Wrestling in General

The art of wrestling was highly esteemed by the ancients, and constituted an important portion of the Olympic Games. In the ages of chivalry, also, to wrestle was accounted one of the accomplishments of a hero.

Of the principles of wrestling different views have been taken. In England, its rules have been rather restricted. On the continent have been admitted, not only what have here been deemed more or less unfair, but what is positively so, as well as what is unseemly and disgusting.

Mr. Clias has, it seems, introduced some of these practices into our public schools; and the following are the observations of one of their ablest opponents, a clever writer in 'Blackwood's magazine.'

"We have been too long accustomed to the simple, straight-forward, manly, close-hugging, back-hold 'worstle' of the North of England, to enter into the Captain's cantrips; and we devoutly wish that we could see himself, or his best scholar, try a fall with any one of the fifty of the Cumberland and Westmoreland Society in London." "In order to prepare his scholars for wrestling, the most complicated of gymnastics, both with respect to the diversity of its movements, and the different situations in which wrestlers are often placed, Captain Clias explains a course of preparatory exercises, which serves as an introduction. They have a somewhat quackish character, and a few of them seem to us better fitted to make a mountebank than a wrestler." "The essential difference between Captain Clias's system of wrestling and that of the North of England, is this, that in his, the wrestlers catch hold in any way they choose; whereas, in the NOrth, each party has an equal and similar hold before the struggle begins. Who can doubt which is the better system? The Captain's is radically savage and barbarous, and more congenial with the habits and temper of African negroes than European whites. The other is fair, just, and civilized. To us the sight of one man catching hold of another round the waist, and, consequently, throwing him at his pleasure, without the possibility of his antagonist making any effectual resistance, would be sickening indeed. Thus, what true cock of the North can read, without disgust, Exercise XIII, entitled, 'Of the First Fall?' The following exhibition must resemble dog-fighting more than man-wrestling: 'In this exercise, the two wrestlers are lying on the ground, one on his right side, and the other on his left, two feet apart, and opposite to each other,' etc.

While I concur in these views as to all that, independant of mere mational habits, is really unfair, and as to all that is in any way disgusting or even unseemly, I think the rules of English wrestling might be advantageously extended. Wrestling ought, perhaps, to be considered not merely as a pastime, which may be subjected at pleasure to the narrowest rules, but as a means of defence, in which all that can properly be called wrestling, and is capable of conferring an advantage, is admissible, because, when used in defence, such advantages would be taken.

If her it be objected, that what is positively unfair or unseemly might be equally advantageous, adn should, therefore, be taught, we answer no; because that which is here unfair, as the giving a blow, belongs to, and is taught by another art, and ought not be confounded with this one, and because that which is unseemly need never be taught.

The first care of the wrestler should be quickly to discover the weakness of his adversary; always remembering, that weight and strength are of greatly diminished value, when experience and skill are defective.

Wrestling should always take place upon a flat surface, free from stones, and covered wtih turf. the men of Cumberland and Westmoreland, and those of Devonshire and Cornwall, are famed for their skill in this art.

We shall commence with the

Cumberland and Westmoreland Style

The Dress

The shoes are taken off; the trousers are tucked up to the knees, to prevent the adversary's feet getting tangled with them; and both wrestlers strip to the shirt

The Hold

The feet should not be in a direct line before the adversary; but should be placed, as it were, on the two opposite corners of a parallelogram, double the length that it is wide; for it is necessary tht the position should be firm against pulling or pushing, backward, forward, or to either side. The left foot should in general be nearly two feet before the right. Fig 17

The legs should be almost straight, and the weight should be entirely on the right one.
The back should be rather convex.
The shoulders should be squared; and the breasts of both should be so laid against each other, that their collar bones may be in the same line. thus, each has an equal use of his arms, which would not be the case if the breast of one were below that of the other. For if one shrink his breast under the other's and take hold in that position, he has a decided advantage, in so far as he deprives the adversary of the use of his right arm, in bending it down by the pressure of his left arm.

Each wrestler has thus his head over his adversary's right shoulder.

In the hold, each party has the right arm inside his adversary's left, and the left arm outside his adversary's right.

The best way of clasping the hands round the back of the antagonist, is, as it were, to make of the two hands a couple of hooks, by placing all the fingers of one hand, held together and bent at the first and second joints, into the other hand in the same way. In this manner, the back of the left hand should be brought to press on the antagonist's right loin, just between the hip and the small ribs; for the back of the hand, sinking in between these, makes the hold very firm.

This method of clasping the hands gives more play to the wrists, than the method of laying hold of one wrist with the other hand; or than clasping the hands so, that between every two fingers of one hand there is a finger of the other.

