Wrestling

[yankee]

Hey folks,:)

I have been wanting to do some wrestling with in the camps and have been wondering of rules on how they wrestled during the war between the states.

Thanks,

[Pvt_M]

Re: Wrestling

I found this on the web, there's a lot of good information here

http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2002/jmanlyart_hewitt_0602.htm

[yankee]

Re: Wrestling

Thanks a lot! Now win me some earnings.....:baring_te

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Wrestling

This is Virginia's spouse.

The article about wrestling was interesting but most of it dealt with post war and a bibliography to additional sources (three of the four links didn't work for me). Of the link that did work, it described a type of wrestling that appeared sometime from the late 18th or early 19th century. A lot could have changed by the 1860's.

Michael Mescher

[Bob 125th NYSVI]

Re: Wrestling

Leg wrestling was actually pretty popular at the time and believe it or not it actually inflicts less damage on clothing and personnel than stand up wrestling does.

[Indianabugles]

Re: Wrestling

Wasn't Abe a catchacan wrestler, the reason I ask this is this is not a fun type of wrestling but a very dangerous and crippling type which he was apparently very good at.

[cka1987]

Re: Wrestling

Abe was indeed a catch wrestler and it was the most popular style of wrestling in the United States up until the early 20th century. And it's really not as dangerous as accounts lead one to believe. If you've ever watched mixed martial arts (UFC), catch wrestling is somewhat similar to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that you see employed in that sport, and by that I mean that it emphasizes submitting your opponent with chokes and joint locks as opposed to controlling and pinning them, which is the object in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and collegiate wrestling.

Collegiate wrestling, what you see in high schools up to the college level in the United States, didn't become popular in the States until after the Civil War, so if you're looking to shoot doubles on your pards in camp, don't. Greco-Roman wrestling was known in the US as early as the Colonial era but had fallen out of favor because it restricts competitors to upper body throws whereas catch-as-catch can from Lancashire and collar-and-elbow style were rough enough to entertain the masses. If you're doing a Northern impression, collar-and-elbow would be appropriate because the Irish immigrants had spread it among the AotP, but catch would be suitable for either side.