the Olympics, including Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling. At first glance, the two look similar, but there are actually some very important differences. Freestyle wrestlers, for instance, are allowed to takedown a foe using their legs and they are also can hold and grab opponents below their waist. Neither of those moves, however, is allowed in the realm of Greco-Roman wrestling.
Another difference is that freestylers can throw an opponent down and then apply some type of hold, but Greco Roman wrestlers must stay in contact with their opponent during the takedown and then place their opponent in a hold. If they fail to do this, the hold will not count. While it would be wrong to say that freestyle wrestling is easier than Greco-Roman, freestyle wrestlers do tend to have more options available to them while Greco-Roman wrestlers tend to rely more on upper body force and strength.
In 1896, the first Olympic games of the modern era were held. These games included all of the ancient sports as well as some more modern additions such as cycling. However, there was one notable exception. The sport of pankration, which had been a part of the ancient games, was not included. This combat sport, which was no doubt a precursor to mixed martial arts, is a sort of anything-goes type of sport that included many wrestling elements as well as boxing, kickboxing, striking and a variety of chokes. Actually, fighters really could do just about anything they wanted in order to win the fight. You couldn't bite nor could you gouge someone's eyes, but pretty much everything else was fine. While it is not an Olympic sport, the world's main wrestling organization, FILA, recognizes the sport.
FILA grappling is yet another type of wrestling, which is similar in many ways to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. It is basically a hybrid of the two aforementioned martial arts as well as wrestling and sambo. Again, it is quite similar to MMA, but striking is not allowed, nor is kicking and as the name suggests, the emphasis is on grappling skills. There are two styles of FILA wrestling, Gi and No-Gi, which simply means that either the fighters wear the Gi or they don't.
These are just a few of the many forms of wrestling you can find all over the globe. There are few countries or cultures that do not have their own form of wrestling. In the Soviet Union, sambo was created and has continued to gain in popularity. This sport contains elements of Judo as well as wrestling. If you live in the nation of Turkey, you probably are quite familiar with grease wrestling, which is just about what it sounds like. Wrestlers coat themselves with olive oil and try to gain a hold of one another. While baseball might be the national pastime in America, in Turkey, it's grease wrestling.
There are many kinds of wrestling, but just a few are displayed at the Olympics, including Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling. At first glance, the two look similar, but there are actually some very important differences. Freestyle wrestlers, for instance, are allowed to takedown a foe using their legs and they are also can hold and grab opponents below their waist. Neither of those moves, however, is allowed in the realm of Greco-Roman wrestling.
Another difference is that freestylers can throw an opponent down and then apply some type of hold, but Greco Roman wrestlers must stay in contact with their opponent during the takedown and then place their opponent in a hold. If they fail to do this, the hold will not count. While it would be wrong to say that freestyle wrestling is easier than Greco-Roman, freestyle wrestlers do tend to have more options available to them while Greco-Roman wrestlers tend to rely more on upper body force and strength.
In 1896, the first Olympic games of the modern era were held. These games included all of the ancient sports as well as some more modern additions such as cycling. However, there was one notable exception. The sport of pankration, which had been a part of the ancient games, was not included. This combat sport, which was no doubt a precursor to mixed martial arts, is a sort of anything-goes type of sport that included many wrestling elements as well as boxing, kickboxing, striking and a variety of chokes. Actually, fighters really could do just about anything they wanted in order to win the fight. You couldn't bite nor could you gouge someone's eyes, but pretty much everything else was fine. While it is not an Olympic sport, the world's main wrestling organization, FILA, recognizes the sport.
FILA grappling is yet another type of wrestling, which is similar in many ways to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. It is basically a hybrid of the two aforementioned martial arts as well as wrestling and sambo. Again, it is quite similar to MMA, but striking is not allowed, nor is kicking and as the name suggests, the emphasis is on grappling skills. There are two styles of FILA wrestling, Gi and No-Gi, which simply means that either the fighters wear the Gi or they don't.
These are just a few of the many forms of wrestling you can find all over the globe. There are few countries or cultures that do not have their own form of wrestling. In the Soviet Union, sambo was created and has continued to gain in popularity. This sport contains elements of Judo as well as wrestling. If you live in the nation of Turkey, you probably are quite familiar with grease wrestling, which is just about what it sounds like. Wrestlers coat themselves with olive oil and try to gain a hold of one another. While baseball might be the national pastime in America, in Turkey, it's grease wrestling.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes blogging about MMA benefits. For additional details about San Diego wrestling classes or to discover a San Diego martial arts gym, click here now.
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