The most scientific wrestlers generally prefer slack holds, that is, to take hold without pressing more upon the antagonist than is necessary to prevent his getting more than a fair hold.

Improvement of the Hold

By improving the hold, is meant getting the breast more under the adversary, and the arms tighter and closer about his loins.

The moment the umpire has given the word to begin, each is at liberty to improve his hold in the best manner he can, without altering the grasp of his hands.

It is then quite fair to shrink under the breast, and pinion the right arm of the adversary by the pressure of your left close to his elbow. If this can be done, it is a very great avantage. Fig 18

Falls in General

In order to constitute a fair fall:
1. The man who throws must have held his hands or fingers clasped in exactly the same manner, and without letting go, from the beginning of the wrestle to the end of the fall.
2. He must either fall on his adversary, or not at all.
3. He will be considered as falling on the adversary, if he fall with only one leg across him.

Particular Falls and Their Stops

As the different falls in wrestling are generaly quite distinct and unconnected with each other, there is consequently no particular order in which to describe them.

The Hipe

The hipe is one of the most difficult things to execute well, on account of the variety of movevments requiring to be performed at the same time.

I may describe the hipe as executed with the left leg, which is mostly the case. Fig 19

Suddenly lift the adversary off the ground, and swing him and yourself round to the right; at the same instant striking the inside of his right thigh with your left knee and pitching him with your hip. Thus, his upper parts swinging round to the right, and his legs being kept off the ground by the action of your left knee, he will be thrown out of balance, and must, therefore, fall. You will fall upon him.

To apply the above description to hipeing with the right leg, read throughout right instead of left.

To stop the hipe, when the adversary attempts to lift you up, in order to swing you round, you must endeavour to keep yourself to the ground by shrinking your breast under him; and if he strikes at you with his left leg, you must meet it with your right. If he succeeds in lifting you, you will be thrown, but if you succeed in shrinking your breast under him, your hold will be thus so much improved, that you will have by far the best chance.

it is sometimes possible to stop the hipe by clapping the knees instantly together; thus preventing the adversary getting his legs between them.

Be careful when you attack the adversary, in whatever way it may be, to keep your right arm well up; for otherwise, if you do not succeed in throwing him, he will so much improve his hold that your chance will be lost.

The Back Heel

The back heel, sometimes called "catching the heel", is effected by throwing one of the heels behind the adversary's heel, with such strength and quickness as to force his foot forward; while, at the same time, the whole weight of the body is thrown forward upon him, so as to force him backward. He thus falls on his back, with the antagonist upon him. Fig 20

It sometimes happens, though, you cannot at once throw the adversary with the back heel, that by keeping the heel behind him, and pressing forward, you will be able to throw him by gradually getting him out of balance. It is then called "hankering the heel."

The Cross Buttock

There is no way of stopping this attack, when made with spirit, but slackening the hold, planting the feet firmly upon the ground, and keeping the weight forward. But one very superior in quickness to his adversary, may find time to hipe the leg put forward to back-heel him.

The Buttock and Cross-Buttock

As in both these movemetns it is necessary to twist the body sideways so as to get one of the hips under the antagonist, they are easier performed with slack holds than with close ones. They may be performed with either side, but the left is most common.

To take the buttock with the left hip, twist your left side round, so as to get your left hip under your adversary's belly, and pull strongly with your arms, so as to keep him on your buttock. Thus, as you twist yourself suddenly round to the right, he will be hoisted off the ground; and, as both of you keep turning and falling at the same time, he will fall under you.

In the cross-buttock, the side is twisted in; but it is so twisted round, that the back is almost turned to the adversary and the leg of the same side (for instance the left) is placed entirely across his (left) leg. The result is shown in fig 21.

These movements, when well performed, are every difficult to stop, because in them you are at once lifted off the ground and upon the adversary's back; but they may be stopped by instantly taking the lock from behind, at the same time crouching and drawing the head from under his arms. Fig 22

The Lock

The lock may be taken with either leg. I may describe it as performed with the left leg. Pass your left leg between those of the adversary, and twist it round his right leg by passing it backward, outward and forward, so tht the toe comes as much as possible to the front of his shin, thus actually locking these legs. Fig 23

Be careful when you take the lock not to bend too much forward, but to hold yourself back; for if you once lean forward, the adversary will try to prevent you rising again and, perhaps, even throw you forward.

Having obtained this position, in which you will be standing almost by the side of your adversary, you may endeavour to throw him backwardk, by turning yourself forcibly to the left.

If, on the contrary, the adversary take the lock upon you, you must endeavour to prevent him throwing you on your back, by keeping your weight forward, taking care, however, that you are not thrown in that direction; for in this situation, both parties have the power of throwing forward.

