Information About The Different Kinds Of Wrestling

By Rod Bourgoine


Wrestling is an ancient sport and has been practiced in one form or another for many centuries. The earliest Olympic Games included wrestling as have all the modern Olympics, although the International Olympic Committee did try to eliminate the sport from the 2016 Summer Games. Fortunately, the protest was strong enough that the IOC reinstated wrestling and it will remain for now.

While there are many different types of wrestling, one of the types you see during the Olympics is Greco-Roman wrestling. The other type of wrestling displayed at the Olympic Games is freestyle wrestling. These two types of wrestling have some key differences. Holds below the waist are not allowed in Greco-Roman wrestling, but they are part of freestyle wrestling. Freestyle wrestlers are allowed to use their legs to takedown an opponent, while Greco Roman wrestlers cannot.

Freestyle wrestlers also can apply a throwdown maneuver and then a hold after their opponent is on the ground. In Greco-Roman wrestling, the wresters must remain in contact with the opponent during the entire takedown or the hold is not legal. Greco-Roman wrestlers basically must use only their arms and upper body to overcome an opponent, and while Freestyle wrestling certainly isn't easy, the wrestlers do have a few more options than they do with traditional Greco-Roman techniques.

When the modern Olympic Games came into existence in the 1890s, all of the ancient sports were included in the new games with the exception of pankration. This sport, which combines elements of wrestling and boxing, is quite similar in many ways to today's mixed martial arts. Those practicing this combat sport could grapple, punch, kick, strike, throw an opponent down, employ chokeholds and just about anything they wanted in order to overwhelm an opponent. Only biting, nail scratches and eye gouges were not allowed. While it is not part of the modern games, pankration is recognized by FILA, the main governing body for all forms of wrestling.

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 types of wrestling that you can find around the world. Sambo, a unique Russian martial art, has many similarities to both wrestling and Judo. Oil wrestling is an interesting, albeit messy, type of wrestling and the national sport of Turkey. These fighters slather themselves with olive oil before fighting, as if regular wrestling wasn't difficult enough.




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