Belt wrestling

[Luigi]

Hello folks, I have been recently reading up on different folk styles of wrestling, and one that is very widespread across Eurasia is belt wrestling. This is where a belt or girdle is worn around the waist and can be used to manipulate the opponent. It is widespread among Turkic peoples where it is called Kurash and is the most popular sport in some places. Here is a video on Tuvan Kurash:



However, belt wrestling is found all across Eurasia. Here is a video of Glima, the Icelandic and Scandinavian form of belt wrestling:



Here is Shima, an Okinawan form of belt wrestling often called "Okinawan Sumo":



Russia is home to many Eurasian ethnic groups who practice belt wrestling and also happens to love combat sports, so recently they have started the International Belt Wrestling Association and are unifying all forms of belt wrestling under one set of rules and one world championship. The game is also played at the world university games:



I also found the website of the internation association and the results of the 2013 world championships(in Russian):

http://belt-wrestling.ru/ru/federation/ ... ov/18/128/

http://www.belt-wrestling.org/index.php

[Luigi]

Btw, one of the female world champions would go on to sign with the UFC. She is Milana Dudieva and she is pretty hot: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Milana-Dudieva-43885

[Luigi]

[Edge Guerrero]

- Saw your posts on sherdog thread about this subject.
Every culture i can think about has one form of wrestling, that the winner is defined by pinning the opoonend back on the ground, in Brasil we have luta-marajoara:



This is the proof that every kid from every nation in the world or even universe since even Superman know kryptonian martial arts, always dreamed to be a warrior, to challenge to the Intercontinental title:



The sad thing is that are several stiles that are dead to us today, beucase several civilizations were rulled to the ground.

[Luigi]

Very cool Edge, thanks for posting.

Funny gif from the Russian video:

Credit to Dredd from sherdog.

[Edge Guerrero]

Very cool Edge, thanks for posting.

Funny gif from the Russian video:

Credit to Dredd from sherdog.

- Do you know about more styles that are still aroud?
Curious is that even some animals play like this, they play pinning their oponnent on the ground, like bears.


Posted by sherdog user Budonoah

The combination of various of those folkstyles originated the martial arts we do today, or even pro-wrestling.

I didn't knew about Shima till now.:D

[Som-Pong]

Excellent thread. Love me some Glima.

[Luigi]

I found the results from some other world championships for belt wrestling:

http://wrestlingua.com/news/4746-ashhab ... esult.html

http://www.sporta-klubi.lv/rus/galerei/ ... 26-10.html

http://kurash-ika.org/en/chempiony-mira/

[Luigi]

Kazakhstan vs Mongolia:

[Edge Guerrero]

Kazakhstan vs Mongolia:

- Van Damme Mongolian adversary on the movie The Quest is a belt wrestler.