The Blow With the Knee on the Outside of the Adversary's Knee

If, after taking the hipe with the left leg, you find your man will not come down, you may strike the outside of his left knee with your right knee, and keep turning to the right all the while. The same may be done on the other side. Fig 23

The blow with the knee is very useful in many other cases, and is also an effective movement in itself when executed with force and quickness.

In and Out

The movement termed in and out, is performed by striking the opposite leg of the opponent ini such a manner that the knee is outside his knee, and the foot inside his ankle; thus the shins cross. Fig 24 It is very useful as an auxiliary to the other attacks.

The Chip

The chip is performed by striking the hollow of the foot against the outside of the antagonist's ankle, at the same time that you swing him round to the same side as the leg you strike.

The Stroke with one Leg and Then With the Other

This, it is very difficult to execute well, but when well done, it is one of the prettiest movements in wrestling.

It consists of two actions. The first of these is the blow with the knee, the chip, the in and out, or some such movement. the second is a blow across the other shin with the leg. Suppose you have performed any of the beforementioned movements with the right leg or foot, you must immediately place it on the ground, strike across the antagonist's right shin with your left leg, and swing him around to the right.

The same may be done on the other side

Hamming

Differes from "catching the heel", by the attack being made behind the knee of the defendant, instead of behind his ankle, but both of these are opposed in the same way.

Though it may not be possible to take the hipe as a defence against this, yet it may be possible to overthrow the adversary to the same side as the leg he puts forth to ham with.

Grandy Stepping

Consists in getting one of the legs behind both of the adversary's.

Rules of Wrestling

The following are the rules as given by Mr. Litt. They are adopted here, both because they are extremely judicious, and because uniformity on this point is very desirable.

Rules 1st- The umpire, writer and crier, appointed by a majority of those who give the prize, or by the person to whom is entrusted, having taken their stations within the ring, every wrestler shall come forward to the writer, enter his own name, and immediately retire to some allotted station, where he will be expected to be found when called upon.
The wrestlers are generally permitted to lie down inside the ring; which many of them are anxious to do, that they may witness the sport, and notice the methods of those with whom they may have to contend.

Rule 2nd- All the names being entered, the writer shall mention the first and the last on the list to the crier, carefully placing at the same time the figure 1 before the names, to denote that they are the last called; and to instruct him to find, without danger of a mistake, the two next in turn. The crier shall go to that part of the ring allotted to the wrestlers, and repeat the said names loudly and distinctly. The men shall immediately answer, and come forward; which if they shall neglect to do in such time as the umpire shall deem resasonable, the defaulter shall lose the fall. On their meeting, leaving them to the umpire, the crier, furnished with the names net in turn, shall call upon the owners of them to get ready, while those preceding them get hold and wrestle. On the termination of eery fall, the umpire shall give in to the writer the names of the winner and loser, which he shall write down opposite to each other, placing the figure 2 before the winner's name, which will always be the first written. The writer taking the names next to those marked, marking them in a similar manner, and writing the names given in by the umpire, shall proceed till the whole are called. If there prove to be an aodd name in the middle of the list, it shall be called on the first winner; but if the odd man prove the conqueror, his name, though of course written opposite to the man's he has thrown, shall retain the figure 1 to it, which will then become indicative of the falls he has won. The writer thus marking and calling the first and last winning names together in every round, which he must take care to distinguish; and in like manner, still writing the names of those who contend opposite to each other: it will appear that the odd man has wrestled one fall fewer than those in the same list, as every other name will be marked with the figure 2; and if he win the next fall, his name advancing one every fall, will have the 2 perfixed to it, while the others on that list have 3. Thus his name being at the haed of th list, he will meet the odd man in the previous round; if he win, he will remain one behind upon the next list; and if he lose, his conqueror exchanges situations with him. By this method, when few are left, the umpire will have it in his power to place them on an equal footing. Thus, when three are left, if the first has thrown only three men, and the other two have thrown four each, they may toss, draw cuts, or ticket, which is to wrestle him first; but if all three have wrestled equally, they may in like manner decide which two shall wrestle first.
Thus, while men who do not wish to come together, may prevent it by entering their names immediately following each other at any time but in the exact center; they can have no possible guesswho will be thier opponent. For as the low and high numbers are called together in the first round till they meet in the center; the center names are, consequently, after that round, thrown to the last, and will, in the second round, meet a high or low number indiscriminately, in the third round. Thus, supposing forty enter at first, the numbers 1 and 40 are called together, and so on, till 20 and 21 meet in the center; then it is quite uncertain, whether the center victor, 19 or 22, will meet the conquering number of 2 and 39, one of which must be the second victor in the round; and so on progressively.
If the umpire and writer are at all careful, no mistake can arise, as the writer will perceive, at a single glance, what names are next the marked ones which have been called; and if any dispute arise, the list is still there to rectify it. Therefore, while this method preserves all the uncertainty of ticketing, the list will be ready for publication the moment the wrestling is over; and, on perusing it, every man may convince himself he has been fairly treated. As it is a very great chance that a number, dividing equal to the last, such as 32, 64, or 128, will be the exact number entered, it is desirable it should be one doing so till very few competitors remain. Thus, 96 will leave three, and 80 five, etc. In such cases, the umpire, having the power of equalizing the chance, should then ticket them, as the small number and the men, having become conspicuous, would then prevent any confusion; and we would recommend the umpire to call them forward to witness their own names drawn. Whenever an odd number occurs, the prizes should not be definitively settled till the last fall, as the wrestlers cannot be on equal terms.
It may be necessary to remark, that, after the first round, the numbers, except for the marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, indicative of the rounds and falls the names before them have won, may be laid aside; their principal use being to ascertain the number entered, which, as it occupies little time, and may be done beforehand, is well worth the trouble.

Rule 3rd- When two men cannot soon agree in taking hold, the umpire shall place them at such a distance as the size of the men may render proper for ulterior proceeding. He shall then cause them to square their shoulders, and the higher part of their breasts against each other, in such manner that the right and left shoulder blades of both are perfectly level , and the arms stretched out so that the hands are in a line with the pap of the breast. He shall then direct one of them to take hold without shrinking his right breast and should underneath his opponent's, and so as to preserve a perfect equality in the use of the right arm: when this is the case, making proper allowance for contracting the arms by grasping the back of his opponent, the hold will be something below the level of the paps. If the umpire is satisfied the hold is fair, he shall cause the other to take hold likewise without shrinking, or swerving to either side; which being done, he shall immediately give the word. If the umpire perceives that either party is striving for an advantage, or will not take hold, he shall decide the fall against him; and if neither party will implicitly obey his directions, he shall cross them both out without further loss of time.

Rule 4th- If the man who takes the latter hold, makes play at the same time, and either throws his opponent immediately, or obtains such an advantage by it as in the judgement of the umpire occasions the ultimate termination of the fall; or if the fist taker-hold strike before it can be clearly ascertained that the other has hold, and obtains a similar advantage by doing so, the fall shall be wrestled over again; and if the same conduct be repeated, the offender shall lose the fall. It shall like wise be allowed fair for either party to quit his hold is his opponent strikes, or makes play, in the above imporoper manner.

Rule 5th- If either party, when endeavouring to take hold, shall throw, or attempt to throw his opponent down, when he is conscious that they have not both hold, the fall shall instantly be decided in favour of the injured party.

Rule 6th- If, when wrestling, the men get disengaged by their hands slipping over each other's head, and they remain opposite each other on terms of perfect equality, it shall be in the option of either party to leave go and take hold again, as at their first meeting; but if one of the parties only lose his grasp, it shall be deemed perfectly fair for the other to continue the wrestle till he does so likewise, or the fall terminates. If both the parties during a struggle become disengaged, if one throw the other befor they remain stationary or fronting each other, it shall be deemed a fair fall.

Rule 7th- After the men have both taken hold, if either of them quits it, either in endeavouring to save himself, by accident, or by attempting to throw his adversary, he shall lose the fall, provided his adversary retains his own hold and does not go down by that effort or manoeuvre, which is the immediate occasion or object of quitting the hold; but if his adversary, though retaining his hold, goes to the ground without recovering himself, if it be not immediately, yet in such a manner as is obviously the consequence resulting from such manoeuvre, he shall win the fall. If the effort occasions both parties to lose their hold, and both or neither go down, it shall be deemed a wrestle over again.

Rule 8th- If both the men go down in such a manner that it cannot be clearly and distinctly ascertained which of them was first on the ground, it shall be deemed a wrestle over, or, as is provincially termed, a dogfall, and the decision shall be given without any regard to the circumstance of making play. A man's knees or hands, or either of them, touching the ground, shall be considered conclusive of his being down in all cases except he is fairly covering his man, and it is occasioned by the desire of making the fall easier to himself or his antagonist; when such is the manifest intention, it shall not interfere with his claim to the fall.

Rule 9th- When the men are called into the ring, no agreement shall be allowed to take place between them relative to one of them yielding the fall, without the sanction of the umpire; but if they wrestle fairly, they shall have liberty to divide what the conqueror shall win, as they think proper.

Rule 10th- If it is apparent that there is a private agreement between two wrestlers, and that the contest is not a fair one, the umpire, if it appear to him that the stander has promised any remuneration to the other for lying down, may call him against the odd man; but if there be no odd man, or if there be two standers only, the umpire may regulate the distribution of the prize as he deems proper; or in other wirds, so as to prevent any set of men making a mere property of the sum to be contended for.